21 Jan
2023
21 Jan
'23
12:30 p.m.
On 1/20/23 11:19, Chris via cctalk wrote:
I have 2 IRIX sets. 15 disk 6.5.4 iinm. And a 3 diak 6.5.6. Have 2
Indys, 1 is busted up, the 1 I'll wind up keeping for an extended period
probably. 1 Indy has an r5000 I think and a graphics card. The other is
mediocre. Also have an R1000 Impact I2.
The first thing to be aware of is that the 3-disk set for 6.5.6 will be
just the "overlays" (in SGI terminology). The 15-disk 6.5.4 set will
include the base 6.5 distribution (12 disks) plus the 6.5.4 overlays (3
disks). No matter what version of 6.5.x you install, you'll need the
same base disks from that 6.5.4 set. Then add the overlays for
whichever specific point release you want.
Question is are these versions of Irix suitable. Or
couldnI do better.
And on account of SGIs licensing scheme, which attaches a specific os
version to a maxhine (or vice versa), does that entitle me to obtain and
install those specific versions. Put anotjer way if I obtained images
from somewhere, installed the correct versions of Irix, would thoae
machines then be legit? Or am I supposed to pay through the nose for a
subscription or whatever?
The machines you have were supported up to 6.5.22, so you can run
anything up to that. (And frankly, I don't know why you'd want an
earlier 6.5.x release.) After that only the O2, Octane, and newer
systems were supported.
You can also go with something older than 6.5.x. Both 6.2 and 5.3 are
options on the Indys. Only 6.2 would support the R10K Impact system.
IRIX 6.5.x likes lots of RAM. Consider 128 MB the minimum, 256 MB is
better. (Which doesn't sound like a lot today, but it was 25 years ago
when these machines were current!) If you have less RAM, then
definitely consider earlier IRIX.
The final release was 6.5.30, but that was way back in 2006. Even
extended support contracts for those paying the big money ran out
sometime around a decade ago. There is simply no way to pay for a
license or subscription for any version of IRIX at this point in time.
I can't comment on the legalities of it, but "use what you can get"
seems to be a common approach in the SGI community as a result.
Take the I2s for instance. Is the hardware any more
reliable,
longevity wise, then your average good quality pc?
I don't know about longevity. They were high performance systems
compared to PCs of the era. The operating system was very stable.
They're very different hardware than PCs of that (or any) era. Those
are why people still love them today, more than longevity.
You're talking about 25-30 year old machines. They will have problems
these days.
I don't often see SGI stuff discussed on this list. You might get more
detailed info from web forums:
https://forums.irixnet.org/
https://forums.sgi.sh/
(I'm a user of the irixnet.org forums.)