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SGI Origin 200 General Maintenance

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SGI Origin 200 fan locations
The three fans behind the drive bays, numbered as SGI numbers them; fan 1 is behind the 5.25-inch bay (SGI Owner's Guide, Figure 1-11)

Routine care and service procedures for the SGI Origin 200, from SGI's Origin200 Owner's Guide (007-3415-003) and Origin 200 and Origin 200 GIGAchannel Maintenance Guide (007-3709-002).[1][2] SGI lists periodic dust removal as the only regular maintenance the server needs.[3] The parts that wear out on a machine of this age are the three fans and the power supply; SGI's procedures stop at the field-replaceable unit (fan, power supply, logic carrier, SCSI backplane, module system controller).[4]

Environment

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Operating conditions (SGI Owner's Guide, Table 1-7)
Specification Value
Temperature +5 to +40 °C
Humidity 10% to 80%, non-condensing
Heat dissipation 2737 BTU per hour maximum
Noise 55 dBA

[5]

Above 40 °C intake air the module system controller (MSC) shuts the system down. From 28.5 °C the fans run at high speed.[5] Air flows from the front of the chassis to the rear and there are no air filters, so dust collects at the front.[3] The PCI boards are cooled by air drawn through a plenum duct, and SGI says to keep blanking plates over unused PCI slots for that reason.[5]

Cleaning

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SGI's cleaning guidance:[3]

  1. With the system running, check the outside of the chassis for dust and remove it with a vacuum cleaner made for electronic equipment. SGI warns against an ordinary vacuum cleaner because of electrostatic discharge.
  2. With the system off, take out the 3.5-inch drives and blanking plates and vacuum the drive slots.
  3. Take out the 5.25-inch peripheral carrier and check the bay. If dust has built up on the back of the carrier, remove its rear access plate and clean inside.
  4. Remove the system cover (tower) and the chassis access cover, and vacuum the interior working from front to rear.

Shutting down and opening the chassis

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  1. Log in as root and run /etc/shutdown -g0. When the System Maintenance Menu appears, press the front power switch once. The status LED blinks and goes out.[6]
  2. Turn off the master power switch at the rear. The supply keeps 5 V on the MSC whenever that switch is on, so SGI says to turn it off before any servicing, even when the system looks off.[7]
  3. Disconnect every cable at the rear: serial, Ethernet, CrayLink, XIO, grounding and power.[6]
  4. Rackmount: remove the plastic end caps and the screws holding the chassis to the rack, and slide the chassis out with one person on each side, onto a sturdy work surface.[6] A fully configured module weighs up to 34 kg.[5]
  5. Tower: remove the two screws holding the system cover, pull the rear edge away and slide the cover off.[6]
  6. Remove the chassis access cover (two screws on the face of the CPU module cover).[6]
  7. Clip a grounding wrist strap to bare metal on the chassis.[6]

SGI's tool list: #2 Phillips screwdriver, #1 Phillips (GIGAchannel blower only), grounding wrist strap, needle-nose pliers or large tweezers for the fan rivets, and a small flat-blade screwdriver. Internal screws are 6-32 × 1/4 inch Phillips; rack screws are 10-32 × 1/2 inch with #10 washers.[4]

Fans

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The fans are numbered 1 to 3 from the 5.25-inch bay towards the PCI backplane. Fan 1 cools the 5.25-inch carrier; fans 2 and 3 draw air through the 3.5-inch drives and, through the plenum, across the PCI boards.[5] Before opening the machine, find a failed fan with the MSC fan command (see SGI Origin 200 Troubleshooting Guide).[7]

To replace a fan:[4]

  1. Prepare the system as above. The fans can be changed with the power supply and logic carrier in place.
  2. Unplug the fan's power connector from the power supply.
  3. Remove the two plastic rivets that hold the fan to the sheet metal, and lift the fan out.
  4. Rest the lip of the new fan on the sheet-metal catches.
  5. Fit a rivet in each top corner: put the pin partway into the sleeve, push both through the fan and press them home until both ends come through the sheet metal. SGI supplied spare rivets with replacement fans.
  6. Reconnect the fan to the power supply.

On the IRIX Network forum, owners describe the Origin 200 as very loud, and one suggests any modern 120 × 38 mm fan as a quieter replacement.[8] Check the size and connector of the fan you take out before ordering a replacement.

Power supply

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SGI's owner's guide calls the supply not customer-replaceable; the later maintenance guide gives the full procedure.[9][4] The standard and redundant supplies come out the same way:[4]

  1. Prepare the system for servicing. Remove any PCI boards, then remove the logic carrier: take out the PCI plenum divider, disconnect the two SCSI cables, the system board power connector, the system controller cable and the PCI power cable, undo the captive screws and sheet-metal screws, and lift the carrier out by its handle and connector panel, tilting the CPU card side up.
  2. Disconnect the fan power cables, the combined SCSI backplane and 5.25-inch drive power connector, and the MSC cable from the supply.
  3. Remove the screws holding the supply to the chassis, slide it forward towards the fans until it unlatches, and lift it out.
  4. To refit, lower the supply in with the power switch and inlet to the rear, and slide it back until it latches and the switch and inlet are flush with the back of the chassis. The redundant supply is slightly longer; take the fans out first to make room.
  5. Refit the screws, the fan, SCSI and MSC cables, the logic carrier and its cables, and the PCI boards. When refitting the plenum divider, keep the SCSI cables clear of the divider and its captive screw.

The redundant supply works only with MSC firmware 3.3S or later; the MSC ver command reports the version.[4][7]

Warning: the supply rectifies mains internally. Unplug the power cord before removing it, and see SGI Origin 200 Capacitor Replacement Guide before opening its case.

Memory

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  • Fit DIMMs in pairs of the same size. Different banks may hold different sizes.[10]
  • Every module needs a pair in bank 0. Add further pairs in bank 1, then 2, then 3.[10]
  • Handle DIMMs by their edges, seat each one by pressing down one end then the other, then press straight down along the top until the release lever moves up towards the edge of the DIMM.[10]
  • After fitting, run hinv -t memory. If the total is short, shut down and reseat the DIMMs.[10]

Module system controller and serial number

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The MSC sits behind the front bezel crossbar and can be changed with the system assembled and the master power switch off. The board carries the NIC, a silver device that holds the system serial number; move it to the replacement board so the server keeps its serial number. Do not touch the board's gold edge connector.[4] Change the MSC password from the default none with Ctrl+T pas s xxxx, where xxxx is exactly four characters.[7]

Power source

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  • Connect both modules of a two-module system to the same grounded supply; they may be on separate circuits only if those circuits come from the same service entrance or sub-panel. SGI warns that different ground potentials damage the main system board.[11]
  • A UPS must be able to supply 140 A of inrush current per module.[5]
  • Wait at least 7 seconds after turning the master power switch off before turning it on again.[7]

GIGAchannel cabinet

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  • The XIO boards connect through compression connectors whose pads are made of fine bristles. Keep the protective cap on any XIO board that is out of the cabinet, store it in a closed antistatic bag, and do not touch, wipe or wet the pads.[3]
  • If a connector gets dirty, SGI's only approved cleaner is Tech Spray Envi-Ro-Tech Duster 1671 compressed gas. Hold the can upright, keep the nozzle 1 to 2 inches from the rounded (closed) edge and never spray into the square, open edge. SGI prohibits solvents of any kind.[3]
  • Two fuses sit in the power inlet housing at the rear. Unplug both the CPU module and the cabinet, prise the fuse cover out with a small flat-blade screwdriver and replace the blown fuse with an identical type.[4]
  • Never run the cabinet with a failed blower: SGI warns it overheats very quickly.[3]
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References

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  1. ↑ Silicon Graphics, Origin200 Owner's Guide, 007-3415-003, 1998 (File:SGI Origin200 Owner's Guide (007-3415-003).pdf).
  2. ↑ Silicon Graphics, Origin 200 and Origin 200 GIGAchannel Maintenance Guide, 007-3709-002, 1999 (File:SGI Origin200 and Origin200 GIGAchannel Maintenance Guide (007-3709-002).pdf).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 SGI, 007-3709-002, chapter 4, pp. 62-71. GIGAchannel blower caution, regular maintenance and cleaning, XIO compression connector care and cleaning.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 SGI, 007-3709-002, chapter 5, pp. 73-98 and 125-126. Tools and fasteners, fan replacement, logic carrier, power supply and redundant supply, MSC and NIC, GIGAchannel fuses.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 SGI, 007-3415-003, chapter 1, pp. 21-26. Power supply Table 1-4 and UPS warning, air flow and fan numbering, PCI blanking plates, Tables 1-5 and 1-6, Table 1-7 specifications.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 SGI, 007-3709-002, chapter 1, pp. 1-11. Shutting down, removing from a rack, system cover, chassis access cover, wrist strap.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 SGI, 007-3415-003, chapter 4, pp. 79 and 98-107. Master power switch and 7-second wait, MSC commands including fan, pas and ver.
  8. ↑ "My new Origin 200", IRIX Network forum, posts by jan-jaap and vishnu, 11 September 2025, forums.irixnet.org/thread-4622.html. Community experience: fan noise and 120 × 38 mm replacement size.
  9. ↑ SGI, 007-3415-003, p. 193. Power supply described as not customer-replaceable.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 SGI, 007-3415-003, chapter 6, pp. 128-133. DIMM rules, bank order, seating and checking memory.
  11. ↑ SGI, 007-3415-003, pp. 30-31. Grounding (earthing) of two-module systems.


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