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SGI Octane General Maintenance

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SGI Octane rear view
The rear of an Octane. The system module is at the upper left, the XIO boards at the upper right and the power supply, with its fan grille, at the bottom (eVRydayVR, CC0)

Routine care and module procedures for the SGI Octane, from SGI's Octane Workstation Owner's Guide (007-3435-004), its air intake maintenance flier and its site preparation guide, with notes from owners on the IRIXNet forum.[1][2][3] The newest Octanes are now more than 20 years old. The parts that wear are the power supply and its fan, the system fan, the lightbar bulbs and the battery inside the real-time clock. SGI's guide covers changing every module, from the memory to the frontplane; repairs below module level are community work.[1]

Environment and siting

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Octane environmental limits (SGI)
Operating Not operating
Temperature 13 to 35 °C (owner's guide); 10 to 35 °C (site preparation guide) −10 to 65 °C
Rate of change 10 °C per hour maximum 60 °C per hour maximum (packed)
Relative humidity 10% to 80%, non-condensing 10% to 95%, non-condensing
Altitude 3,049 m 12,195 m

[4][3]

The two SGI documents disagree on the lowest operating temperature; the owner's guide gives the narrower range. Air enters at the top left, top right, top rear and front and leaves at the back, so keep all of these clear. SGI asks for a room where the temperature does not swing sharply and the air is relatively free of dust.[3] The machine weighs 32.7 kg; SGI treats lifting it as a two-person job and says to lift it by the air vents at the top of the chassis.[5][3]

Air intake vents

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Dust collects on the honeycomb air intakes on top of the case. SGI's flier asks for them to be inspected every three to six months.[2]

  1. Switch the machine off if you can. SGI says this is preferable but not required.
  2. Vacuum the honeycomb with the plastic cover in place, keeping the nozzle from damaging the honeycomb.
  3. Do not blow or sweep the dust off. Large amounts of it can then get inside the system.[2]

Before opening a module

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  • Shut down with one press of the power button. A second press powers the machine off at once without a clean shutdown.[6]
  • Unplug the power cord. SGI warns that inserting the system module while the cord is connected to the mains damages the workstation.[7][8]
  • Wait five minutes after power-off before pulling the system module or the XIO module; the heat sinks on the CPU, the system module and the XIO boards get very hot.[7][9]
  • Wear the wrist strap supplied with the machine, with its copper end on the module you are removing or on bare metal of the chassis.[7]
  • Have the compression connector caps to hand. They ship with the workstation and go on every connector of a module that is out of the chassis.[7][10]

Compression connectors

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Every module meets the frontplane through compression connectors. The module side of each connector is a field of fine gold bristles that pick up dust, lint and grease, which stops them making contact.[10] SGI's rules:[10]

  • Do not touch the pads with anything: fingers, brushes, cloth or probes.
  • Whenever a module or board is out of the chassis, fit the cap and put it in an antistatic bag with the open end folded over.
  • Put nothing on the pads, not even water, and do not blow dust near an uncapped connector.
  • A capped connector should never need cleaning. If one does, use only dry compressed air or inert gas. SGI names the Envi-Ro-Tech Duster 1671. Never use a product containing halogenated or aromatic hydrocarbons, ethers, sulphur, ketones or any solvent.

To clean a connector:[10]

  1. Hold the can upright and do not shake it.
  2. Hold the board so that the rounded, closed edge of the connector faces up. Never spray into the square, open edge; that can destroy the connector.
  3. With the nozzle 25 to 50 mm (1 to 2 inches) from the top row of pads, spray along the whole length, then move down a few rows and repeat until every pad has been sprayed. Stop if foam appears; it blows away when you resume with clean gas.
  4. Cap the connector or install the board straight away.

On the IRIXNet forum, owners repeat SGI's warning against alcohol: the bristles are easily abraded and the damage may not be visible.[11]

System module, CPU and memory

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SGI Octane R12000 CPU module
A single R12000 CPU module (Teewurzler, CC BY-SA 4.0)

SGI's 2002 replacement sheet supersedes the system module procedure in the owner's guide.[8]

  1. Power off, unplug the cord and wait five minutes.
  2. Unlock the lockbar at the back and pull it out of the chassis. It locks both the system module and the bezel.[7]
  3. Disconnect every cable from the system module and attach the wrist strap to it.
  4. Loosen the two captive screws that hold the pushrods (the sliding handles).
  5. Pull both pushrods out together until they are fully extended. This releases the module from the frontplane. Do not pull the module out by the pushrods.
  6. Hold the fixed handle with your left hand, brace your right hand on the top of the workstation and draw the module towards you. Support it from below as it comes clear.
  7. Lay it on an antistatic surface with the CPU and DIMMs facing up and cap both compression connectors.[8][7]

To refit, remove the caps, check again that the power cord is unplugged, slide the module in by its handle until it stops and push both pushrods in together until they are recessed and the module is flush with the chassis. Tighten the two captive screws and reconnect the cables. If the machine does not boot, reseat the module.[8]

Owners find the module stiff to seat. One owner's method is to insert it about three-quarters of the way, brace the front of the machine and push firmly on the handle, then tighten the pushrod screws snugly, since they hold the compression connectors under pressure.[11] In another machine, small hex screws on the actuators that drive the module's locking hooks had worked loose, so one side lagged behind the other; tightening them let the module seat.[11]

The CPU module is held by four captive Phillips screws (six on a dual module). Leave the four inner screws that hold the heat sink to the processor alone. Lift the module straight up off its connectors.[12] For memory, press the latch at the end of the socket to eject a DIMM; DIMMs are notched so they fit one way only and click home as the latch rises. Fill and empty both sockets of a bank together, and follow the population rules on the SGI Octane page.[13] After refitting, check the memory total in System Manager's About This System or with hinv.[13][14]

Power supply

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Warning: the supply contains mains-voltage circuitry and large bulk capacitors (two 470 µF 450 V parts in the Cherokee) that can hold a dangerous charge after the cord is removed.[15] See SGI Octane Capacitor Replacement Guide before opening one.

The supply slides out of the bottom of the chassis without opening the case.[16]

  1. Power off and unplug the cord from the wall. Leave the cord in the supply for now.
  2. If a PCI module is fitted, remove it first.
  3. Wait until the supply's fan has stopped and no air comes out of it.[17]
  4. Loosen the two captive screws near the bottom of the supply and pull it out by its handle. No wrist strap is needed.
  5. Tilt the supply up and unplug the power cable. SGI says not to remove the cable until the supply is out of the chassis.[16]

To refit, plug the cable into the supply while it is tilted up, slide it in and push firmly so it engages the frontplane, check that the screw tabs sit flush with the chassis, then tighten the screws.[16] hinv -m shows the supply's part number; VPro graphics needs 060-0035-001 or later.[17]

With the supply out, look at the power pins on the frontplane. On one Octane the four supply pins were blackened. Forum members suggested cleaning them gently, and recommended brass wool, which is softer than the pins.[18]

Fans

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  • The system fan clips to the back of the drive bays. Changing it means removing the drives, the light module, every rear module and the frontplane module; SGI calls the job complicated and lengthy.[19]
  • The supply's own fan is a 12 V part. One owner names the Panaflo FBA12G12U or FBA12G12V as the factory fit. Only two of its three wires are used, and a transistor (Q5) on the frontplane runs it at about 8 V at power-on and 12 V once the machine is running. Check that any replacement starts reliably at 8 V.[15]
  • Clean the supply's fan and grille. One Lucent supply that arrived full of dust, with a fan that barely turned, had burnt load resistors on its output.[18]

Light module

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The light module sits on the sheet-metal face behind the bezel, under the system drive. To change it, remove the bezel, squeeze the top and bottom wings together at both ends and pull it straight back. Fit the new one by lining up its two hollow plastic pins with the metal pins on the chassis and pushing until both ends snap in.[20] The original module lights the bar with a pair of small incandescent bulbs, described by one restorer as bi-pin 5 V parts drawing about 110 mA. Sylvania's originals are no longer made, and replacements are new old stock; some owners fit LEDs instead.[21][22]

Real-time clock and identification module

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The IP30 system board carries a Dallas DS1687-5 real-time clock, visible at the top left of the board.[23] The DS1687 is a sealed module with its own lithium cell, which Maxim rated for at least 10 years of timekeeping and data retention.[24] In the Octane it also starts the machine: it holds the power-on logic that switches the supply on when the power button is pressed.[15] Owners on IRIXNet report that it holds nothing irreplaceable. The PROM settings return to defaults with resetenv at the command monitor, and owners have fitted drop-in DS1687 replacement modules from GlitchWorks.[15][11]

The system identity is not in the DS1687. It is in the system identification module, a small Number-in-a-Can that looks like a coin cell, held by a clip on the frontplane.[15][11][19] It is not a battery. Leave it in place except when changing the frontplane, and then move it to the new frontplane.[19][11]

Drives

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Internal drives slide into the front bays behind the bezel without tools. All are 3.5-inch, and each takes its SCSI ID from its slot.[25] SGI's caution is that drives are easily damaged; do not drop them or handle them roughly.[25] See also Hard Drive Maintenance and Repair.

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Silicon Graphics, Octane Workstation Owner's Guide, 007-3435-004, 2002 (File:SGI Octane Workstation Owner's Guide (007-3435-004).pdf).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Silicon Graphics, OCTANE Air Intake Vent Maintenance Instructions, 007-3583-001, 1998 (File:SGI Octane Air Intake Vent Maintenance (007-3583-001).pdf).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Silicon Graphics, Site Preparation for SGI 2000-Series, Origin Family, Onyx2, Octane, and O2, 007-3452-004, pp. 34-38, Figure 4-3 and Table 4-1 (File:SGI Site Preparation for SGI 2000-Series, Origin, Onyx2, Octane and O2 (007-3452-004).pdf). Airflow, environmental limits, weight.
  4. ↑ SGI, 007-3435-004, appendix C, Table C-17, pp. 311-312. Physical environment specifications.
  5. ↑ SGI, 007-3435-004, p. 8. Two-person lift by the air vents.
  6. ↑ SGI, 007-3435-004, p. 277. A second press of the power button powers off without a clean shutdown.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 SGI, 007-3435-004, pp. 38-47 and 59-66. Preparing the workstation, lockbar, wrist strap, removing and refitting the system module, warning about inserting it with the cord connected.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Silicon Graphics, System Module Replacement for Octane and Octane2 Workstations, 007-4560-001, 2002 (File:SGI Octane and Octane2 System Module Replacement (007-4560-001).pdf).
  9. ↑ SGI, 007-3435-004, p. 134. XIO board heat sinks.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 SGI, 007-3435-004, appendix B, pp. 287-290. Storing, handling and cleaning compression connectors.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 JannieVanZyl and CB_HK, "Octane2 (R14000/600, Odyssey): bad DIMM errors over serial, then completely dead", IRIXNet forum thread 5048, October 2026, forums.irixnet.org/thread-5048.html. Seating the system module, loose actuator screws, the Number-in-a-Can, GlitchWorks DS1687 replacement, no alcohol on compression connectors.
  12. ↑ SGI, 007-3435-004, pp. 48-53. CPU module screws.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 SGI, 007-3435-004, pp. 54-58 and 66. Installing and removing DIMMs; verifying memory.
  14. ↑ Silicon Graphics, Octane_ide Reference Guide, 108-0217-002, section 2.1 (File:SGI Octane ide Reference Guide (108-0217-002).pdf). The hinv command.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Erik Baigar (ebaigar), fleedwood, jan-jaap and ghost180sx, "Octane PSU repair / Cherokee...", IRIXNet forum thread 4349, July 2024 to January 2025, forums.irixnet.org/thread-4349.html. Cherokee bulk capacitors, DS1687 power-on, resetenv, system ID in the frontplane NIC, supply fan type and speed control.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 SGI, 007-3435-004, pp. 71-80. Removing and installing the power supply.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Silicon Graphics, Octane Workstation VPro Graphics Power Supply Upgrade Instructions, 007-4208-001, 2000, pp. 3 and 14 (File:SGI Octane VPro Graphics Power Supply Upgrade Instructions (007-4208-001).pdf). Wait for the supply fan to stop; part number check.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Ade2548, robespierre, Raion and vishnu, "Octane LUCENT PSU Repair – Need Some Help", IRIXNet forum thread 4641, September to November 2025, forums.irixnet.org/thread-4641.html. Dust-clogged supply fan, burnt load resistors, blackened frontplane power pins.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 SGI, 007-3435-004, pp. 237-249. Frontplane module, system identification module, system fan.
  20. ↑ SGI, 007-3435-004, pp. 235-237. Replacing the light module.
  21. ↑ weblacky, "I'll rebuild your Octane Lightbar with OEM-like Incandescent bulbs", IRIXNet forum thread 2640, December 2020 to April 2026, forums.irixnet.org/thread-2640.html. Lightbar bulbs and LED conversions.
  22. ↑ megaimg, "Octane PSU Repair - Click of Dead", IRIXNet forum thread 3255, 24 November 2021, forums.irixnet.org/thread-3255.html. Fitted an LED light bar after repairing the supply.
  23. ↑ Mister rf, photograph of IP30 system board 030-0887-003 rev F, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (File:SGI Octane IP30 system board 030-0887-003.jpg). DS1687-5 marking read from the photograph.
  24. ↑ Maxim Integrated, DS1685/DS1687 3V/5V Real-Time Clocks data sheet, 19-5215, Rev 10/12, p. 3. The DS1687 module contains the clock chip, crystal and lithium battery; minimum of 10 years of timekeeping and data retention.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 SGI, 007-3435-004, pp. 217-218. Internal drives.


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