This chapter tells you how to troubleshoot your hardware. Specifically, it covers:
troubleshooting to see if you have a faulty part
ordering a new part
removing the faulty part
installing the new part
There are four ways to diagnose hardware problems:
Power-on tests—tests your major hardware parts as the system boots up. If a part is faulty, the system notifies you with the LED and error messages.
Diagnostic tests —more comprehensive tests of your system's hardware. The system informs you if it finds a faulty part.
Confidence tests—used if you think you have a problem with your keyboard, mouse, or monitor, or with a peripheral. The confidence tests verify which parts are working correctly.
Table 6-1 briefly lists symptoms and probable causes during power-on diagnostics.
Table 6-1. Troubleshooting Symptoms and Probable Causes
Symptom | System State | Cause |
|---|---|---|
No LED | No power to unit | Power supply failure— check rear of unit for fan operation. Check system disk (green LED should flash during power-on). Possible CPU failure. |
Solid amber LED |
| CPU board or graphics board failure. |
Flashing amber LED | Memory diagnostic failure | SIMM failure. Check error messages for faulty SIMM. |
No boot tune | No audio | Faulty speaker. Faulty CPU board. Volume set too low or to zero. |
Solid green LED | System menu displayed on booting up | Diagnostics successful. |
No LED on system | No system boot | Drive not all the way into slot—check drive. Drive failure—see your site administrator. |
Diagnostic error
messages, no login | Diagnostic failure | CPU failure. Graphics board failure. Monitor failure. |
When you turn on the power switch, your system should go through these steps:
The LED on the front of the machine turns amber and the system initiates Power-On Diagnostics.
The system runs Power-On Diagnostics for about twenty seconds.
When the system passes all Power-On tests, the LED turns green.
The system boots IRIX.
If your system does not operate as described above, you may have a problem. Below is a list of possible symptoms, error messages and cures to fix your system or locate the faulty part.
If during power-on, the system LED doesn't light up and no error message appears on the screen, check all cables. Make sure the cables are securely connected and the power cable is plugged into an outlet that works. Adjust the brightness control knob on the monitor to test for adequate light on the screen. If all the cables are connected and the symptoms remain, you may have a faulty power supply. To verify, look at the fan from the back of the system. The fan is just above the power outlets on the back of the Indigo chassis. Check for airflow and listen to hear if the fan is running. If the fan is not running, the power supply is faulty. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a new power supply. Then go to “Replacing the Power Supply” to remove the power supply, and then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If the LED keeps blinking and no error message appears on the screen, one or more memory SIMMs may be faulty. Go to “Checking and Removing Memory” to check that all SIMMs are seated all the way into the sockets. Then power the system on again. If the LED still blinks and the screen is blank, replace all four SIMMs. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order new SIMMS, and “Checking and Removing Memory” to remove the faulty SIMMs. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If the LED stays blinking and a message appears on the screen, one or more SIMMs is faulty. Below is a list of messages and where to go from there:
If you see this message:
No usable memory found. Make sure you have a full bank (4 SIMMs)
Go to “Checking and Removing Memory” to check that all your SIMMs are seated all the way into the sockets. Then power the system on again. If you get the same message, the SIMMs are faulty. Follow the instructions in “Checking and Removing Memory” to remove the faulty SIMMs and then go to “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order replacement SIMMs. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If you see this message:
Check or replace: SIMM#
Follow the instructions in “Checking and Removing Memory” to make sure the indicated SIMM is seated all the way into it's socket. # represents the SIMM number that failed the test (for example, SIMM A1, SIMM B1). Then power the system on again. If you get the same message, the SIMM is faulty. Follow the instructions in “Checking and Removing Memory” to remove the faulty SIMM and then go to “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement SIMM. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If you see this message:
Memory is not usable. Check or replace all SIMMs.
Follow the instructions in “Checking and Removing Memory” to check that all your SIMMs are seated all the way into the sockets. Then power the system on again. If you get the error message, then all SIMMs are faulty. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order new SIMMs, and then follow the instructions in “Checking and Removing Memory” to remove the faulty SIMMs. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If the amber LED stays on without blinking or turning green, the memory is working but some other part is faulty.
If you hear a “bing” sound from the speaker, the graphics board has failed the test. Make sure the board is seated properly. Follow the instructions in “Replacing the Graphics Board” to remove the graphics board and then re-install it, making sure the white ejector levers are properly secured. Then power up the system. If no message is displayed on the monitor, the graphics board is faulty. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement board. Then follow the instructions in “Replacing the Graphics Board” to remove the board, and then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If you do not hear a “bing” sound from the speaker, make sure the monitor is plugged in and turned on, and the brightness control knob on the monitor is turned to provide adequate light to the screen. Also check to make sure the system disk is seated all the way in its slot. The green lever below the drive should be all the way to the right and line up with the green line on the front of the drive. Try powering on again. If an error message is still not displayed, the graphics board is faulty. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement board. Then follow the instructions in “Replacing the Graphics Board” to remove the board, and contact your service provider for further instructions.
If the LED stays amber and a message appears on the screen, one of your parts is faulty. Below is a list of error messages and where to go from there:
If you see this message:
Check or replace: Graphics board.
The graphics board has failed. First, make sure the board is seated properly. Follow the instructions in“Replacing the Graphics Board” to remove the graphics board and re-install it, making sure the white ejector levers are securely fastened. Then power up the system. If you get the same error message, the graphics board is faulty. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement board. Then follow the instructions in “Replacing the Graphics Board” to remove the board, and then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If you see this message:
Check or replace: CPU board
The CPU board has failed. First, make sure the board is seated properly. Follow the instructions in “Replacing the CPU Board or CPU Module” to remove the CPU board and re-install it, making sure the white ejector clips are securely fastened. Then power up the system. If you get the same error message, you have a faulty CPU board. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement board. Then follow the instructions in“Replacing the CPU Board or CPU Module” to remove the board, and contact your service provider for further instructions.
-
Make sure all the cables are firmly connected, and the brightness control knob on the monitor is turned to provide adequate light to the screen. If the screen has lines through it, has “measles”, or looks unusual, the graphics board is faulty. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement board. Then follow the instructions in “Replacing the Graphics Board” to remove the board, and contact your service provider for further instructions.
If the mouse works but the keys on the keyboard don't, the keyboard is failing. Shut down your system and make sure the keyboard cable is connected firmly to the keyboard connector. Then turn the system on again. If the keyboard still doesn't work but the mouse does, turn the system off and reconnect the mouse and keyboard, but then connect the mouse to the other side of the keyboard. For example, if you had the mouse connected on the right side of the keyboard, reconnect the mouse on the left side and connect the keyboard to the workstation from the right side. Turn on the system.
If both the mouse and the keyboard don't work, the keyboard is faulty. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement keyboard. Then follow the instructions in “Replacing the Keyboard” to remove the keyboard, and contact your service provider for further instructions.
If the mouse doesn't work, then either the keyboard or mouse have failed. Shut down your system. Make sure the mouse cable is connected firmly to the mouse connector and the keyboard cable to the keyboard connector. Then turn the system on again. If the keyboard and mouse still don't work, shut down the system and reconnect the mouse and keyboard, but connect the mouse to the other side of the keyboard. For example, if you had the mouse connected on the right side before, reconnect the mouse on the left side and connect the keyboard to the workstation from the right side. Power up the system.
If the mouse still doesn't work, you have a faulty mouse.
If the mouse works after switching connections, you have a faulty keyboard.
Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement part. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
When you power on the system, power-on tests check the system's essential hardware components. Diagnostic tests give you a greater depth of testing capabilities. Diagnostic tests take about 30 minutes to run (it takes 15 minutes longer for each additional hard disk).
You can stop the tests at any time by pressing the Esc key.
The system stops the testing if it finds any errors and reports any failures on the screen.
To run the diagnostic tests, follow these steps:
Shut down the system.
Place the cursor over the word “System” in the Toolchest in the upper left corner of your screen.
Press the left or right mouse button so that you see the menu.
Drag the cursor down the menu until “System Shutdown” is highlighted; then release the mouse button.
After a few seconds you see the notifier shown in Figure 6-1.
When you see the notifier shown in Figure 6-1, click on the Restart button.
If the system is malfunctioning and you cannot communicate with it using the mouse or keyboard, or over the network, then press the RESET button located behind the front door on the front of the Indigo chassis, as shown in Figure 6-2.
When you see the notifier shown in Figure 6-3, click Stop for Maintenance, or press <Esc>.
If you cannot reach this menu, your system is faulty. Contact your service organization.
The System Maintenance menu appears.
Start diagnostics by clicking the Diagnostics icon or by typing:
3
You see a message similar to this:
SGI Version 5.2 IP22 IDE field February 22, 1994 +
Note: If you do not see this message, you cannot run the diagnostics. You may have a faulty disk. Contact your service organization. The character on the last line (next to the cursor) shows a spinning combination of slashes and dashes while the tests are running. Also, the LED on the front of the main unit blinks slowly throughout the testing process.
Included in the diagnostics is a series of graphics tests. During these tests, the screen goes blank and displays various images.
Watch for messages.
If the system's hardware is completely healthy, after 10 to 30 minutes (could be more if you have more than one hard disk) you'll see this message:
Diagnostic tests completed with no failures detected. Press <Enter> to continue.
Press <Enter> to return to the System Maintenance menu, where you can restart the system by selecting 1. If problems persist, or if you still cannot restart the system, you may have a software problem. See “Recovering From a System Crash”.
If the diagnostics find a problem, you see a message like this:
ERROR: Failure detected on the CPU module
or a message indicating a failure with the CPU baseboard, audio board, or graphics board.
You may also see other messages that report faulty peripherals or subsystems.
If an error message is displayed, follow the instructions in “Ordering, Removing and Installing Parts” to order a replacement part. Then follow the instructions to remove the faulty part and contact your service provider for further instructions.
If your keyboard, mouse, monitor, or audio subsystem, or one of the SCSI peripherals (excluding hard disks) isn't working properly, use the confidence tests to verify that each device is working. You must operate under the IRIX operating system to run these tests.
To run the confidence tests, follow these steps:
From the System toolchest, choose “Run Confidence Tests.” You see the Confidence Tests form, as shown in Figure 6-4.
You should have confidence tests for the following devices:
keyboard
monitor
mouse
tape drive
1/4" tape drive
Digital Audio Tape Drive (DAT)
floppy drive
CD-ROM drive
dial and button box
digitizer tablet
genlock
Spaceball
If you run the confidence tests and you find one of the devices is faulty, follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement part. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If you are running an audio application and you do not hear the audio output, first make sure all cables are connected properly. Then use the confidence test to make sure the audio is functioning properly.
To test audio, follow these steps:
From the System toolchest, choose “Run Confidence Tests.” You see the Confidence Tests form, as shown in Figure 6-4.
Select the Audio icon and click Open or double-click the icon.
You see the form shown in Figure 6-5. The Audio Control Panel is also displayed.
Follow the instructions on the form.
If your audio is still not responding, you may have a bad audio system. If this is the case, you must replace the CPU board. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement part.
Contact your service provider for further instructions.
You can also run confidence tests for the dial and button box, digitizer tablet, Spaceball, and Genlock options. You'll find instructions on how to run each confidence test in the installation booklet that comes with each option.
Before you run a confidence test on a CD-ROM drive, make sure it is correctly installed in your system. “Installing External Drives” in Chapter 4 tells you how to install a CD-ROM drive. If you suspect that there is a problem with the CD-ROM drive, first remove it and then reinstall it. If you still have problems, run the CD-ROM drive confidence test.
To run a CD-ROM drive confidence tests, follow these steps:
From the System toolchest, choose “Run Confidence Tests.” You see the Confidence Tests form, as shown in Figure 6-4.
Select the CD-ROM icon and click Open or double-click the icon.
You see the CD-ROM drive confidence test form.
Start the CD-ROM drive test.
When you test the CD-ROM drive, load a CD into the drive. The CD test if the drive is readable.
Double-click the CD-ROM drive icon to start the test. You see CD-ROM drive test in progress.
When the test is complete, you see the CD-ROM drive test completion notifier.
Click Continue to dismiss the notifier.
If the drive doesn't pass the test, follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement part. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
Before you run a confidence test on a floppy drive, make sure it is correctly installed in your system. “Installing Internal Drives” in Chapter 4 tells you how to install a floppy drive. If you suspect that there is a problem with the floppy drive, first remove it and then reinstall it. If you still have problems, run the floppy drive confidence test.
To run a floppy drive confidence tests, follow these steps:
From the System toolchest, choose “Run Confidence Tests.” You see the Confidence Tests form, shown in Figure 6-4.
Select the Floppy icon and click Open or double-click the icon.
Select the icon for your floppy drive and click Open or double-click the icon.
Select the density of the floppy you are using.
 | Caution: When you test the floppy drive, use a floppy disk that is blank or doesn't have information you need to keep. The floppy drive destroys any information on the floppy disk in the process of testing the hardware. |
Insert the floppy into the floppy drive and click Test.
When the test is complete, you see the floppy drive test completion notifier.
Click Continue to dismiss the notifier.
If the drive doesn't pass the test, follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement part. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
The keyboard confidence test is useful if the keyboard is not responding to input. Before you run the confidence test on the keyboard, make sure that the cable that connects the keyboard to the system is firmly connected. Once you're sure the connection is good, use the confidence test to make sure that the keyboard it is working correctly.
To test the keyboard, follow these steps:
From the System toolchest, choose “Run Confidence Tests.” You see the Confidence Tests form, as shown in Figure 6-4.
Select the Keyboard icon and click Open or double-click the icon.
You see the form shown in Figure 6-6.
To use the test, press the different keys on the keyboard. The picture on the screen should highlight the key that you press.
If the graphic doesn't reflect the key you press, you may have a problem with the keyboard or with the cable that connects the keyboard to the system.
If you're using a keyboard other than one supplied by Silicon Graphics, the key layout may be different.
Close the keyboard test by clicking on the button in the upper left-hand corner of the keyboard graphic and selecting Quit. The screen goes back to the way it was before you launched the confidence test.
If your keyboard does not work, follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement part. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If the monitor isn't working or the display is distorted, first check the cable that connects the monitor to the system. Also check to make sure the brightness knob is providing sufficient light to the screen, that the monitor video cable is firmly connected to both the monitor and the Indigo chassis, and the thumbscrews are screwed in all the way.
If you still have problems, use the confidence test to check that the monitor is working properly. Follow these steps to test the monitor:
From the System toolchest, choose “Run Confidence Tests.” You see the Confidence Tests form, as shown in Figure 6-4.
Open the Monitor icon.
To launch the monitor confidence test, select the icon and click Open, or double-click the monitor icon.
The monitor test takes over the entire screen.
To run one of the tests from the menu, click the mouse over the menu choice and see how the monitor responds.
Click Quit when you are finished.
When you click Quit, the screen goes back to the way it was before you launched the confidence test.
If the monitor tests indicates a failure, follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement part. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If the buttons on your mouse do not work, make sure the mouse cable is firmly connected to the keyboard. If the buttons still don't work, you have a faulty mouse. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement mouse. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If the mouse is just behaving strangely or only one of the mouse buttons works, make sure the mouse cable is firmly connected to the keyboard. If the buttons still don't work, try running the mouse confidence test.
Follow these steps:
From the System toolchest, choose “Run Confidence Tests.” You see the Confidence Tests form, as shown in Figure 6-4.
Open the Mouse icon.
To launch the mouse confidence test, select the icon and click Open, or double-click the mouse icon. When you start the mouse test, you see only a mouse on the screen.
Test the mouse by moving it around and pressing each button.
As you press each of the mouse buttons and move the mouse around, the movement is reflected on the screen. If the screen doesn't respond as you move the mouse or press the mouse buttons, the mouse may be faulty. If the mouse does not respond correctly, follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement mouse. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
Close the mouse test by clicking on the button in the upper left-hand corner of the window and selecting Quit. The screen goes back to the way it was when you launched the confidence test.
Before you run a confidence test on a tape drive, make sure it is correctly installed on your system. If you suspect that there is a problem with the tape drive, first remove it and install it again. If you still have problems, run the appropriate tape drive confidence test.
To run a tape drive confidence tests, follow these steps:
From the System toolchest, choose “Run Confidence Tests.” You see the Confidence Tests form, as shown in Figure 6-4.
Open the Tape icon.
To open the tape drive confidence test, select the tape drive icon and click Open or double-click on the icon.
Click on the icon representing the tape drive you have.
Insert a tape into the drive.
Use a tape that is blank or doesn't have information you need to keep. The tape drive destroys any information on the tape in the process of testing the hardware.
Start the tape drive test.
Double-click the tape drive icon to start the test.
When the test is complete, you see the tape drive test completion notifier.
Click Continue to dismiss the notifier.
If the drive doesn't pass the test, follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts” to order a replacement drive. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
If your system crashes because of a software malfunction, you must first use the IRIX CD that came with your system. Then you can recover your data from your most recent full backup tape. The backup tape must be one that has been made using the System Manager backup tool, or with the /usr/sbin/Backup script.
To recover from a system crash, follow these steps:
If the system is malfunctioning and you cannot communicate with it using the mouse or keyboard, or over the network, press the Reset button located behind the front door, as shown in Figure 6-7.
When the system startup notifier appears, as shown in Figure 6-8, click Stop for Maintenance or press <Esc> to bring up the System Maintenance menu.
Click the Recover System icon in the System Maintenance menu, or type:
4
Note: If you are using an ASCII terminal, type 4 at the System Maintenance menu.
The System Recovery menu appears, as shown in Figure 6-9.
Click the appropriate drive icon from which you want to recover the software. For example, if you have a CD-ROM drive connected to your system, click the Local CD-ROM icon. Then click Accept to start.
You then see the notifier shown in Figure 6-10, prompting you to insert the media into the drive.
If you don't have a CD-ROM drive, you can use a drive that is connected to another system on the network. At the System Recovery menu, click the Remote Directory icon. When a notifier appears asking you for the remote hostname, type the system's name, a colon (:), and the full pathname of the CD-ROM drive, followed by /dist. For example, to access a CD-ROM drive on the system mars, you would type:
mars:/CDROM/dist
Insert the IRIX CD that came with your system, then click Continue.
The CD-ROM drive begins reading information from the CD. The system takes approximately 5 minutes to copy the information that it needs from the CD.
After everything is copied from the CD to the system disk, you can restore your data from a recent full backup tape. The backup must be one that has been made using the System Manager backup tool, or with the /usr/sbin/Backup script.
Note that if you need to check something on your system or do anything special, you can get a shell prompt by typing sh at most question prompts.
You see the following messages.
********************************************** SYSTEM RECOVERY **********************************************
If you have a local tape device, you see this message:
Restore will be from <tapename> OK? ([Y]es, [N]o): [Y]
where <tapename> is the name of the local tape device.
If you have a remote (network) tape device, when no tape device is found, or when you answered “No” to the question in the previous bullet, you see this message:
Remote or local restore ([r]emote, [l]ocal):
If you answer “remote,” you have chosen to restore from the network and you are then asked to enter the following information:
– the hostname of the remote system
– the name of the tape device on the remote system
– the IP address of the remote system
– the IP address of your system.
The IP address must consist of two to four numbers, separated by periods, such as 192.0.2.1
If you answer “local,” you have chosen a tape device that is connected to your system, and you are then asked to enter the name of the tape device.
When you see the following message, remove the CD-ROM, insert your most recent full backup tape, then press <Enter>.
Insert the first backup tape in the drive, then press <Enter>, [q]uit (from recovery), [r]estart:
There is a pause while the program retrieves several files from the tape describing the system state at the time the backup was made. Then you see this message:
Erase /x filesystem and make new one (y,n)? [n]
where x is the file system. It prompts you for every file system that was known at the time of the backup.
Answer by typing either y or n.
If you answer no to this question, the system tries to salvage as many files as possible, then it uses your backup tape to replace the files it could not salvage. Usually you should answer n for no, especially if your backup tape is not very recent. If the file systems were badly damaged, or the backup was from a different level operating system, you may need to answer yes.
If you answer yes to this question, the system erases the file system and copies everything from your backup tape to the disk. The system loses any information on that filesystem that you created between now and when you made your backup tape.
You see this message:
Starting recovery from tape.
After two or three minutes, the names of the files that the system is copying to the disk start scrolling. When the recovery is complete, you see this message:
Recovery complete, restarting system.
Then the system restarts.
When you see the login screen, the system is ready to go.
| Note: If your backup tapes were old, or you were changing your operating system level, you should reinstall the operating system from the IRIX CD that came with your system after System Recovery is complete. When you see the “Starting up the system” notifier, press <Esc>, or click on Stop for Maintenance. Then click the Install System Software icon. For more information on installing the operating system, go to Chapter 5, “Installing and Removing Software.” |
This system is designed so that you can maintain it. If diagnostic tests identify a faulty part, you must order a replacement part, remove the faulty part, and install a replacement part. Contact your service organization before removing the faulty part.
Parts are available to users from authorized service organizations. Figure 6-11 shows the names and locations of each user-replaceable part inside the system.
If diagnostics have identified a faulty part, follow these steps to order a replacement:
Copy the “Part Request Form” directly from the last page of this Owner's Guide.
Note the name of the faulty part on the copy of the form.
Note the serial number on your system. The number is on a label on the back of the system.
If the faulty part resides outside the main system, note the part number of the part. If the faulty part resides inside the main system, refer to “Removing and Installing Parts” and the chart to identify the part number. If the part number can be seen without removing the part, record the part number without removing the part. Close the system and contact your service provider for further instructions.
Your service provider will ask you for the system serial number, configuration information, the faulty part's part number and a description of the problem.
If the service provider asks you to ship the faulty part to them, include your copy of the “Part Request Form” with the faulty part in the packaging used for shipment.
For maximum protection to the part, use two sturdy boxes for shipping. Graphics boards, CPU boards, and SIMM modules are extremely sensitive to static electricity. Whenever possible, package them in anti-static bags.
Place the faulty part and “Part Request Form” into one of the two boxes. Pack them in plenty of packing material so the part won't sustain further damage. Tape the box securely.
Note: If the CPU board is to be returned, remove all SIMMs before packaging the board. Your service provider will send a replacement CPU board without memory. Follow instructions in“Ordering Replacement Parts” to remove the SIMM modules. Place the box containing the faulty part into a larger box and fill the empty space with packing materials. Tape the box securely and affix a mailing label. Ship the box to your service provider.
The sections below tell you how to remove and the re-install the replaceable IRIS Indigo parts.
Follow these steps to replace the keyboard:
Shut down and turn off the system.
From the System toolchest, choose “System Shutdown.” The toolchests are shown in Figure 6-12.
Turn off the power switch on the back of the Indigo chassis.
Disconnect the mouse from the keyboard and then disconnect the cable from the keyboard and from the main unit.
Connect one end of the new keyboard cable to the port labelled with the keyboard icon on the back of the main unit.
Plug the other end of the cable into one side of the keyboard.
Plug the mouse into the other side of the keyboard.
Turn on the system.
To replace the graphics board, you'll shut down the system, remove the covers and graphics board, install the new board, and replace the covers.
To shut down the system, follow these steps:
Shut down and turn off the system.
From the System toolchest, choose “System Shutdown.” The toolchests are shown in Figure 6-13.
Turn off the power switch on the back of the Indigo chassis.
Disconnect all the cables from the back of the IRIS Indigo workstation.
Make sure to disconnect the black power cable.
Once the system is shut down and all the cables are disconnected, follow these steps:
Remove the plastic front cover.
Face the front of the Indigo chassis.
Two tabs on top of the front cover hold it in place.
Press down on the tabs and pull the panel away from the chassis, as shown in Figure 6-14.
Ground yourself to the metal part of the chassis.
Open the front metal panel.
A thumbscrew holds the metal panel in place.
Loosen the panel by unscrewing the thumbscrew, as shown in Figure 6-15.
Tilt the panel down until it rests on the flat surface.
Remove the graphics board.
You see two boards inside the Indigo chassis; the right board is the graphics board.
Two levers hold the board in place.
Pull the levers towards you to release the board, as shown in Figure 6-16. The board slides out of the chassis as you pull the levers.
Slide the board out of the slot and set it down on a flat, anti-static surface so the side with the large chips on it faces up.
To replace the graphics board and all the covers, follow these steps:
Position the board for installation.
Face the front of the Indigo chassis.
Make sure the alligator clip of your wrist strap is still attached to a metal part of the chassis.
Place the board in the Indigo chassis so it lines up with the card guides, and the lever labelled Graphics lines up with Graphics above the card guides.
The card guides hold the board in the top and bottom of the chassis.
Slide the board into the Indigo chassis.
Slide the board in almost all the way, as shown in Figure 6-17.
Make sure the notch in the top lever goes under the top edge of the chassis.
Return the levers to their original position. The levers should snap in place.
Replace the front metal panel.
Tilt the metal panel back up to the Indigo chassis, as shown in Figure 6-18.
Screw the thumbscrew back in to secure the panel. The panel should be snug against the chassis.
Replace the front plastic cover.
Place the bottom of the front cover in the guides on the bottom of the Indigo chassis.
Tilt the panel up to the chassis, as shown in Figure 6-19. The cover snaps in place.
Reconnect the cables to the connectors on the back of the system.
You are finished installing the graphics board and ready to start up the system.
If you have an IRIS Indigo R3000 workstation, replace the CPU board. If you have an IRIS Indigo R4000 family workstation, replace only the CPU module on the board.
To replace the CPU board, shut down the system, remove the covers and CPU board, install the new board, and replace the covers. If you are replacing the CPU module, you must remove it from the CPU board, and install the new module.
To shut down the system, follow these steps:
Shut down and turn off the system.
From the System toolchest, choose “System Shutdown.” The toolchests are shown in Figure 6-20.
Turn off the power switch on the back of the Indigo chassis.
Disconnect the cables from the back of the workstation.
Make sure to disconnect the black power cable.
Once the system is shut down and all the cables are disconnected, follow these steps:
Remove the plastic front cover.
Face the front of the Indigo chassis.
Two tabs on top of the front cover hold it in place.
Press down on the tabs and pull the panel away from the chassis, as shown in Figure 6-21.
Ground yourself to the metal part of the Indigo.
Open the front metal panel.
A thumbscrew holds the metal panel in place.
Loosen the panel by unscrewing the thumbscrew, as shown in Figure 6-22.
Tilt the panel down until it rests on the flat surface.
Remove the CPU board.
You see two boards inside the Indigo chassis; the left board is the CPU board and is labelled CPU.
Two levers hold the board in place.
Pull the levers toward you to release the board. The board slides out of the chassis as you pull the levers, as shown in Figure 6-23.
Slide the board out of the slot and set it down on a flat, anti-static surface, so that the side with the large chips faces up.
If you are replacing the CPU module, turn to “Replacing the CPU Module”. If you are replacing only the CPU board, turn to “Replacing the CPU Board and Covers”.
To replace the CPU module on the Indigo R4000 family CPU board, follow these instructions:
Locate the CPU module.
The CPU module is the large elevated module on the CPU board. It is protected by a metal shield.
Ground yourself to the metal part of the CPU board.
Keeping the wrist strap around your wrist, attach the alligator clip to a metal part of the CPU board.
Remove the CPU module.
Remove the four screws that attach the CPU module to the board, as shown in Figure 6-24.
Disconnect the module connector from the socket on the board by lifting up on the sides of the module and rocking it from side to side.
Lift the module up and away from the board.
Install the new CPU module.
Position the new module so the connector on the bottom of the module aligns with the socket on the board, as shown in Figure 6-25.
Press down on top of the module connector until it is securely attached to the socket on the board.
Replace the four screws.
To replace the CPU board and all the covers, follow these steps:
Position the board for installation.
Face the front of the Indigo chassis.
Make sure the alligator clip of your wrist strap is attached to a metal part of the Indigo chassis.
Place the board in the chassis so the lever labelled CPU lines up with CPU on the Indigo chassis. The SIMMs should be facing left, as shown in Figure 6-26.
Tip: The card guides hold the board in the top and bottom of the chassis.
Slide the board into the Indigo chassis.
Slide the board in almost all the way.
Make sure the notch in the top lever goes under the top edge of the chassis.
Return the levers to their original positions.
Replace the front metal panel.
Tilt the metal panel back up to the Indigo chassis, as shown in Figure 6-27.
Screw the thumbscrew back in to secure the panel. The panel should be snug against the chassis.
Replace the front plastic cover.
Place the bottom of the front cover in the guides on the bottom of the Indigo chassis.
Tilt the panel up to the Indigo chassis, as shown in Figure 6-28. The cover snaps in place.
Reconnect the cables to the connectors on the back of the system.
You are finished replacing the CPU board and ready to start up the system.
To replace the power supply, you'll shut down the system, remove the power supply, and, when you receive a replacement, use the information below to install it.
To shut down the system, follow these steps:
Shut down and turn off the system.
From the System toolchest, choose “System Shutdown.” The toolchests are shown in Figure 6-29.
Turn off the power switch on the back of the Indigo chassis.
Disconnect the power cables from the back of the Indigo chassis.
Disconnect both the system power cable and the monitor power cable.
Once the system is shut down and all the cables are disconnected, follow these steps:
Remove the plastic front cover.
Face the front of the Indigo chassis.
Two tabs on top of the front cover hold it in place.
Press down on the tabs and pull the panel away from the chassis, as shown in Figure 6-30.
The power supply is the metal box in the upper right corner, as shown in Figure 6-31.
Remove the screw that holds the power supply.
Face the back of the main unit.
Locate the screw on the back of the power supply, as shown in Figure 6-32.
Push the power supply out of the Indigo chassis.
Push the power supply from the back by pushing against the power outlets.
To install the power supply, follow these steps:
Before removing memory, check to make sure all SIMMs are seated correctly in their slots.
Remove covers and the CPU Board.
Follow the instructions in “Replacing the CPU Board or CPU Module”.
Set the CPU board down on a flat, anti-static surface so the side with the large chips faces up.
Check to see that all the SIMMs are installed correctly.
If you have an IRIS Indigo R3000 system:
A SIMM is installed correctly when you see no space between the socket and the bottom row of small chips, and you cannot easily lift the white lever.
The white tool is for removing the SIMM. If you can easily lift the tool, the SIMM isn't in all the way. Press down on both sides of the SIMM to push it further into the socket.
If you have an IRIS Indigo R4000 family system:
A SIMM is installed correctly when it is vertical and perpendicular to the CPU board, and the latches on the sides of the SIMM fit snugly around it.
Once the SIMMs are all the way in, replace the CPU board and power up the system. See “Replacing the CPU Board and Covers” for instructions.
If the error message still says:
Check or replace SIMM#
You have a faulty SIMM. Follow the instructions in “Ordering Replacement Parts”. Then contact your service provider for further instructions.
To replace an external SCSI device, you'll unmount the device (if it was mounted), power down the system, disconnect the device, connect the new device, and power up the system.
Follow the steps below to disconnect the device from your IRIS Indigo workstation.
Power down your system.
From the System toolchest, choose “System Shutdown.” The toolchests are shown in Figure 6-33.
Turn off your system.
Turn off the external SCSI device.
Disconnect the power cable from the SCSI device.
Disconnect the SCSI cable from the back of the Indigo chassis by unclipping the metal clips on both sides of the connector and then pulling the connector off.
Note: If you are not going to install another external device, replace the terminator on your Indigo. Remove the terminator (the metal cap) from the SCSI connector on the back of the SCSI device by unclipping the metal clips on both sides of the terminator and then pulling the terminator off.
Gently put the terminator on SCSI connector on the back of the Indigo chassis, as shown in Figure 6-34, and secure the clips on each side of the terminator.
The SCSI connector is designed so you can put the terminator on only one way, if you do not force it.
To replace an internal drive, you'll power down the system, remove the covers and then the drive, install the new drive, and power up the system. Internal drives include the system disk drive, a secondary hard disk drive, a floppy or floptical disk drive, and a DAT drive.
| Caution: Drives are sensitive pieces of equipment. Handle your drive carefully. Do not drop it or otherwise abuse it. |
To remove the drive, follow these steps:
Power down the system.
Choose “System Shutdown” from the System menu in the Toolchest.
The Toolchest is in the upper left corner of your screen.
Turn off the power switch on the back of the workstation, as shown in Figure 6-35.
Remove the front cover.
Face the front of the Indigo chassis.
Two tabs on top of the front cover hold it in place.
Press down on the tabs and pull the cover away from the chassis, as shown in Figure 6-36.
Remove the drive.
Push the green lever below the drive all the way to the left.
This should release the drive.
Pull the drive all the way out of the slot.
When you purchased your system, you may have purchased a support program from either Silicon Graphics, or a vendor who supplies software. Whenever you encounter any problems that you cannot solve using the methods in this chapter, contact the organization from which you purchased the support program.
If you would like support for the products you bought from Silicon Graphics, contact your service provider.