[rescue] SGI indigo2 boot problem

[Jonathan C. Patschke]

On Sun, 15 Sep 2002, Walter Belgers wrote:

> I have just gotten an SGI Indigo2 Extreme. It has one board in it, which
> I am told is an extreme graphics board.

Extreme is a three-board set.  The only single-card gfx options for
Indigo2 are XL and Solid IMPACT.  To tell exactly what you've got, pull
the case and look at the cardcage from the side.  The shield will flip
down fairly easily.

If you really do have one card, and it's almost completely covered with
heat-sink, it's SI graphics.  If it's one card, and it's not mostly-
heatsink, you have XL (entry) graphics.  If you have a multiboard set,
you have either XZ (also called Elan) or Extreme.

> I have put in 4 SIMMs in bank 1 but the system won't boot.

The bank closest to the rear, correct?  Indigo2 takes memory in a rather
backwards order.

> The error I get is:

---snip---

> Local I/O interrupt register 0: 0x4 <SCSI1>
> Local I/O interrupt register 2: 0xca <EISA,SLOT0,SLOT1>

Make sure your cards in the cardcage are properly seated.  If no screws
are present to attach the bulkheads to the chassis, add them--standard
PC "chassis thread" screws will work just fine.

> Does this ring a bell with anybody?

I'm guessing that you either have a dead or loose card in the cardcage,
or that there's a crack in the midplane or the motherboard.  It's a Bad
sign when the system can't even get you into the PROM monitor.  Try
removing all the cards from the cardcage and attaching a serial
terminal.


-- 
Jonathan Patschke
   > Can you SysAdmins tell me what might go on in a typical day?
   Hours of endless frustration punctuated by moments of sheer terror.
                                 --Saul Tannenbaum (in the Monastery)