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SGI Challenge M General Maintenance

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SGI POWER CHALLENGE M IP26 SIMM banks and height limit (108-0130-001 Figure 2-1)
SIMM banks A to C on the IP26 board, front at the top. Sockets S7 to S12 sit under the R8000 module (SGI, 108-0130-001 Figure 2-1)

Care of the SGI Challenge M, taken from the SGI documents that name the CHALLENGE M: the R8000 upgrade instructions (108-0130-001), the 64 MB SIMM note (108-0139-001), the FDDIXPress installation guide (007-2144-002) and the CHALLENGEvault M owner's guide (007-2155-001).[1][2][3][4] The Challenge M is an Indigo² with a different case colour and badge and no graphics or sound hardware, so the environment limits, the clock chip and the power supply construction are covered in SGI Indigo² General Maintenance.[5][6]

Before you start

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SGI's handling rules for the R8000 machines, which apply whenever the case of a POWER CHALLENGE M is open:[7]

  • Wear a wrist strap and keep yourself and the equipment at ground potential.
  • Take a part out of its antistatic bag only when you are grounded and ready to fit it.
  • Do not use an ohmmeter on the R8000 CPU module.
  • Do not set the module down roughly on a hard surface or scrape its underside against the chassis. SGI says it carries several capacitors on its back that help control internal clocks, and that the module will not work if one of them is damaged.

The 64 MB SIMM note asks for the power to be off and the machine still plugged in while SIMMs are changed, with the wrist strap clipped to the chassis.[8]

Opening the case

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SGI's steps for the CHALLENGE M and Indigo²:[3]

  1. Press the power button on the front to shut the system down.
  2. Disconnect the power cable from the back, then the cables on the option slot I/O panel, labelling them if needed.
  3. Open the front door by snapping it away from the top edge of the chassis and tipping it down.
  4. If an antitheft lock bar is fitted, remove the lock and pull the bar out.
  5. Press down on the tabs on each side of the front bezel and pull the bezel down and away.
  6. Press up on the tabs on each side of the drive openings, pull up to pop the top cover open, and tilt it back and away from the chassis.
  7. Ground yourself to a metal part of the chassis with the wrist strap.
  8. For the expansion slots, pull up the metal side panel and tilt it away from the chassis until it lies flat. It stays attached.

The 5.25-inch drive tray

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The tray sits over the SIMM banks and has to come out for memory work:[9]

  1. Unlatch and disconnect the flat flex SCSI cable from the back of the tray.
  2. Undo the captive screws at the lower front of the tray.
  3. Slide the tray back to unlatch it, then lift it up and out.

On a POWER CHALLENGE M, keep the tray level when lowering it back in, because the back of the R8000 module is very close to the underside of the tray. Look through the perforated floor of the tray to check the clearance before sliding it forward and locking it.[10]

Memory

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The twelve SIMM sockets run from S1 at the rear to S12 at the front, in banks A, B and C, and all the SIMMs in a bank must be the same size.[11] The IP22 board takes up to 384 MB and the IP26 board of the POWER CHALLENGE M up to 640 MB; see SGI Challenge M#Memory for the IP26 limits by SIMM size.[12]

Removing a SIMM:[13][14]

  1. Start at the rear-most socket (S1) and work towards the front, taking the SIMMs out in order.
  2. From the rear of the system, use the plastic SIMM removal tool to push the metal retaining clip at one end of the socket outwards. 64 MB and other high-capacity SIMMs overhang the release latches, so push outwards on the front part of the latch; on smaller SIMMs, press straight down on the latch.
  3. Repeat at the other end. The SIMM tilts back towards the rear of the system; lift it out.

Fitting a SIMM:[8]

  1. A SIMM cannot be fitted with another directly behind it, so to fill bank B or C, remove the SIMMs from bank A forwards first.
  2. Facing the back of the system, hold the SIMM by its edges with the notched end on your left and tilt it about 40° back towards you.
  3. Push it forwards and down until both ends click into place and the socket's plastic pins come through the holes at each end of the SIMM. A SIMM seated without the pins in the holes can be damaged.
  4. Check that its top is level with the SIMMs next to it.

SGI warns that a 64 MB SIMM tends to scrape the right-hand retainer clip of the socket behind it; if it snags, hold the clip back with the removal tool.[8]

On a POWER CHALLENGE M:

  • The R8000 module covers bank C and the last socket of bank B, so SIMMs there must be no taller than about 32 mm. SGI's two documents number the sockets and state the limit slightly differently; see SGI Challenge M#Memory.[11][8]
  • 64 MB SIMMs can fill only two of the three banks.[11]
  • SGI recommends filling bank C first when the IP26 board is fitted, since it is hard to reach once the module is in place.[14]

R8000 CPU module

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To reach bank C on a POWER CHALLENGE M the module has to come off:[15]

  1. Remove the 5.25-inch drive tray.
  2. With the wrist strap on, remove the five screws that hold the module to its standoffs, using a #2 Phillips screwdriver.
  3. With both hands, raise the module off the standoffs into a vertical position, which puts the least strain on its flex cable.
  4. Holding the module steady with one hand, lift the tabs at each end of the flex-cable connector and unplug it. Do not twist or rock the module on the cable.
  5. Put the module on an antistatic surface.

To refit it, seat the flex-cable connector with firm, even finger pressure, lower the module onto the standoffs with a hand at its front and back, and lay the insulating sheet along its rear edge in line with the two rearmost screw holes. Fit the five screws with the long 30 mm screw in its place, finger-tight first and then snug. Keep the module clear of the 3.5-inch drive bay while doing this; SGI points to the critical capacitors on its back.[16]

Expansion boards

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The backplane has three GIO connectors on its right half and four EISA connectors on its left.[17] To take boards out, lower the metal door that covers the GIO and EISA slots and undo the board screws.[18] A CHALLENGE M takes up to two FDDIXPress boards; two must go in the top and bottom GIO slots or the middle and bottom ones.[19][17]

Power supply

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SGI Indigo² General Maintenance#Power supply gives SGI's teal Indigo² procedure in full. SGI's R8000 upgrade instructions give the same job for the CHALLENGE M:[20]

  1. With the covers, drive tray and expansion boards out, undo the four screws that hold the supply: two on the back of the system and two on the side.
  2. Disconnect the supply cables.
  3. Slide the supply forwards about 6 mm (1/4 in), then lift it out.

The R8000, the 200 MHz R4400 and the 133 MHz R4600 need a revision S or later supply, which gives 3.45 V on the nominal 3.3 V rail; the revision is marked on the side of the supply.[21][22] If a supply will not slide into place in an older chassis, 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.[23]

CHALLENGEvault M

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The single-ended vault for the CHALLENGE M has a 0.46 m SCSI cable, so it goes directly below, on top of or next to the host. Keep it out of cupboards and other small enclosed spaces, keep the vents clear and do not drape anything over it.[24]

To get inside, open the front cover, press down the tabs on each side of the bezel and pull the bezel away, then press up the lower tabs beside the drive openings and lift the top cover off.[25]

Mount every drive with its connector end towards the centre of the vault. Positions 1 and 2 are in the bay next to the system fan; drives for positions 3 and 4 must be taken out of their brackets, turned round and remounted, with the capacitive ground wire reconnected; positions 5 and 6 are next to the power supply and are filled last. Leave the resistive load unit in position 6 unless at least five drives are fitted. Clip the grounding strap that comes with each drive to bare metal on the chassis while fitting it.[26] SGI warns that dropping an unpackaged drive from as little as 2.5 cm onto a hard surface can damage it.[27]

Switch the vault on, wait about two minutes, then switch the host on; otherwise SCSI errors follow. Shut the host down before switching the vault off.[28][29]

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References

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  1. ↑ Silicon Graphics, POWER Indigo2 and POWER CHALLENGE M Upgrade Instructions, 108-0130-001, 1994, section 1.1, p. 1-1 (File:SGI POWER Indigo2 and POWER CHALLENGE M Upgrade Instructions (108-0130-001).pdf).
  2. ↑ Silicon Graphics, 64 MB SIMM Upgrade for R8000 Indigo2 and POWER CHALLENGE M Systems, 108-0139-001, 1995 (File:SGI 64 MB SIMM Upgrade for R8000 Indigo2 and POWER CHALLENGE M Systems (108-0139-001).pdf).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 SGI, 007-2144-002, "Shutting Down the System", "Disconnecting the Cables" and "Removing the Covers", pp. 1-4 to 1-8.
  4. ↑ Silicon Graphics, CHALLENGEvault M Owner's Guide, 007-2155-001, 1993 (File:SGI CHALLENGEvault M Owner's Guide (007-2155-001).pdf).
  5. ↑ "SGI Indigo2", Wikipedia, revision of 22 June 2026, section "Challenge M", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SGI_Indigo2.
  6. ↑ Gerhard Lenerz, "Indigo 2 / Challenge M", sgistuff.net, sgistuff.net/hardware/systems/indigo2.html (retrieved 22 October 2026). Specials section "Challenge M".
  7. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.1.1, p. 2-2. ESD measures, no ohmmeter on the R8000 module, capacitors on the back of the module.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 SGI, 108-0139-001, "Installing the 64 MB SIMMs", pp. 4 to 6. Height limit, power off and plugged in, fitting order and technique.
  9. ↑ SGI, 108-0139-001, "Removing the Drive Tray", p. 3.
  10. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.4, step 12, warning, p. 2-18.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 SGI, 108-0130-001, section 1.6, p. 1-7, and section 2.1.2 with Figure 2-1, pp. 2-2 and 2-3. Same-size SIMMs in a bank, 64 MB two-bank limit, height limit over S7 to S12.
  12. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, Table 1-1, p. 1-6. Maximum memory on the IP22 and IP26 boards.
  13. ↑ SGI, 108-0139-001, "Removing SIMMs", pp. 7 and 8.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.3, step 7, pp. 2-5 and 2-6. Fill bank C first; remove SIMMs from the rear-most socket forwards.
  15. ↑ SGI, 108-0139-001, "Removing and Replacing the R8000 CPU Module", pp. 9 and 10.
  16. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.4, steps 5 to 9 and Figures 2-16 to 2-19, pp. 2-15 and 2-16. Seating and fixing the R8000 module.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 SGI, 007-2144-002, "Select a Slot for the FDDIXP Board", pp. 1-9 and 1-10.
  18. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.3, step 8, p. 2-7. Metal door over the GIO and EISA slots.
  19. ↑ Silicon Graphics, FDDIXPress Installation Guide for Indigo2 and CHALLENGE M, 007-2144-002, 1995, Introduction (File:SGI FDDIXPress Installation Guide for Indigo2 and CHALLENGE M (007-2144-002).pdf). One or two FDDI boards in a CHALLENGE M.
  20. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.3, steps 9 to 11 and Figures 2-6 to 2-8, pp. 2-8 and 2-9. Power supply screws, cables and removal.
  21. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 1.3, p. 1-2. Revision S power supply, 3.45 V.
  22. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.2, p. 2-3. Revision S or later, marked on the side of the power supply.
  23. ↑ SGI, 108-0130-001, section 2.4, step 3, note, p. 2-14. Power supply tabs on older chassis.
  24. ↑ SGI, 007-2155-001, "Selecting a Site", pp. 13 and 14.
  25. ↑ SGI, 007-2155-001, "Removing the Covers", pp. 16 to 18.
  26. ↑ SGI, 007-2155-001, Figure 2-5, p. 20, and "Installing a Hard Disk", p. 27.
  27. ↑ SGI, 007-2155-001, "Disk-Handling Precautions", p. 10.
  28. ↑ SGI, 007-2155-001, "Turning On the CHALLENGEvault M", p. 41.
  29. ↑ SGI, 007-2155-001, "Shutting Down and Powering Off Your CHALLENGEvault M", p. 43.


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