SGI IRIS 1000
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| An IRIS system in Silicon Graphics' advertisement in Computer Design, April 1984, before the IRIS 2000 series; the advertisement does not name the model | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Silicon Graphics, Inc. |
| Type | Graphics terminal (1000, 1200) and workstation (1400, 1500) |
| Released | November 1983 (IRIS 1000)[1][2] |
| Intro price | 1984 US educational prices after a 40% discount: IRIS 1000 terminal $22,500; IRIS 1400 workstation $35,700[3] |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 at 8 MHz on the PM1 board (1000, 1200); 68010 at 10 MHz on the PM2 board (1400, 1500)[2][4] |
| Memory | 3/4 MB (1000, 1200); 1.5 MB standard (1400, 1500)[4][3] |
| Storage | None (1000); optional floppy (1200); 72 MB ST-506 disk (1400); 474 MB SMD disk (1500)[4][5] |
| Display | — |
| Sound | — |
| Graphics | GF1, UC3, DC3 and BP2 boards with the Geometry Engine; 8 bitplanes of 1024 × 1024 standard on the 1400[4][3] |
| Expansion | Multibus: 10 slots (1000), 20 slots (1200, 1400)[2][6] |
| Dimensions | 1000: 25.4 × 53.6 × 68.6 cm (10 × 21 × 27 in); 1200 and 1400: 45.7 × 73.6 × 68.6 cm (18 × 29 × 27 in)[2] |
| Weight | 1000: 45.4 kg (100 lb); 1200 and 1400: 90.7 kg (200 lb)[2] |
| OS / Firmware | Terminals: IRIS terminal software, GL1; workstations: UNIX with GL1.9; later GL2 releases up to 2.3[5][2] |
| Successor | SGI IRIS 2000 |
The SGI IRIS 1000 series is Silicon Graphics' first product line: the IRIS 1000 and 1200 graphics terminals and the IRIS 1400 and 1500 workstations, all built on the Multibus with SGI's Geometry Engine graphics hardware.[1][2] The IRIS 1000, shipped in November 1983, was a terminal with hardware 3D graphics, attached to a host computer such as a VAX-11; the 1400 of 1984 was SGI's first standalone workstation.[1] The terminals' PM1 processor board is a version of the Stanford University "SUN" board, licensed from Andy Bechtolsheim at Stanford before Sun Microsystems was founded.[2][4]
Models
[edit | edit source]| Model | Type | Processor | Disk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Terminal | PM1 (68000, 8 MHz) | None |
| 1200 | Terminal | PM1 (68000, 8 MHz) | None; optional floppy |
| 1400 | Workstation | PM2 (68010, 10 MHz) | ST-506, 72 MB |
| 1500 | Workstation, rack-mounted | PM2 (68010, 10 MHz) | SMD, 474 MB |
[2][4][5] R. Stricklin's account, pieced together from primary sources and his own machines, adds that the 1200 has ten more slots and a removable-media bay than the 1000, that the 1400 uses ST-506 drives on a DSD 5215 controller and the 1500 SMD drives on an Interphase 2190, and that the 1000 and 1200 have an Excelan EXOS/101 Ethernet board; Levine's FAQ gives their memory as Micro Memory Multibus boards.[5][4]
Sources differ on the 1200's card cage. sgistuff.net's model table gives it the 10-slot chassis, while its chassis section, Stricklin's account and SGI's technical aid on GF1 cooling (which puts the GF1 board in slot 20 of the Model 1200) all give it 20 slots.[2][5][6] Wikipedia gives the PM1's processor as "68000 (or 68010)"; sgistuff.net, Levine's FAQ and Stricklin give the 68000 for the PM1 and the 68010 for the PM2.[1][2][4][5]
History
[edit | edit source]In an August 1984 message announcing an educational discount for universities, SGI product manager Craig Olson gave the price of an IRIS 1000 terminal as $22,500 and an IRIS 1400 workstation as $35,700 after a 40% educational discount. He described the 1400 as having a standalone 68010 UNIX (System V with 4.2BSD enhancements), real-time 3D colour graphics from the Geometry Engine, Ethernet with TCP/IP or XNS, 1.5 MB of memory, eight 1024 × 1024 bitplanes and a 72 MB Winchester disk.[3] The IRIS 2000 series followed in 1985.[1]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]The graphics boards are the GF1 (which carries the Geometry Engines), UC3 update controller, DC3 display controller and BP2 bitplanes.[4][5] In the 10-slot Model 1000, slots 1 to 3 are for the processor bus (PM1, Ethernet, I/O, memory), slots 6 to 10 for the raster bus (bitplanes, DC3, UC3, GF1), and slots 4 and 5 can be jumpered to either; the GF1 goes in slot 10 because the card cage gives that slot extra airflow.[7][6] The graphics boards implement SGI's graphics library in hardware, in the version later called GL1; the 1400 and 1500 run UNIX with a "GL1.9" environment that brings in the GL2 features the GL1 hardware can support.[5] Terminals were later upgraded from GL1 to GL2 software; SGI's technical aids cover the memory board change this needs.[8] The standard monitor was 30 Hz interlaced.[4]
Maintenance and repair
[edit | edit source]- SGI IRIS 1000 General Maintenance – backplane jumpers, slot rules, memory and Ethernet board settings, the PM1 switch, static handling
- SGI IRIS 1000 Troubleshooting Guide – configuration switches, keyboard lock-up, 1400 disk and tape problems
- SGI IRIS 1000 Capacitor Replacement Guide – what is known about the capacitors
SGI's field-service notes for these machines survive as technical aids reproduced in its later 68020 training course.[9]
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- IRIS Workstation Course, 68020 Based, Student Workbook part 2, which reproduces SGI's technical aids for the IRIS 1000, 1200 and 1400 – File:SGI IRIS Workstation Course 68020 Based Student Workbook Part 2.pdf
No SGI owner's or service manual for the 1000 series is hosted here or was found online; Levine's FAQ, written for the 2000 and 3000 series, covers the 1000 series only in outline.[4]
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- SGI IRIS 2000
- SGI IRIS 3000
- SGI IRIS 1000 General Maintenance
- SGI IRIS 1000 Troubleshooting Guide
- SGI IRIS 1000 Capacitor Replacement Guide
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "SGI IRIS", Wikipedia, revision of 14 June 2026, section "68000", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SGI_IRIS.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Gerhard Lenerz, "IRIS 1000", sgistuff.net, sgistuff.net/hardware/systems/iris1000.html (retrieved 22 October 2026). Introduction, models, processor boards, chassis, operating system.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Craig Olson (Silicon Graphics product manager), "40% Discount On GRAPHICS UNIX WORKSTATIONS", message of 9 August 1984, quoted on sgistuff.net, sgistuff.net/hardware/systems/iris1000.html.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 Jonathan Levine, "Silicon Graphics IRIS 2000/3000 FAQ", revisions of May 1993 to June 1994, section 2.1, bitsavers.org/pdf/sgi/iris/IRIS_FAQ.txt.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 R. Stricklin, "WTB: SGI (MIPS architecture) Systems", rescue mailing list, 26 May 2010, bitsavers.org/pdf/sgi/iris/bear_sgi_may2010.txt.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 SGI Field Engineering, Technical Aid GEN-006, "GF1 Board Cooling", IRIS 1000 and 1200, 23 January 1984, in Student Workbook part 2.
- ↑ SGI Field Engineering, Technical Aid GEN-004, "Backplane Cuts and Jumpers", IRIS 1000, 23 January 1984, in Student Workbook part 2.
- ↑ SGI Field Engineering, Technical Aid GEN-028, "Multibus Memory Board Modification", 1000 and 1200, 28 March 1985, in Student Workbook part 2.
- ↑ Silicon Graphics, IRIS Workstation Course, 68020 Based, Student Workbook part 2, lesson 7 technical aids (File:SGI IRIS Workstation Course 68020 Based Student Workbook Part 2.pdf).