Subject: Installing Linux on Indy

From: "Trevor Jennings" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 09:11:05 -0500

Hi,

 Well, I am new to this mailing list and am thinking of installing Linux on
my trusty old Indy and was wondering if there was in fact any other way of
installing the hardhat release instead of having another linux box to boot
from?  I was thinking of downloading the release onto jaz disk and
installing it from there, is that possible? I believe it is great that there
is a linux port happening for the SGI, especially since I use the computer
for home use and spending $600 for a newer Irix (I'm using 5.3) just isnt
worth it. Plux the fact the it seems the Indy is getting more popular as a
second hand machine and its good to have an alternative OS running on it.
Not that there is nothing wrong with Irix, in fact its great!! Just that its
so expensive to upgrade! Another reason for installing Linux too is that
from using Linux for several years now, I'd like to contribute software to
the linux community.

Cheers,

 - Trevor

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From: Tom Woelfel <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 11:08:48 +0100

> Hi,

Hi Trevor,

 > from using Linux for several years now, I'd like to contribute software to

Same problem here: 

I don't want to buy the very expensive IRIX (I would be glad to get
IRIX5.3 without spending a trillion bucks). And so the important
question again: Is it possible (will it be possible) to install Linux
on an Indy without Irix?

Obviously - NO. And the SGI Hype for their new NT-Boxes is floating
this mailing list too much. SGI has lost my respect - their treatment
of second-hand-machine-buyers is #$%^@#.

For an old SGI disk I've searched 1 week in the web to get the
jumper-settings to reset the spin-up-delay-at-boot - nothing (The
disk was purposed to be built into my PS/2). So I called SGI

A call to SGI-Munich a few weeks ago:

T: "Hi, i'm desperately seeking for the specs of the disk
blabla. Could you please tell me which jumper I have to set to blabla"

SGI: "No."

T: "You mean, you don't know."

SGI: "I mean, you have to pay 380 DM/hour to let us look, if we _have_ 
the information."

T: "I have to pay only for the information that the specs are
    available or not?"

SGI: "Right."

T:   <speechless>

(On the contrary Hyundai, where I called for the freq-range of an old
14" and get a handmade copy of the complete reference-manual and the
Wiring Diagrams - 2 days later)

Sorry - this is another off-topic posting - but in the meanwhile I'm a
little sick of those SGI-folks only writing about their new VW 320 and
540 and the gigantic milestones of those .....

No major breakthroughs in Linux/SGI  - on the mailing list there is a
huge traffic ? Something _is_ wrong.

//Tom

P.S.: I've re-read this mail. And I think it sounds a little bit too
angry. But SGI to me as a customer is a disappointment; and the only
reason that I haven't sold the Indy yet is that Linux exist for it.

---

From: Eric Kimminau <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 11:34:25 -0500

> disk was purposed to be built into my PS/2). So I called SGI

To call SGI, you need a support contract. This is the way SGI does its support
business. If you mail me the part number/model number/manufacturer of the
drive, I'll see what I can dig up for you.

EAK.

-- 
---------1---------2---------3---------4---------5---------6---------7
Eric Kimminau        [email-masked]      Field Technical Support
       SGI 39001 W. 12 Mile Rd.  Farmington, MI 48331-2903
      Vox:(248)848-4455  Fax:(248)848-5600  VNET:6-327-4455  

              "I speak my mind and no one else's."
 "I am a bomb technician. If you see me running, try to keep up..."
                    http://support.sgi.com

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From: Alex deVries <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 12:00:36 -0500 (EST)

> question again: Is it possible (will it be possible) to install Linux

Sort of.  In the end, you'll have to boot off of the network, and you'll
need to install over the network too, but yes, it can all be done without
Irix.

- Alex

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From: Honza Pazdziora <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 18:24:16 +0100

> installing it from there, is that possible? I believe it is great that there

To boot the kernel, you need a root. You should be able to boot from
a root created from IRIX, I'm however not sure which filesystem you
should pickup. You can create a e2fs filesystem from IRIX but I'm not
aware of any way to mount the filesystem to copy the root there. For
other filesystems, you might need to use cross-compiler to build new
kernel. [Maybe somebody else will see easier ways?]

So essentially, I'd say the answer is no. Note however that the other
computer doesn't need to be Linux box, anything that can do tftp,
bootp and nfs will be just fine. I myself boot from our Solaris
server.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Honza Pazdziora | [email-masked] | http://www.fi.muni.cz/~adelton/
 The total number of bytes in all expressions in the GROUP BY clause is
 limited to the size of a data block minus some overhead. --Oracle SQL Ref.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

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From: [email-masked] (Dave Olson)
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 10:29:27 -0800 (PST)

Tom Woelfel wrote: 
|  I don't want to buy the very expensive IRIX (I would be glad to get
|  IRIX5.3 without spending a trillion bucks). And so the important
|  question again: Is it possible (will it be possible) to install Linux
|  on an Indy without Irix?

Not to cause a flame war, but $600 US isn't all that much (I realize
that for somebody who has paid $1000 or less for a used system it can
seem like a lot).

|  For an old SGI disk I've searched 1 week in the web to get the
|  jumper-settings to reset the spin-up-delay-at-boot - nothing (The
|  disk was purposed to be built into my PS/2). So I called SGI

All the disk drive manufacturers that I know of have web pages for
the drive jumper settings.  SGI support doesn't have docs on most of them,
even the current ones, because nobody ever needs to know; they come
setup correctly from the factory.

By the way, with only 5 jumpers to play with on most drives, you
can usually figure it out in less than 30 minutes.

I'm sorry you are so unhappy about it, but it does sound like you
are frustrated over things that seem pretty easy to deal with.

Dave Olson, Silicon Graphics
http://reality.sgi.com/olson   [email-masked]

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From: Eric Kimminau <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 13:43:56 -0500

> that for somebody who has paid $1000 or less for a used system it can

Actually, I have been doing a bit of digging for someone else. I don't sell
support for SGI, I give support for SGI. That is what I am paid for. Please
don't flame me if any of this turns out to be false. I am only trying to help.
None of what is written here is legally binding in any way, shape or form. The
prices for SGI system and software support that you get for your system is
between you and your SGI support contracts representative. All prices are in
US dollars. It may be differnt elsewhere.

1) There is currently a promotion running to purchase IRIX 6.5 IF you have at
least a Software only support contract. The promotional price is for $165.00
per seat. This promotion ends in a relatively short time. No official end date
has been given for the promotion. It was supposed to end 12/31/98 but it has
been extended "until further notice".

2) I am awaiting confirmation that you can purchase 1 month of software
support. For a 133Mhz R4600 Indy this costs ~$45.00 a month (based on your
system configuration). 

3) The real question is whether you can purchase 1 month of OSCare support and
then get the promotional 6.5 price. If you can, getting IRIX 6.5.x plus a
month of support for $210.00 is a steal. 

4) This is significantly less than "a trillion bucks".

If you are interested in exploring this for your own machine, contact a
contracts representive in your local SGI sales office. Your mileage may vary.
Locations of SGI sales offices may be found my looking on www.sgi.com.

Eric.

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From: Tom Woelfel <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 09:52:10 +0100

> are frustrated over things that seem pretty easy to deal with.

The disk had no label on it. So I had to put it in an external
SCSI-CASE an plug it in (risk). Linux reported an IMB/SGI S6(S8?) or
so. The only model I found was the model S12. Simple Question: Are
both jumper-settings equal? (For the MCA one needs special setting) If
there is no answer for a simple question; not on the web, not after a
call ...

Well, shit happens. Maybe I should have written a mail to someone in
the list directly.

//Tom

[Thanx also to Joan Eslinger for the immediate response]