[mchartmann]

I bought a Onyx and there are no onboard graphics. It does have Onyx skins and a label on sheet metal stating Eveready server. Any ideas? :Octane: :Indigo: :Indy: :Onyx: :Indigo2-IMP: :O2: :Indigo2:

[Pentium]

A graphics-less Onyx is a Challenge L. The entire Onyx line otherwise sold with at least a graphics subsystem.

I am still fairly certain someone threw a bunch of parts into an Onyx chassis and bamboozled out of your money for a less desireable Challenge.

[fast*st]

I bought a Onyx and there are no onboard graphics. It does have Onyx skins and a label on sheet metal stating Eveready server. Any ideas? :Octane: :Indigo: :Indy: :Onyx: :Indigo2-IMP: :O2: :Indigo2:

If I recall, the difference is in the system board, the Onyx has a drilled hole where the graphics assembly aligns, the challenge series has a plastic pin in the hole.   It could be that someone borrowed the gfx set for another system.

[jan-jaap]

Not possible. The backplane of the Challenge and Onyx series are entirely different. Even Onyx RE2 and Onyx IR have different backplanes. The Onyx has 3 PowerPath II slots and takes 1x CPU, 1x IO4 and 1x MC3 boards, the Challenge has 5 PowerPath II slots so you can have up to 3 CPU boards (and/or multiple IO4's or MC3's). Obviously there are no slots nor power bricks for graphics in the Challenge.

There used to be a Challenge DM which was crippled to use only one CPU. That was enforced with a magic screw, maybe that's what you mean?

I never had much luck with Onyxes: my first one, an RE2, would eat at least one board per year for no apparent reason. The second one has a busted IR raster manager which kills the desktop as soon as you start using it properly. My Challenge on the other hand never gave me any grief, and with 12x R10Ks it's a pretty fast IRIX 6.2 box.

[mosiniak]

I bought a Onyx and there are no onboard graphics. It does have Onyx skins and a label on sheet metal stating Eveready server. Any ideas? :Octane: :Indigo: :Indy: :Onyx: :Indigo2-IMP: :O2: :Indigo2:

Has it arrived?

[mchartmann]

I bought a Onyx and there are no onboard graphics. It does have Onyx skins and a label on sheet metal stating Eveready server. Any ideas? :Octane: :Indigo: :Indy: :Onyx: :Indigo2-IMP: :O2: :Indigo2:

Has it arrived?

Yes the Onyx arrived. It does include a new IP21 board.

---

Not possible. The backplane of the Challenge and Onyx series are entirely different. Even Onyx RE2 and Onyx IR have different backplanes. The Onyx has 3 PowerPath II slots and takes 1x CPU, 1x IO4 and 1x MC3 boards, the Challenge has 5 PowerPath II slots so you can have up to 3 CPU boards (and/or multiple IO4's or MC3's). Obviously there are no slots nor power bricks for graphics in the Challenge.

There used to be a Challenge DM which was crippled to use only one CPU. That was enforced with a magic screw, maybe that's what you mean?

I never had much luck with Onyxes: my first one, an RE2, would eat at least one board per year for no apparent reason. The second one has a busted IR raster manager which kills the desktop as soon as you start using it properly. My Challenge on the other hand never gave me any grief, and with 12x R10Ks it's a pretty fast IRIX 6.2 box.

If this is just a Onyx skinned Challenge how would I go about accessing the system using a Octane to connect?  I have the cpu board, will have to purchase memory board, and another board can not remember name. I have remaining hardware,software. I assume connection would be Challenge to Octane over serial cable? Will need to install one of my Irix versions I have. I know there was a graphics card made for the Challenge and will see if can locate. Yes backplane does have 5 PowerPath slots and 6 of the other type slots. Thanks for any help and information.

[jan-jaap]

A Challenge is accessed using a serial console (and ethernet, once IRIX is up and running). So you need a serial null modem cable. To make things harder, the port on the Challenge is RS232, but the pinout is not what's used on a PC, but something SGI specific and the connector on the system is a female rather than male one. You'll have to manufacture your own cable. The SGI pinout is documented here: https://techpubs.jurassic.nl/manuals/hdw...#id5436642

It won't hurt to start reading the user manual: https://techpubs.jurassic.nl/manuals/hdw...index.html
and at some point you'll probably need the service manual: http://www.futuretech.blinkenlights.nl/o...45-030.pdf

IP21 is an R8000 CPU board which is very cool if you're into retro-numerical computing but not better than a standard R4400 (IP19) at general purpose (integer) computing. The IP25 with 4x R10K CPUs is the most desirable.

You will need an MC3 and an IO4 board, and beware that the IO4 has both HVD (high voltage differential) and the more common SE SCSI on board. It can be configured using HVD (red) or SE (green) daughter cards. The SCSI box (where the drives go) has to be jumpered to match the IO4 configuration, and so must *all* the drive sleds. It is documented in the manual.

HVD is not LVD SCSI. In fact, if you connect a common SE or LVD SCSI disk to a HVD controller you will fry it, and possibly the controller as well. So if you build a system from a large pile of possibly unrelated parts you have to be very very careful. The default configuration for an Onyx/Chalenge is SCSI bus #0 in SE mode for CD-ROMs and tape drives, and SCSI bus #1 in HVD mode for the system disk and other disks. Unless you got a box of HVD disks with the system, I'd leave any HVD bits disconnected initially and put a regular SE ultra-wide or LVD disk on SCSI bus #0

There's much more information on Simon Pigot's old page (now gone) which I mirrored: https://www.jurassic.nl/mirrors/gisparks...gine2.html
Pay especially attention to https://www.jurassic.nl/mirrors/gisparks...slist.html when piecing together a system from a "box of parts" as certain board (like the R8000 IP19) require at least certain revisions of other components (like IO4 and MC3).

Last but not least: the R8000 cache chips are very susceptible to static electricity. Don't put that board on the carpet.

[mchartmann]

A Challenge is accessed using a serial console (and ethernet, once IRIX is up and running). So you need a serial null modem cable. To make things harder, the port on the Challenge is RS232, but the pinout is not what's used on a PC, but something SGI specific and the connector on the system is a female rather than male one. You'll have to manufacture your own cable. The SGI pinout is documented here: https://techpubs.jurassic.nl/manuals/hdw...#id5436642

It won't hurt to start reading the user manual: https://techpubs.jurassic.nl/manuals/hdw...index.html
and at some point you'll probably need the service manual: http://www.futuretech.blinkenlights.nl/o...45-030.pdf

IP21 is an R8000 CPU board which is very cool if you're into retro-numerical computing but not better than a standard R4400 (IP19) at general purpose (integer) computing. The IP25 with 4x R10K CPUs is the most desirable.

You will need an MC3 and an IO4 board, and beware that the IO4 has both HVD (high voltage differential) and the more common SE SCSI on board. It can be configured using HVD (red) or SE (green) daughter cards. The SCSI box (where the drives go) has to be jumpered to match the IO4 configuration, and so must *all* the drive sleds. It is documented in the manual.

HVD is not LVD SCSI. In fact, if you connect a common SE or LVD SCSI disk to a HVD controller you will fry it, and possibly the controller as well. So if you build a system from a large pile of possibly unrelated parts you have to be very very careful. The default configuration for an Onyx/Chalenge is SCSI bus #0 in SE mode for CD-ROMs and tape drives, and SCSI bus #1 in HVD mode for the system disk and other disks. Unless you got a box of HVD disks with the system, I'd leave any HVD bits disconnected initially and put a regular SE ultra-wide or LVD disk on SCSI bus #0

There's much more information on Simon Pigot's old page (now gone) which I mirrored: https://www.jurassic.nl/mirrors/gisparks...gine2.html
Pay especially attention to https://www.jurassic.nl/mirrors/gisparks...slist.html when piecing together a system from a "box of parts" as certain board (like the R8000 IP19) require at least certain revisions of other components (like IO4 and MC3).

Last but not least: the R8000 cache chips are very susceptible to static electricity. Don't put that board on the carpet.

Thank you for the information. Its a lot more involved than my other SGI systems to get running but will be an interesting challenge, pun intended! The previous owner purchased this system from Epcot center in 1997 and has not been used since. I have the original SGI shipping label and bag for the new IP21. Its strange a server in a Onyx skin box though.

[mosiniak]

... if you connect a common SE or LVD SCSI disk to a HVD controller you will fry it...

If You connect LVD drive You will destroy it, but if You connect SE drive to HVD controller or vice versa You probably will not fry (I havn't tested that) anything.
In the 007-1732-060 page 46 You can read:

• If you plug a single-ended drive into a bus configured for differential operation, nothing on the bus will work.
  
• If you plug a differential drive into a bus configured as single-ended, the differential drive will not work. Single-ended drives on the bus may continue to work.
  
• Configuration jumpers at the IO4, drive rack backplane, and the sled board must all be set for the same mode or the bus will not work.
  

One more important thing:

• Never use a single-ended SCSI terminator on a differential channel. Connecting a single-ended terminator to a differential channelwill short +5 V directly to ground, resulting in blown fuses and possible equipment damage.