The IX-brick is an I/O expansion subsystem that connects I/O devices to your server 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 GB/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 (SCSI disk drives and DVD-ROM) that are required to install your operating system and other software applications.
This chapter describes the function and physical components of the IX-brick. 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 “Installing or Replacing PCI or PCI–X Card” in Chapter 14. Note: For information about installing or replacing a SCSI disk drive, see “Installing or Replacing Disk Drives in IX-brick ” in Chapter 14.
The 4U-high IX-brick, shown in Figure 4-1, 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.
| Note: You can install PCI cards in 11 of the 12 PCI slots. One slot (the leftmost slot) is reserved for an IO9 PCI card. This card is required for the base I/O functions. |
The IX-brick is the follow-on product of the I-brick. Compared to the I-brick, the IX-brick offers the following enhancements:
The IX-brick supports both PCI and PCI–X cards.
The IX-brick can have two or four serial ports. The first two serial ports are standard components of the IX-brick (similar to the I-brick). The third and fourth 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 4-2). Each bus has two card slots in which you can install PCI cards. (Slot 1 of bus 1, however, seats the IO9 card.)
Also important to the IX-brick architecture is the IO9 PCI card. This card contains logic that controls the DVD-ROM and internal SCSI disk drives, and it provides the following connectors (see Figure 4-3):
External VHDCI SCSI port connector.
Internal SCSI port connector that connects to two SCSI disks.
Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 connector.
Two RT interrupt stereo jack connectors (one input connector labeled RTI, and one output connector labeled RTO).
Two RS-232 DB-9 serial port connectors. (These two connectors are not located on the IO9 PCI card; instead, they are located on the right side of the IX-brick rear panel [see Figure 4-5].)
You can also add an optional daughtercard to the IO9 card that adds two additional RS–232 DB–9 serial port connectors to the IX-brick.
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 4-4):
Two SCSI disk drives. These customer-removable, sled-mounted SCSI disk drives are used to store your operating system and other application software. (See “Installing or Replacing Disk Drives in IX-brick ” in Chapter 14) 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 the L2 controller touch display or at a system console.
LEDs:
On/Off switch LED. This green LED illuminates when 48-VDC power is applied to the internal components of the IX-brick.
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 4-5):
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.
12-VDC LED. The 12-VDC LED illuminates green when the L1 controller is powered on.
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.
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. The card slots are numbered bus 1 through bus 6. Each bus has two slots, labeled 1 and 2, as shown in Figure 4-6.
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 IP53 node board. As an option, the second connector can connect to another IP53 node board to create a dual-ported IX-brick, which provides 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 IP53 node board to which it is connected are powered on.
The green LED illuminates when a link has been established between the IX-brick and the IP53 node board to which it connects.
The leftmost PCI–X slot (bus 1, slot 1) seats an IO9 card that has the following connectors:
SCSI 68-pin VHDCI connector. This external SCSI port connects to SCSI devices.
Ethernet RJ45 connector. This autonegotiating 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet port connects the system to an Ethernet network.
RTO and RTI stereo jack connectors. RTO (output) enables a Cx-brick to interrupt an external device. RTI (input) enables an external device to interrupt a Cx-brick.
The IO9 card also connects to a daughtercard (standard component) that has the following connectors:
The PCI-X slots are numbered bus 1 through bus 6. Each bus has two slots, labeled 1 and 2, as shown in Figure 4-6. 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. Each 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 “Installing or Replacing PCI or PCI–X Card” in Chapter 14.)
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 4-1 lists the physical specifications of the IX-brick.
Table 4-1. 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 4-2 shows the port specifications of the IX-brick.
Table 4-2. 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 connectors are located on the IO9 card: |
|
|
SCSI | One external | 68-pin VHDCI |
Ethernet | One | RJ-45 |
RT interrupt input and output | One input and one output | Stereo jack |
The following connectors are located on the standard IO9 daughtercard (on the right side of the rear panel): |
|
|
RS-232 serial | Two | DB-9 |
The following connectors are located on an optional IO9 daughtercard: |
|
|
RS-232 serial | Two | DB-9 |