Silicon Graphics 2400 User manual

SGI™2400 and 2800 Server
Owner’s Guide
Document Number 007-4192-001

SGI™2400 and 2800 Server Owner’s Guide
Document Number 007-4192-001
CONTRIBUTORS
Written by Mark Schwenden and Pablo Rozal
Illustrated by Dan Young and Cheri Brown
Production by Amy Swenson and Linda Rae Sande
Engineering contributions by David Alexander, Ted Wong, Sam Sengupta,
Bob Marinelli, Rob Bradshaw, Steve Whitney, Jim Ammon, Richard Singer, and
Ben Fathi
© 1999, Silicon Graphics, Inc.— All Rights Reserved
The contents of this document may not be copied or duplicated in any form, in whole
or in part, without the prior written permission of Silicon Graphics, Inc.
RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND
Use, duplication, or disclosure of the technical data contained in this document by
the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (c) (1) (ii) of the
Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 52.227-7013
and/or in similar or successor clauses in the FAR, or in the DOD or NASA FAR
Supplement. Unpublished rights reserved under the Copyright Laws of the United
States. Contractor/manufacturer is SGI, 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy., Mountain View,
CA 94043-1351.
Shielded Cables
This product requires the use of external shielded cables in order to maintain
compliance with Part 15 of the FCC rules.
FCC Warning
This equipment has been tested and found compliant with the limits for a Class A
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is
operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference, in which case users will be required to correct the interference at their
own expense.
For additional FCC information, refer to the Interference Handbook 1993 Edition
prepared by the Federal Communications Commission. This booklet can be obtained

by writing to the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents,
Mail Stop SSOP, Washington, D.C. 20402-9328, ISBN 0-16-041736-8.
VDE 0871/6.78
This equipment has been tested to and is in compliance with the Level A limits per
VDE 0871.
International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR)
This equipment has been tested to and is in compliance with the Class A limits per
CISPR publication 22, Limits and Methods of Measurement of Radio Interference
Characteristics of Information Technology Equipment; Germany’s BZT Class A
limits for Information Technology Equipment; and Japan’s VCCI Class 1 limits.
Canadian Department of Communications Statement
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions
from digital apparatus as set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the
Canadian Department of Communications.
Attention
Cet appareil numerique n’emet pas de perturbations radioélectriques dépassant les
normes applicables aux appareils numériques de Classe A préscrites dans le
Règlement sur les interferences radioélectriques établi par le Ministère des
Communications du Canada.
Manufacturer’s Regulatory Declarations
This workstation conforms to several national and international specifications and
European directives as listed on the “Manufacturer’s Declaration of Conformity,”
which is included with each computer system and peripheral. The CE insignia
displayed on each device is an indication of conformity to the European
requirements.
Your workstation has several governmental and third-party approvals, licenses, and
permits. Do not modify this product in any way that is not expressly approved by
Silicon Graphics, Inc. If you do, you may lose these approvals and your
governmental agency authority to operate this device.

VCCI Class 1 Statement for Japan
Chinese Class A Regulatory Notice
IRIX is a registered trademark and SGI, the SGI logo, Origin Vault, S2MP, IRIS
InSight, and XIO are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. CrayLink is a trademark of
Cray Research, Inc. VME is a trademark of Motorola. UNIX is a registered trademark
in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open
Company, Ltd.
TUV
geprufte
Sicherheit
R
NRTL/C

v
Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xiii
About This Guide xv
Finding the Information You Need xvi
SGI 2400 and 2800 Server Owner’s Guide xvii
IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing Guide xvii
IRIS InSight Online Documentation and Help xvii
Online Man Pages xvii
Release Notes xviii
World Wide Web Accessible Documentation xviii
Conventions xix
1. Introducing the SGI 2400 and 2800 Server Systems 1
System Features 1
Hardware Overview 4
About the SGI 2400 and 2800 9
CrayLink Interconnect 11
XIO Slots 12
Distributed Shared Address Space (Memory and I/O) 12
IRIX 13
2. Chassis Tour 15
Overview 15
Board Configuration and Layout 20

vi
Contents
Major Components 21
System Controller 22
BaseIO Board 25
CPU Node Board 26
Router Boards 30
Power Distribution Unit (PDU) 32
CrayLink Interconnect 32
PCI Carrier Assembly 34
3. Interface and Cabling Information 35
The Ethernet Interface Connection 36
Standard Serial Ports 38
Standard SCSI Connector 40
4. System Configurations 43
Overview 43
Basic System Configurations 44
Rackmount Configurations 47
Multirack Configurations 53
5. System Configuration and Operation 59
Connecting Your Terminal 60
SCSI Configuration Requirements 62
Loading the Single Connector Assembly (SCA) Drives Into the System 63
Loading the CD-ROM 66
Connecting Your System to an Ethernet Network 68
Initially Powering On the System 69
Booting Your System 73
Installing the Operating System 76
Powering Off the System 76
Resetting Your System 77
6. Removing and Replacing Customer-Replaceable Units 79
General Information 81
Safety Information 81

Contents
vii
General Procedures 82
Powering Off a Rackmount System 82
Opening the Drive Door 89
Opening the Cable Cover Door 90
Specific Procedures 91
Removing a Drive Module 91
Removing the Facade 94
Removing the System Controller and CD-ROM Module 96
XIO Board Slots 98
7. Using the System Controller 99
MMSC 99
MMSC Front Panel Display 100
MMSC Assembly 104
MSC Front Panel 109
Understanding the MSC LEDs and Switches 112
MSC Features and Functions 113
MSC Status Messages 115
8. System Maintenance and Troubleshooting 117
Maintaining Your Hardware and Software 117
Hardware Dos and Don’ts 117
Software Dos and Don’ts 118
System Problem Catagories 118
XIO Board Slots Not Functioning 118
Physical Inspection Checklist 119
MSC Shutdown 120
Fixing the MSC Shutdown 120
Recovering from a System Crash 121
A. System Specifications 123
Index 125

ix
List of Figures
Figure i Information Sources for the SGI 2400 and 2800 Rackmount System xvi
Figure ii System Owner’s Guide xvii
Figure iii IRIX Admin: Software Guide xvii
Figure iv IRIS InSight Icon xvii
Figure 1-1 SGI 2400 Rackmount Server System 2
Figure 1-2 SGI 2400 Multirack System Configuration Example 3
Figure 1-3 SGI 2400 Multirack Configuration (Four Racks Shown) 4
Figure 1-4 SGI 2400 Rackmount Chassis (Side Panel Removed) 6
Figure 1-5 Rackmount Server Functional Block Diagram 7
Figure 1-6 A Look Inside the Module Chassis 8
Figure 1-7 Modules in an SGI 2400 or 2800 System 10
Figure 2-1 SGI 2400 and 2800 Rackmount System (Front View) 16
Figure 2-2 SGI 2400 and 2800 Rackmount Rear View 17
Figure 2-3 Board Configuration and Layout for System Module 21
Figure 2-4 MSC and Display 23
Figure 2-5 MMSC Display (for Entire Rack) 24
Figure 2-6 BaseIO Board 25
Figure 2-7 Node Board Positioning in the Chassis 28
Figure 2-8 Front View of Node Board Showing Bulkhead 29
Figure 2-9 System Router Boards 31
Figure 2-10 CrayLink Interconnect, Xpress Link, and Crosstown Cables 33
Figure 2-11 Optional PCI Carrier Assembly 34
Figure 3-1 Standard Ethernet on SGI 2400 and 2800 Rackmount 37
Figure 3-2 Serial Port Location and Pinouts 39
Figure 3-3 68-Pin SCSI Connector 42
Figure 4-1 Basic Module Configurations 45
Figure 4-2 SGI 2400 Rackmount Configuration Examples 46

x
List of Figures
Figure 4-3 Single Server Module in a Rack with Four Vault Drive Boxes 49
Figure 4-4 16P SGI 2400 Server 51
Figure 4-5 16P SGI 2400 Rackmount Server with Xpress Links 52
Figure 4-6 32P Configuration 54
Figure 4-7 32P with Express Links 55
Figure 4-8 64P Configuration 56
Figure 4-9 SGI 2800 128P Configuration 57
Figure 5-1 Connecting a Terminal 61
Figure 5-2 Installing an SCA Drive 64
Figure 5-3 SCSI Hardwire Addresses for the SGI 2400 and 2800 Server Module 65
Figure 5-4 Installing a CD-ROM Into an SGI 2400 or 2800 Chassis 67
Figure 5-5 Connecting an Ethernet to the System 68
Figure 5-6 Connecting the System Power Cable 70
Figure 5-7 Turning On the PDU 71
Figure 5-8 Powering On the System (Rear View of Chassis) 72
Figure 5-9 Entry-Level System Controller Key Positions 74
Figure 6-1 Customer-Replaceable Units (CRUs) for the SGI 2400 or 2800 Server 80
Figure 6-2 Turning Off the Module Controller 83
Figure 6-3 Powering Off a Rackmount Module 84
Figure 6-4 Powering Off the Multimodule Controller 85
Figure 6-5 Turning Off the PDU 87
Figure 6-6 Turning Off a Multirack Configuration 88
Figure 6-7 Opening the Drive Front Door on a Rackmount System 89
Figure 6-8 Opening the Cable Cover Door 90
Figure 6-9 Opening the Disk Drive Unit Module 92
Figure 6-10 Removing the Drive 93
Figure 6-11 Removing the Facade from a System Module 95
Figure 6-12 Removing the System Controller and CD-ROM 97
Figure 7-1 MMSC Functional Block Diagram 100
Figure 7-2 MMSC and Front Panel 101
Figure 7-3 MMSC Display 102
Figure 7-4 Action Menu Selection for MMSC Display 103
Figure 7-5 MMSC Cabling 105

List of Figures
xi
Figure 7-6 MMSC to MMSC 10BaseT Ethernet Cabling (2 racks) 106
Figure 7-7 MMSC to 10BaseT-Hub 1BaseT Ethernet Cabling (2 racks) 107
Figure 7-8 Processor Assembly Location in Rack 108
Figure 7-9 MSC Status Panel, Serial Connector, and Switches 109
Figure 7-10 System Controller Rear Serial Connector 111

xiii
List of Tables
Table 2-1 SGI 2400 and 2800 Major Components 18
Table 2-2 BaseIO Connectors 26
Table 3-1 Ethernet 100-BASE T Ethernet Port Pin Assignments 36
Table 3-2 68-Pin Single-Ended, High-Density SCSI Pinouts 40
Table 4-1 Single Module Chassis Configurations 47
Table 4-2 Dual Module Chassis Configuration 48
Table 4-3 Multiple-Rack Configurations 53
Table 7-1 System Controller Messages 115
Table A-1 Physical and Environmental Specifications 123
Table A-2 Electrical and Cooling Specifications 124

xv
About This Guide
Welcome to the SGI 2400 and 2800 server systems. The SGI 2400 and 2800 Server Owner’s
Guide is your complete guide to operating your rackmount system. Specifically, it tells
you how to
• set up your SGI 2400 and 2800 rackmount server and turn it on
• install peripherals
• install and remove software
• diagnose hardware problems
• replace faulty parts
• correctly maintain your system
Refer to this guide to set up the system, install hardware options, or find a solution when
you suspect there is a hardware problem. Basic information on installing software is also
included. For more advanced information on installing software, refer to IRIX Admin:
Software Installation and Licensing.
The system and the procedures in this guide are designed so that you may maintain and
repair part of the system without the help of a trained technician. However, do not feel
that you must work with the hardware yourself. You can always contact your service
provider to have an authorized service person work with the hardware.

xvi
About This Guide
Finding the Information You Need
The SGI 2400 and 2800 ships with the following sources of information, as shown in
Figure i.
•IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing
• IRIX Release Notes (on the CD)
• IRIS InSight online documentation and help
Figure i Information Sources for the SGI 2400 and 2800 Rackmount System
The following sections contain information on options that can help you get your system
up and running and help you become productive as soon as possible.
Hard Copy
CDs
IRIS InSight
Desktop Help
Online
Documentation
Doc Title line 1
Doc Title line 2
Volume Number
Volume Contents

About This Guide
xvii
SGI 2400 and 2800 Server Owner’s Guide
Refer to this manual (see Figure ii) to set up the system and install hardware options, or
to find solutions when you suspect there is a hardware problem. In addition, it contains
basic information on installing and removing optional software.
IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing Guide
The IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing guide is the complete reference guide
on using the installation program, inst, to install software. For information on using the
Software Manager to install software, refer to the online Personal System Administration
Guide.
IRIS InSight Online Documentation and Help
The online documentation package is called IRIS InSight. The InSight icon is shown in
Figure iv. To view the manuals, go to the Help toolchest and choose “Online Books.” You
will see bookshelves for end-user, developer, and administration manuals that ship
online with the system. Double-click on a book to open it.
For a description and listing of the manuals that are available to purchase in hard copy,
double-click on the Documentation Catalog.
Online Man Pages
Your system comes with a set of IRIX man pages, formatted in the standard UNIX “man
page” style. These are found online on the internal system disk (or CD-ROM) and are
displayed using the man command. For example, to display the man page for the
Add_disk command, enter the following command at a shell prompt:
man Add_disk
Important system configuration files as well as commands are documented on man
pages. References in the documentation to these pages include the name of the command
and the section number in which the command is found. For example, “Add_disk(1)”
refers to the Add_disk command and indicates that it is found in section 1 of the IRIX
reference.
SGI 2200 Server
Owner's Guide
Figure ii
S
ystem Owner’s Guide
Doc Title line 1
Doc Title line 2
Volume Number
Volume Contents
Figure iii
IRIX Admin:
Software Guide
Figure iv
IRIS InSight Icon

xviii
About This Guide
For additional information about displaying reference pages using the man command,
see man(1).
In addition, the apropos command locates man pages based on keywords. For example,
to display a list of man pages that describe disks, enter the following command at a shell
prompt:
apropos disk
For information about setting up and using apropos, see apropos(1) and makewhatis(1M).
Release Notes
You can view the release notes for a variety of SGI products and software subsystems
using one of two utilities:
relnotes Text-based viewer for online release notes.
grelnotes Graphics viewer for online release notes.
To see a list of available release notes, type the following at a shell prompt:
relnotes
For more information, see the relnotes(1) and grelnotes(1) man pages.
World Wide Web Accessible Documentation
SGI makes its manuals available in a variety of formats via the World Wide Web (WWW).
Using your Web browser, open the following URL:
http://techpubs.sgi.com/library
Enter a keyword search, or search by title to find the information or manual you need.

About This Guide
xix
Conventions
The SGI 2400 and 2800 Server Owner’s Guide uses these conventions:
• References to documents are in italics.
• References to other chapters and sections within this guide are in quotation marks.
• Names of IRIX man pages or commands that you type at the shell prompt are in
italics as are IRIX filenames.
• Steps to perform tasks are in numbered sentences. When a numbered step needs
more explanation, the explanation follows the step.