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pleung
n00b
Joined: 16 Nov 2005
Posts: 2
Location: San Francisco, CA
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 Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 2:08 pm Post subject: SGI Indy R4x 64bit support question |
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I am looking aound the net for 6.5.x IRIX replacement, and found NetBSD, Debian Linux and Gentoo Linux seen to support SGI Indy R4400, but seen to me that only Gentoo Linux will talk about MIPS64. NetBSD only distribute MIPS32, and Debian has nothing about MIPS64 or recomplie the kernet with some sort of flat to configure MIPS64?
I have a SGI Indy R4400 192MB Ram and 2.1GB HD and Newport 24bit card and the GDM20D11, and I want to use it as Xterm, running GUNStep, Geda, gcc and NIS (some sort of mounting another network drive). The problem is this, Indy running 32bit OS and app, would that be same speed as Pentium Pro class most? I already have a SMP Pentium Pro with UW SCSI running Linux, so installing or getting the Indy to run that kinda .... pointless. However, it seen very cool to get a 64bit OS and app running this very first 64bit machine. If the worst, still hoping to get the 64bit to work, I got no FreeX, then I can use to host crypto thing, my small project CryptoMail.org
So my questions are:
1. Where is the ISO CD image?
I understand that you can't install from CD (though I have a SCSI CD rom), but I am thinking about mount or copy from the CD to the tftp dir during boot.
2. If I am not mistaken, installing Gentoo in Indy require complie the kernet to get 64 bit?
Nothing wrong with compling, properly take 8 Hrs ...  Any chance that I can get bin for 64 bit?
3. Any suggestion about getting this work?
Check out the link http://www.mindwerks.net/~dbehr//newport/ seen the Indy has hardware acc driver.
4. o32 but 64bit? How does this work?
Is that mean all app can only be 32bit? With 64bit, is that mean the max Ram can go up to 512MB with 8 x 64 MB (assume that is same as EDO, it has 64MB)?
Anyone really into get very old machines to work to their full potential?
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!equilibrium
Bodhisattva
Joined: 06 Jun 2004
Posts: 2109
Location: MI/BG/LC
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Kumba
Developer
Joined: 16 Jul 2002
Posts: 393
Location: Sigma 957
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| Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:23 pm Post subject: Re: SGI Indy R4x 64bit support question |
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| pleung wrote: | So my questions are:
1. Where is the ISO CD image?
I understand that you can't install from CD (though I have a SCSI CD rom), but I am thinking about mount or copy from the CD to the tftp dir during boot. |
We have bootable CDs available on the mirrors. Find your favourite mirror, and navigate to the "experimental/mips/livecd" directory, and use the livecd-rc5. However, a word of warning - 2.6.x kernels have been very hit-or-miss on Indy systems as of late, though this has only been my experience. Others have reportedly had no problems using 2.6 on IP22-class systems.
| pleung wrote: | 2. If I am not mistaken, installing Gentoo in Indy require complie the kernet to get 64 bit?
Nothing wrong with compling, properly take 8 Hrs ... :( Any chance that I can get bin for 64 bit? |
You don't need 64bit on an Indy at the present time. 64bit is even more hit-or-miss on these systems than normal. The standard 32bit kernel and o32 ABI will work fine. A mips64 kernel may one day become standard on Indy, but this is at an undetermined point in the future.
The Newport graphics adapter for Indy (and in some rare cases, for the Indigo2) works fine in our present Xorg ebuilds in the portage tree. However, it is advised that you use a lightweight WM.
| pleung wrote: | 4. o32 but 64bit? How does this work?
Is that mean all app can only be 32bit? With 64bit, is that mean the max Ram can go up to 512MB with 8 x 64 MB (assume that is same as EDO, it has 64MB)? |
o32 under a mips64 kernel is roughly equivalent to the sparc64 method of running a 32bit userland under a 64bit kernel. Other archs do this as well. The future hope for MIPS is use of the newer n32 userland under a 64bit kernel, which will offer some performance gains over o32. However, n32 is a long ways off in the future as it is still unstable, and some core applications are known to mis-behave when running under it.
--Kumba
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"The past tempts us, the present confuses us, the future frightens us. And our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast, terrible in-between."
--Emperor Turhan, Centauri Republic |
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Lupin_the_3rd
Apprentice
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 168
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| Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 4:24 am Post subject: |
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If your task is Integer intensive, use the PPro machine as it is much faster. If your task is Floating Point intensive, use the SGI as MIPS processors are MUCH better at FP than intel.
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Compaq XP1000 Alpha EV67 667Mhz w/ 2GB ECC
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