The IX-brick is an I/O expansion subsystem that connects I/O devices to your system by using either the PCI or PCI-X protocol. The PCI-X protocol enables I/O devices to operate at clock speeds of up to 133 MHz, or 1 Gbit/s. This protocol also enables I/O devices to operate more efficiently, thereby providing a higher sustained bandwidth at any clock frequency. By supporting this protocol, the IX-brick addresses the need for increased bandwidth of PCI devices.
The IX-brick also has the components (disk drives and DVD-ROM) that are required to run your operating system or install other software applications or upgrades.
This chapter describes the function and physical components of the IX-brick, and it describes how to install and replace PCI cards and disk drives. Specifically, it includes the following information:
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Note: Throughout this chapter, the term “PCI card” refers to cards with PCI or PCI-X capabilities. When necessary, distinctions between the cards are noted. Note: For information about installing or replacing a PCI card, see “Adding or Replacing a PCI or PCI–X Card” in Chapter 12.
The 4U-high IX-brick, shown in Figure 6-1, provides 12 PCI–X slots that support up to 12 PCI or PCI–X cards. The 12 slots are configured as six 2–slot buses.
The IX-brick offers the following features:
The IX-brick supports both PCI and PCI–X cards.
The IX-brick can have up to four serial ports supported by the base I/O card. Additional optional serial ports reside on a daughtercard that you can purchase as an optional component.
Note: The serial-port daughtercard requires the space of one PCI-X slot, but it does not connect to the PCI-X bus.
Three PIC (PCI interface chip) ASICs are key components of the IX-brick architecture. These ASICs support two 1200- or 800-MB/s Xtown2 XIO ports and six PCI–X buses (see Figure 6-2). Each bus has two card slots in which you can install PCI cards. (Slot 1 of bus 1, however, seats the base I/O card only.) For best base I/O performance, leave the PCI slot (bus 1 slot 2) next to the base I/O card empty, or install only a 66 MHz PCI card.
Also important to the IX-brick architecture is the base I/O PCI card. This card contains logic that controls the DVD-ROM and internal system disk drives, and it provides the following connectors (see Figure 6-4):
Internal system disk connector that connects to up to two internal disk drives.
Ethernet port (10/100/1000 Mbits). This autonegotiating 10BaseT/100BaseT/1000BaseT twisted-pair Ethernet port connects the system to an Ethernet network.
External SCSI connector. This 68-pin VHDCI external SCSI port enables you to connect your system to an external SCSI device.
For an updated list of supported SCSI devices, see the SGI Supportfolio at http://support.sgi.com .
Real-time interrupt input and output. The RT interrupt input and RT interrupt output functionality of the IO9 PCI card is not supported under SGI Linux + ProPack. These connectors are not usable with this system.
This section describes the external components that are located on the front and rear panels of the IX-brick.
The IX-brick has the following front panel components (see Figure 6-3):
Two system disk drives. These customer-removable, sled-mounted disk drives are used to house your operating system and other application software. (See “Installing or Replacing a Disk Drive in the IX-brick” in Chapter 12) for instructions for installing or removing the SCSI disk drives.)
DVD–ROM device. This device loads software onto your IX-brick. (It is used for text reading only in CD-ROM mode.)
L1 controller display. This liquid crystal display (LCD) displays status and error messages that the L1 controller generates.
Note: For more information about the L1 controller, see the SGI L1 and L2 Controller Software User's Guide. On/Off switch with LED. Press this button to turn on the internal components of the IX-brick. Alternatively, you can turn on the internal components at a system console. When the internal components are on, the LED illuminates green.
LEDs:
On/Off switch LED. This green LED illuminates when the internal components of the IX-brick are on and turns off when they are off.
Service required LED. This LED illuminates yellow to indicate that a component is broken or is not operating properly (for example, if a fan is off), but the IX-brick is still operating.
Failure LED. This LED illuminates red to indicate that a system failure has occurred and the IX-brick is not operating.
Fans. Three hot-swappable fans provide the required cooling for your IX-brick.
Warning: To prevent personal injury, or damage to the IX–brick, the hot-swappable fans can be installed only by a trained SGI system support engineer (SSE).
The IX-brick has the following rear panel components (see Figure 6-4):
Power switch. Moving the power switch to the 1 position powers on the L1 controller of the IX-brick, and moving it to the 0 position powers off the L1 controller. The 12-VDC LED illuminates green when the L1 controller is powered on.
12-VDC LED. The 12-VDC LED illuminates green when the L1 controller is powered on and operating. The L1 controller is powered on by turning on the power switch.
48-VDC LED. The power switch must be in the ON (1) position for this LED to light. The 48-VDC LED illuminates green when the rest of the IX-brick internal components are powered on and operating. The rest of the internal components are powered on by pressing the On/Off switch on the front panel of the brick, or via the L2 controller display or system console.
PWR (power) connector. This connector connects to a power bay, which provides power to the IX-brick.
PCI–X slots. These slots seat the PCI cards. See “Adding or Replacing a PCI or PCI–X Card” in Chapter 12. The card slots are numbered bus 1 through bus 6. Each bus has two slots, labeled 1 and 2, as shown in Figure 6-4.
PCI-X slot LEDs. Each PCI-X slot has the following LEDs:
PWR (power) LED. This LED illuminates green when the PCI card is installed securely and is getting power.
Fault LED. This LED illuminates yellow when a fault occurs with the PCI card.
XIO 10 and XIO 11 connectors. Each connector can connect the IX-brick to one C-brick. As an option, the second connector can be connected to another C-brick to create a dual-ported IX-brick, which would provide greater bandwidth.
XIO 10 and XIO 11 connector LEDs. Each XIO connector has two LEDs, as follows:
The yellow LED illuminates to indicate that both the IX-brick and the brick to which it is connected are powered on.
The green LED illuminates when a link has been established between the IX-brick and the brick to which it connects.
Two DB–9 RS–232 serial port connectors. These ports can be used as COM ports to connect to serial devices. They require the presence of the base I/O card.
The leftmost PCI–X slot (bus 1, slot 1) seats a base I/O card that has the following connectors:
External SCSI connector. This 68-pin VHDCI external SCSI port enables you to connect your system to an external SCSI device.
For an updated list of supported SCSI devices, see the SGI Supportfolio at http://support.sgi.com .
Ethernet RJ45 connector. This autonegotiating 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet port connects the system to an Ethernet network.
RTO and RTI stereo jack connectors (Not used). The RTO (output) and RTI (input) connectors are not supported under the current SGI Linux ProPack release.
The PCI-X slots are numbered bus 1 through bus 6. Each bus has two slots, labeled 1 and 2, as shown in Figure 6-5. Separate buses enable the IX-brick to run cards of different frequencies at the same time. For example, bus 1 can have one 133-MHz card, bus 2 can have two 66-MHz cards, bus 3 can have two 33-MHz cards, and so on.
The PCI–X bus supports 32-bit and 64-bit PCI or PCI–X cards at the same time.
For maximum bandwidth, PCI cards are distributed across all six buses when they are integrated at the factory.
This section contains the following information:
To maximize the operating efficiency of the PCI cards, consider the following configuration guidelines before you install the cards.
You can place one or two PCI cards on one bus, or one or two PCI-X cards on one bus.
You should avoid mixing cards that operate at different frequencies or in different modes. If you have two cards of different speeds on the same bus, both cards operate at the lower speed. If a PCI card and PCI–X card are on the same bus, both cards operate in PCI mode. Note the following examples:
When one 133–MHz PCI–X card resides on a bus, the card operates at 133 MHz in PCI-X mode.
When two 133–MHz PCI–X cards reside on a bus, the cards operate at 100 MHz in PCI-X mode.
When two 66–MHz PCI–X cards reside on a bus, the cards operate at 66 MHz in PCI-X mode.
When two 66–MHz PCI cards reside on a bus, the cards operate at 66 MHz in PCI mode.
When one 66–MHz PCI card and one 66 MHz PCI-X card reside on a bus, the cards operate at 66 MHz in PCI mode.
When two 33–MHz PCI cards reside on a bus, the cards operate at 33 MHz in PCI mode.
When one 66–MHz PCI card and one 33–MHz PCI card reside on the same bus, the cards operate at 33 MHz in PCI mode.
Note: When installing a PCI card, you need to shut down the operating system and power off the IX-brick before installing the card.
SGI supports various PCI cards. These cards can be purchased from SGI or another manufacturer. Ask your SGI sales representative for a current list of PCI cards that SGI supports.
Each PCI card is mounted on a carrier so that you can slide the cards into and out of the brick. This carrier supports most PCI cards; it can be adjusted to accommodate cards of different sizes. (To learn how to adjust a carrier, see “Adding or Replacing a PCI or PCI–X Card” in Chapter 12.)
When the IX-brick is shipped, any card that was ordered is installed with a carrier, and any unoccupied slot is populated with an empty carrier. A carrier must be present in an unpopulated slot to maintain an even airflow through the brick and to protect against electromagnetic interference (EMI).
Table 6-1 lists the physical specifications of the IX-brick.
Table 6-1. Physical Specifications of the IX-brick
Characteristics | Specifications |
|---|---|
Height | 6.64 in. (168.65 mm) |
Width | 17.5 in. (444.5 mm) |
Depth | 27.74 in. (704.59 mm) |
Weight | 65 lb (29.5 kg) |
Input Power | +48 VDC (250 watts) |
Table 6-2 shows the port specifications of the IX-brick.
Table 6-2. Port Specifications of the IX-brick
Port | Quantity | Connector Type |
|---|---|---|
Power entry | One | 21-pin Foxcon |
XIO | Two | Proprietary 100-pin dual row |
The following external connectors are located on the base I/O card: |
|
|
SCSI connector | One external | 68-pin VHDCI external |
Ethernet | One | RJ-45 |
RT interrupt input and output | One input and one output - (not used) | Stereo jack (not supported under SGI ProPack for Linux) |