SGI Indy

2008-07-15

Required software for net installation:

• Installation overlay (no install tools CD neccessary)
• dhcpd configured for bootp
• tftpd for supplying sash and miniroot
• rshd for supplying the packages, because the miniroot lacks NFS support
• NFS server for supplying the rest of the packages

2008-07-22

Finally got hold of a few old SCSI disks to try out. rsh is a no-go because of the idiotic login from the IRIX installer. root-something. Where's a documentation of the protocol?

Target SCSI disk jumper settings

2008-07-23

Installation Tools CDR -> 1GB HDD Played a lot with SCSI IDs: Install tools disk -> ID 2, target disk -> ID 1, ID 0 is the controller Booting from there works, but loading unix.IP22 doesn't because disk isn't formatted. Start fx first:

boot -f dksc(0,2,8)sashARCS dksc(0,2,7)stand/fx.ARCS --x

Boot command from ARCS boot menu:

boot -f dksc(0,2,8)sashARCS dksc(0,2,7)dist/miniroot/unix.IP22

Formatted disk via netboot, then loaded unix.IP22 from 1GB HDD -> works! Lots of missing base packages, could only install a few. System not bootable. Tried mounting NFS via installer shell. Problem: no portmapper. Mounting Install tools HDD from installer shell:

mkdir /cdrom
mount /dev/dsk/dks0d2r7 /cdrom

Then use /cdrom/dist as package source.

2008-08-19

After installing from the two Foundation CDs (had to boot installer via network), there was no sash in the root drive volume header. There is a tool called dvhtool to edit it.

How to copy sash from one volume header to another and the whole documentation @ Silicon Graphics.

Documentation about the nvram settings can be found here.

2008-08-26

Finally found a SCSI CD-ROM drive that works!

Booted installer, wiped first 10MB of disk, booted fx (as above), then installed IRIX according to these instructions.

Here's information on what to do in fx, section XFS (IRIX 6.5). They suggested to use EFS, so I did. No option partition/drive with XFS.

Summary:

/r/ro
efs
/r/re
/l/sy
/exit

This setup won't work on an Indy if the disk label is created using IRIX 6.5 (even from the installation CD). The label first has to be created using a 5.3 fx, then updated to XFS using the fx from IRIX 6.5.

2008-09-09

Big problem: Almost everything on the overlay CDs won't install because of missing prerequisites. Guess I still need all the other IRIX 6.5 installation discs. Installer CD, Foundation 1 and 2 are enough for a basic system with X11. But they don't even contain a desktop environment. All you get is a terminal window.

Found a Wiki with lots of info on configuration.

2009-01-20

Finally found out the correct procedure to make a bootable system on the Indy!

XFS is no option. Even though the filesystem is mounted by sash, for some reason, the Indy only boots from an EFS.

To format a disk with EFS, an older IRIX installation CD is needed. Fortunately, the Indy came with a 5.3 CD (not the whole set, only the install disk).

Use the following procedure to prepare the hard disk for IRIX 6.5:

• Turn on the system and go into the boot command line
• Insert the 5.3 installation disk
• Start fx and create a new disk label using the commands as documented above
• Make sure the root partition is not larger than 8GB (the limit for EFS)
• Reboot and start installation from the IRIX boot menu
• The installer will be copied to the hard disk and launched, but it can't mount the root partition yet, as it has no filesystem
• Enter 'yes' when it asks if you want to format the disk
• Wait until inst has launched, then reboot
• Insert the 6.5 installation CD and start 6.5 installation from the boot menu
• It should detect the EFS formatted disk now and mount it for installation
• Install like described in the documents linked above

A more detailed desription of the installation process and how to accelerate it by copying all installation CDs to the hard disk first will follow.