This appendix provides information to help you configure PCI boards in your Octane or Octane2 system and to determine how the ports on those boards will by identified by the software. Configuration resources are provided in the last section of this appendix.
The ioconfig.conf file records and saves option board and port information after the option board is installed in the Octane2 workstation. However, the file reserves the board and port spaces if the option board is removed, and assigns new logical controller numbers if the same type of board is inserted in a different PCI slot.
If you want a listing of only what is currently installed, remove the ioconfig.conf file and restart your system. The file is rebuilt with information about the current hardware configuration, reflecting what is currently installed.
 | Note: Rebuilding the ioconfig.conf file can change all of the maps between the logical controller numbers and the physical port locations, depending on whether option boards have been moved to different slots or removed from the system. |
If you need to place the PCI board (Ethernet/keyboard/mouse) in a different slot, move the board to the new slot, and then remove the ioconfig.conf file. Removing the file erases the record of the previous location so that the system does not think two boards of the same type are installed. To remove the iconfig.conf file, follow these directions:
From Toolchest > Desktop, choose Open UNIX Shell.
Become superuser by typing su
Type: rm /etc/ioconfig.conf
Type: exit to exit superuser mode.
Restart the system. Restarting the system builds a new ioconfig.conf file.
Before you can connect cables, you need to map the logical port numbers to the physical port locations. Follow these instructions:
From the Toolchest > Desktop, choose Open UNIX Shell.
At the prompt, type: cat /etc/ioconfig.conf
Read the following table, descriptions, and explanations to determine the correct port location(s) for the cables you wish to connect.
You see a listing similar to the following example.
Table C-1. Identification of Information in the ioconfig.conf File
Logical
Controller #Hard
wareNode
Bus Type
Physical XIO Slot ID
Bus Type
Slot ID
Port Type (Abbreviation)
Serial Port ID
2
/hw
/node
/xtalk
/13
/pci
/2
/scsi_ctlr
0
/hw
/node
/xtalk
/13
/pci
/1
/rns
2
/hw
/node
/xtalk
/13
/pci
/3
/pckb
2
/hw
/node
/xtalk
/13
/pci
/3
/pcms
1
/hw
/node
/xtalk
/13
/pci
/3
/ef
The Logical Controller Number is the number assigned to a port on an option board by the operating system. The logical controller numbers assigned by the operating system to a port on an option board always start higher than the last assigned port of the same type on the system module. Ports of the same type are assigned incrementing port numbers. For example, because there is one Ethernet port on the system module (which is assigned logical number 0) logical number 1 is assigned to the first optional Ethernet port that the software sees.
Ignore the Hardware, Node, and Bus Type columns containing XIO entries when looking for information in this table. They appear in the ioconfig.conf file to report that hardware is being probed, on one node, using XIO at one point and PCI at another within the workstation.
Use Figure C-1 to determine the physical XIO Slot ID number. After the system module itself, the PCI module is the first XIO module probed. Its number is 13.
In a VPro Octane2 system, the primary graphics head occupies physical quadrants A and B, but only uses the XIO connector in slot B. Its location in software is therefore XIO Slot ID 11.
In a Dual Head VPro Octane2 system, the secondary graphics head occupies physical quadrants C and D, but only uses the XIO connector in slot D. Its location in software is therefore XIO Slot ID 10.
| Note: Physical port numbers are assigned in XIO probing order, which starts at the highest XIO Slot ID and descends. For example, the Ethernet port on the system module (XIO Slot ID 15) will be assigned a logical number 0, before an Ethernet port on a board in the PCI module (XIO Slot ID 13) is assigned logical number 1, because XIO Slot ID 15 is probed before XIO Slot ID 13. |
Table C-2 shows the XIO Slot IDs in numeric order and the device or location to which each is mapped.
Table C-2. XIO Slot ID Mapping
XIO Slot ID # | Device or Location |
|---|---|
8 | System module (heart chip) |
9 | XIO Quadrant C (lower right of XIO module) |
10 | XIO Quadrant D (lower left of XIO module) |
11 | XIO Quadrant B (upper right of XIO module) |
12 | XIO Quadrant A (upper left of XIO module) |
13 | PCI module |
14 | (not assigned) |
15 | System module (bridge chip: I/O functions) |
The column that contains PCI entries should be read only in conjunction with the Physical XIO Slot ID column that comes before it. If the Physical XIO Slot ID number is 13, the board to which a logical controller number has been assigned is in the PCI module.
The Slot ID column refers to the physical location of the option board in the PCI module.
Again referring to the example shown in Table C-1, we see that all entries in this table have physical XIO Slot ID number 13, which means they are all in the PCI module.
We can see that the first listing is a board in PCI slot 2 (the Slot ID column contains a 2), and that this board has one port, abbreviated scsi_ctrl (which means this is a SCSI controller port).
The second listing is a board in PCI slot 1 (the Slot ID column contains a 1). This board has one port, abbreviated rns (which, as we'll see later, is an FDDI or CDDI port).
The third, fourth and fifth listings are a single board in PCI slot 3 (the Slot ID column for all three entries contains a 3). This board has three ports, abbreviated pckb, pcms, and ef (which, as we'll see later, are keyboard, mouse, and Ethernet ports, respectively).
Figure C-2 shows the location of each of the slots in the PCI module.
Table C-3 lists the port type abbreviations and their definitions.
Table C-3. Port Type Abbreviations and Definitions
Abbreviation | Definition |
|---|---|
ef | Ethernet |
rns | FDDI or CDDI |
pckb | keyboard |
pcms | mouse |
tty | serial |
scsi_ctlr | SCSI controller |
When the board is installed and connected and the Octane2 workstation is powered on, use the following information for configuration.
Certain PCI boards require some configuration, others do not. Use the table below to determine whether you need to configure the board.
Table C-4. Determining Which Boards to Configure
Configuration Needed | Configuration Not Needed |
|---|---|
All networking boards | Mouse, keyboard, SCSI, Radical |
Refer to the Personal System Administration Guide or IRIX Admin: Networking and Mail for instructions on configuring software. Both documents are online and accessible from Toolchest > Help > Online Books. The Personal System Administration Guide is under SGI End User, and the IRIX Admin: Networking and Mail guide is under SGI Admin.