[Gllug] SGI Hardware (This is an I WANT not an I'VE GOT, sorry)

[Christian Smith]

Matthew King uttered:

> Christian Smith <csmith at thewrongchristian.org.uk> writes:
>
>> Matthew King uttered:
>>
>>> I have found a supplier who is able to get me the bits I need to get my
>>> SGI Indigo up and running for a mere £90. I'll pay this if necessary but
>>> for something which will just be for fun this seems a little excessive.
>>
>> A mere £90? What do you need to get it working? Give me £90 and I'd
>> happily let you take my working Indigo off my hands, keyboard and mouse
>> included:)
>
> Keyboard, R3K battery and monitor cable (I could use a standard monitor
> but I don't have one spare).


I picked up a battery up here:
http://www.cellpacksolutions.com/Search_All.asp?searchall=TL5186%2FP&Submit4=Go



>
>>> Also he doesn't have any mice.
>
> Oh and a mouse of course.



The keyboard and mouse is the killer. I can let you have mine on an 
'extended loan' if you want to use the console.


Or you can try an PS/2 converter, documented here:
http://rshockley.dyndns.org/indigo.htm


>>> Especially mice. I can probably get somewhere without it for a while but
>>> using X mouseless will no doubt be a pain.
>>
>> You don't need no steenkin mice. Just get a Mac modem cable, add a
>> cross-over null modem extension, and use the serial console.
>
> Well yes, but that makes taking advantage of the SGI's graphics (I may
> upgrade the graphics board one day) a little more difficult.


Take advantage? The entry level graphics are just that. Little better than 
a dumb frame buffer, with all rendering done in software. I think it can 
handle things like lines in hardware, and bz is very playable, but it's no 
speed demon anymore (except compared to it's PC peers.)


>
>> Indigos are just so slow now that working in X is quite painful IMO. I'm
>> trying to find the time to blitz Irix 5.3 (which can't even handle
>> arbitrary subnets) and install NetBSD on it.
>
> So it won't like 10.7.8.0/24?
>
> That's going to be irritating.
>


That may be OK. It's more like submasks that earn't on octet boundaries. 
So 10.7.8.0/22 would be invalid.


> Still, against the recommendations of the dealer I doubt I will be
> sticking with Irix but it will provide a useful starting point.


I think NetBSD will be your only other choice. I'm not aware of any Linux 
support. That said, I've not tried NetBSD other than a 2.99 version 
netbooted from a PC. NetBSD 3 has support out of the box, which I intend 
to try soon.

Irix itself is not that useful. By default, it doesn't even come with 
header files, so you'll need the IDO (Irix Developer Option?) disk to even 
be able to use gcc. I did have a copy, but lent that to someone from 
GLLUG, but can't remember who (may have been you:)


>
> Matthew
>

Christian

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