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SGI Challenge M

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SGI Challenge M
SGI CHALLENGE M chassis showing GIO slots (FDDIXPress guide Figure 1-7)
A CHALLENGE M chassis with the covers off, seen from the rear (SGI, FDDIXPress guide Figure 1-7)
Specifications
ManufacturerSilicon Graphics, Inc.
TypeDesktop server
ReleasedAbout the first half of 1993[1]
DiscontinuedNo date found; dropped later in the Indigo² product life[1]
CPUMIPS R4000 or R4400 on the IP22 board; MIPS R8000 at 75 MHz on the IP26 board in the POWER CHALLENGE M[2][1]
Memory12 SIMM sockets; up to 384 MB on the IP22 board and 640 MB on the IP26 board[2]
StorageOne 5.25-inch and two 3.5-inch drive bays, as in the Indigo²[1]
Display—
Sound—
GraphicsNone[3][1]
ExpansionThree GIO and four EISA connectors on the backplane[4]
PowerThe Indigo² power supply; the R8000 needs revision S or later[5]
OS / FirmwareIRIX; the POWER CHALLENGE M needs the 64-bit IRIX 6.0.1 or later[6]

The SGI Challenge M (written CHALLENGE M by SGI) is the server version of the SGI Indigo²: the same desktop machine sold without a graphics board under the name of SGI's Challenge server range.[1][3] Wikipedia describes it as differing from the Indigo² only in a slightly differently coloured and badged case and in having no graphics or sound hardware.[3] It has nothing in common with the multiprocessor Challenge servers apart from the name and the blue of the case; SGI used the name to market it as the entry-level member of that family.[7] It was sold with R4000-series processors and, as the POWER CHALLENGE M, with the R8000.[1][8] The Indigo² repair guides apply to it, and the points where the Challenge M differs are listed under Maintenance and repair.

History

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The Indigo² was introduced in January 1993. Gerhard Lenerz's sgistuff.net dates the Challenge M, together with the Challenge L and XL, to about the first half of 1993, with the R4400 processor.[1] SGI's instructions for converting a CHALLENGE M to a POWER CHALLENGE M with the R8000 are dated 1994, and its 1995 FDDI installation guide still covers the CHALLENGE M alongside the Indigo².[8][9] According to sgistuff.net the Challenge M was dropped later in the Indigo² product life, possibly in favour of the larger Challenge DM server. No SGI date for the end of sales was found.[1]

The Challenge S is the equivalent server version of the SGI Indy.[7]

Hardware

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SGI Indigo2 front (Rules666)
A teal Indigo². The Challenge M uses the same case with a different colour and badge (Rules666, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Differences from the Indigo²

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  • sgistuff.net calls the Challenge M "basically a R4K or R8K Indigo 2 without a graphics option installed".[1]
  • Wikipedia says the Challenge M has no sound hardware.[3] SGI's R8000 upgrade instructions agree: the audio subsystem has to be moved to the new system board on Indigo² machines only.[10]
  • SGI's R8000 upgrade instructions say that after power-on the CHALLENGE M stops at the System Maintenance Menu by itself, where an Indigo² needs Esc to be pressed, and the IRIX installer asks for its software source as a text prompt where the Indigo² shows icons.[11][12] SGI's Indigo² guide says that when the machine has no picture, the PROM's error messages can be read on an ASCII terminal at 9600 baud on serial port 1.[13]
  • Both machines have built-in Ethernet. An Indigo² takes one FDDIXPress board and a CHALLENGE M one or two.[9] Two boards go in the top and bottom GIO slots or the middle and bottom ones, not the top and middle.[4]

System boards

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CHALLENGE M and POWER CHALLENGE M (SGI Table 1-1)
IP22 with R4000 or R4400 IP26 with R8000
Sold as CHALLENGE M POWER CHALLENGE M
Processor clock 100, 150 or 200 MHz 75 MHz
Primary cache R4000: 8 KB instruction, 8 KB data; R4400: 16 KB each 16 KB instruction, 16 KB data
Secondary cache 1 MB 2 MB, four-way set-associative
Maximum memory 384 MB 640 MB
Peak floating point About 40 MFLOPS 300 MFLOPS
Kernel mode 32-bit 64-bit

[2]

The R8000 module has separate integer and floating-point chips under one heat sink and stands on five standoffs on the IP26 board, four 40 mm long and one 18 mm long. The IP26 layout is largely that of the IP22; the main change is a new memory controller with error-correcting code and more SIMM capacity.[14] SGI says the POWER models use almost exactly the same power and give off almost the same heat as the R4000-series machines, so their site requirements are unchanged.[8]

SGI's instructions cover the R8000 workstation, the SGI Power Indigo², in the same document.[8] An existing CHALLENGE M was converted by replacing the power supply, CPU module and system board, moving the SIMMs across, installing IRIX 6.0.1 from CD-ROM, and fitting a "POWER" badge to the front grille and a new model label at the rear.[10][15]

Memory

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The twelve SIMM sockets are in three banks, A, B and C, and every SIMM in a bank must be the same size.[16] On the IP26 board the maximum depends on the SIMM size:[16]

POWER CHALLENGE M maximum memory (SGI Table 1-2)
SIMM size 4 MB 8 MB 16 MB 32 MB 64 MB
Maximum memory 48 MB 96 MB 192 MB 384 MB 640 MB

64 MB SIMMs can fill only two of the three banks; the third bank must hold 32 MB or smaller SIMMs.[16][17]

The R8000 module sits over bank C and the last socket of bank B, so SIMMs in those sockets must be no taller than about 32 mm. SGI's two documents give the limit differently: the upgrade instructions say 1.27 in and name sockets S7 to S12, while the later 64 MB SIMM note says 1.260 in and names S8 to S12.[16][17] SGI recommends filling bank C first when the IP26 board goes in, because the module makes it hard to reach afterwards.[18]

Power supply

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The power supply is the Indigo² part. Revision S and later supplies give 3.45 V nominal on the 3.3 V rail, which the R8000, the 200 MHz R4400, the 133 MHz R4600 and later graphics options need; they are mechanically the same as earlier revisions.[5] On some older Indigo² and CHALLENGE M chassis a new supply will not slide into place. SGI's fix is to take it out and bend the two tabs on its underside outwards by about 2 to 3 mm so that they engage the U-shaped slots in the chassis floor.[19]

CHALLENGEvault M

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The CHALLENGEvault M is an external SCSI drive enclosure built in the Indigo² case style. From the front only the label tells it apart; at the back there are just the power inlet and two SCSI connectors, and the GIO card cage holds four more 3.5-inch drives. An Indigo² or Challenge M with a vault can hold eight 3.5-inch and two 5.25-inch drives.[1]

SGI made it in two versions that look the same except for a sticker above the SCSI connectors: a single-ended version for the CHALLENGE M and Indigo², and a differential version for the CHALLENGE L and Onyx deskside, which cannot be connected to a CHALLENGE M or Indigo².[20] Forum member jan-jaap warns that connecting differential SCSI to a single-ended or LVD controller will burn something.[21]

The vault is 11.4 cm high and 47 × 47 cm, weighs up to 19 kg and draws 231 W nominal on 100–120 V or 200–240 V.[22] A resistive load unit in drive position 6 balances the power supply when fewer than six disks are fitted, and SGI says to leave it in unless at least five drives are installed.[23] jan-jaap explains that the vault uses the Indigo² power supply, and that a switch-mode supply often needs a minimum load on its outputs to start.[21] SGI's troubleshooting table asks whether the vault was switched on two minutes before the host when an external SCSI diagnostic fails at power-on or a "resetting SCSI bus" message appears.[24]

Maintenance and repair

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The Challenge M's own guides cover the CHALLENGE M documents: SGI Challenge M General Maintenance, SGI Challenge M Troubleshooting Guide and SGI Challenge M Capacitor Replacement Guide. The Challenge M is an Indigo² without the graphics board, so the Indigo² guides cover the rest:[1][3]

Points that apply to the Challenge M in particular:

  • With no graphics board there is no picture, so use an ASCII terminal on serial port 1 at 9600 baud to read the PROM messages. SGI's Indigo² guide also gives the System Maintenance menu choices for use from an ASCII terminal.[13][25]
  • sgistuff.net says that turning a Challenge M into an Indigo² is simple, since the graphics option is the only thing missing.[1] Wikipedia also lists the sound hardware as absent.[3]
  • On a POWER CHALLENGE M the back of the R8000 module is very close to the underside of the 5.25-inch drive tray. SGI says to keep the tray level when refitting it and to look through the perforated floor of the tray to check the clearance before sliding it forward and locking it.[26]
  • A replacement power supply for an R8000, 200 MHz R4400 or 133 MHz R4600 machine must be revision S or later.[5]

Documentation

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SGI published no owner's guide for the Challenge M that could be found; its upgrade and option manuals cover it together with the Indigo². The ones hosted here are described on SGI Challenge M Documentation:

The Indigo² owner's guides are listed on SGI Indigo² Documentation.

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Gerhard Lenerz, "Indigo 2 / Challenge M", sgistuff.net, sgistuff.net/hardware/systems/indigo2.html (retrieved 22 October 2026). History timeline, graphics overview ("Challenge M server"), Specials sections "Challenge M" and "Challenge M Vault".
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 SGI, 108-0130-001, Table 1-1, p. 1-6. Differences between IP22 and IP26 systems.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "SGI Indigo2", Wikipedia, revision of 22 June 2026, section "Challenge M", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SGI_Indigo2. Case colour and badge, no graphics or sound hardware.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 SGI, 007-2144-002, Figure 1-7 and "Select a Slot for the FDDIXP Board", pp. 1-9 and 1-10. Three GIO and four EISA option slots; slot rules for two boards.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 SGI, 108-0130-001, section 1.3, p. 1-2. Revision S power supply, 3.45 V.
  6. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 1.2, p. 1-2. IRIX 6.0.1 or later.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "SGI Challenge", Wikipedia, revision of 28 April 2026, section "Other models", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SGI_Challenge. Challenge M and Challenge S as repackaged Indigo2 and Indy, blue case, entry-level marketing.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Silicon Graphics, POWER Indigo2 and POWER CHALLENGE M Upgrade Instructions, 108-0130-001, 1994, section 1.1 and 1.1.1, p. 1-1 (File:SGI POWER Indigo2 and POWER CHALLENGE M Upgrade Instructions (108-0130-001).pdf). R8000 features; power and heat unchanged.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Silicon Graphics, FDDIXPress Installation Guide for Indigo2 and CHALLENGE M, 007-2144-002, 1995, Introduction and p. 1-1 (File:SGI FDDIXPress Installation Guide for Indigo2 and CHALLENGE M (007-2144-002).pdf). Built-in Ethernet; one FDDI board in an Indigo2, one or two in a CHALLENGE M.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.1, p. 2-1. Upgrade steps; audio subsystem moved on Indigo2 only.
  11. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.5, step 2, p. 2-19. CHALLENGE M stops at the System Maintenance Menu.
  12. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.6, step 4, p. 2-20. Text prompt for the installation source on the CHALLENGE M.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Silicon Graphics, Indigo2 Workstation Owner's Guide, 007-9096-050, p. 127 (File:SGI Indigo2 Workstation Owner's Guide (007-9096-050).pdf). ASCII terminal at 9600 baud on serial port 1.
  14. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, sections 1.4 and 1.5, pp. 1-2 and 1-3. IP26 memory controller, standoffs, R8000 board.
  15. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.7, p. 2-21. POWER badge and model label.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 SGI, 108-0130-001, section 1.6 and Table 1-2, p. 1-7, and section 2.1.2, p. 2-2. Maximum memory, SIMM height limit.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Silicon Graphics, 64 MB SIMM Upgrade for R8000 Indigo2 and POWER CHALLENGE M Systems, 108-0139-001, 1995, pp. 3–4 and Figure 1-4 (File:SGI 64 MB SIMM Upgrade for R8000 Indigo2 and POWER CHALLENGE M Systems (108-0139-001).pdf). Two-bank limit for 64 MB SIMMs, 1.260 in height limit.
  18. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.3, step 7, p. 2-6. Fill bank C first.
  19. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.4, step 3, note, p. 2-14. Power supply tabs on older chassis.
  20. ↑ Silicon Graphics, CHALLENGEvault M Owner's Guide, 007-2155-001, 1993, "How to Use the CHALLENGEvault M", pp. 2–3 (File:SGI CHALLENGEvault M Owner's Guide (007-2155-001).pdf). Supported hosts, single-ended and differential versions.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 TriOx, jan-jaap and GL1zdA, "Challenge Vault M", IRIXNet forums, August to September 2019, forums.irixnet.org/thread-1445.html. Indigo2 power supply, resistive load, differential SCSI warning.
  22. ↑ SGI, 007-2155-001, Table 1-1, p. 5. Hardware specifications.
  23. ↑ SGI, 007-2155-001, pp. 21 and 27. Resistive load stabilisation unit in drive position 6.
  24. ↑ SGI, 007-2155-001, Table 4-1, p. 61. Symptoms and possible solutions.
  25. ↑ SGI, 007-9096-050, p. 146. System Maintenance menu from an ASCII terminal.
  26. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.4, step 12, warning, p. 2-18. Drive tray clearance over the R8000 module.


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