xtdigvid software question

[jan-jaap]

I can probably help out there, but not before things settle down a bit in my new computer room, which will take a couple of weeks. Also I have no idea right now where all my coax cables are.

I have both an original (B+W) set and a B+B set from Richtom1 (not used yet).

The cables are MDR26 cables. I don't think SGI developed this system from scratch, but used CameraLink.

The cables are probably straight-through. I expect nothing but cosmetic difference between the black and the white cables.

[vishnu]

If that's the case then the Centronics 14526-EZ5B-050-02C cable should work just as well as the SGI branded one, digikey has 27 in stock at the moment, not cheap though: http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?lang=en&keywords=14526%20ez5b%20050%2002c

[recondas]

I'm getting a ton of these: I/O ERROR communicating with VBOB: : Resource temporarily unavailable (the test runs for about 10 minutes so there's page after page of this kind of output):

Have you already taken a look to see if the VBoB will pass power-on diagnostics? There are a few tests available via the VBoB's firmware menus. If you haven't already seen it, there's an example in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16724197#p7330083

Could someone with a DM5-equipped VBOB please post the results of `gfxinfo -vv`

The same thread includes a link to post by neko with a gfxinfo -v (from when he acquired a VBoB/DM5).

[vishnu]

Have you already taken a look to see if the VBoB will pass power-on diagnostics?

Excellent thanks I'll try that tonight when I get home from the 'ol salt mine!

Could someone with a DM5-equipped VBOB please post the results of `gfxinfo -vv`

The same thread includes a link to post by neko with a gfxinfo -v (from when acquired a VBoB/DM5).

That tells me exactly what I needed to know, in terms of where the monitor listing shows up. In mine, it doesn't show up through the VBOB but if I attach the monitor directly to the DCD, gfxinfo sees it, definitely a problem. Fortunately I've got a "backup" VBOB that I haven't tried yet if this one is toast, I just have to move the DM5 from the current one to the backup...

[canavan]

I've just measured one of the black cables I bought from richtom, and if I'm not mistaken, they are not wired like the cameralink cables as described in the Wikipedia article. Cameralink appears to specify that the top left pin should be connected to the bottom right one on the other end. The SGI cable has the top left pin connected to the top right one, and so one going towards the center. I was unable to find any connection for the bottom row.

I do have a pair of MDR-26 cables (50 cm long) that are wired 1:1, i.e. pin 1 to pin 1, pin 26 to 26.

[vishnu]

So much for the hope that these stupid things might be COTS...

[recondas]

So much for the hope that these stupid things might be COTS...

If we can get the pin outs it still might be possible to make a set.

How'd the power-on tests go?

[vishnu]

How'd the power-on tests go?

Well I tossed the joint like an FBI agent but couldn't find my RS232 cable; so I will have to pick one up at Microcenter on my way home and do it tonight...

[vishnu]

This is odd; I looked at the wiki before my shopping excursion to buy a new serial cable, and it said to use a NULL modem, which I already had, so I skipped going shopping and used that, but found it couldn't send any keyboard commands through to the VBOB. This was using minicom 9600 8N1...

But the good news is that the diagnostics that ran automagically looked exactly the same as those posted earlier by Neko, so that at least is promising. I'll try a DB9 cable tonight and see if I can't get the keyboard through to test the VBOB RAM...

[PymbleSoftware]

This is odd; I looked at the wiki before my shopping excursion to buy a new serial cable, and it said to use a NULL modem, which I already had, so I skipped going shopping and used that, but found it couldn't send any keyboard commands through to the VBOB. This was using minicom 9600 8N1...

But the good news is that the diagnostics that ran automagically looked exactly the same as those posted earlier by Neko, so that at least is promising. I'll try a DB9 cable tonight and see if I can't get the keyboard through to test the VBOB RAM...

If the wiki is wrong fix it.

R.

[vishnu]

This is odd; I looked at the wiki before my shopping excursion to buy a new serial cable, and it said to use a NULL modem, which I already had, so I skipped going shopping and used that, but found it couldn't send any keyboard commands through to the VBOB. This was using minicom 9600 8N1...

But the good news is that the diagnostics that ran automagically looked exactly the same as those posted earlier by Neko, so that at least is promising. I'll try a DB9 cable tonight and see if I can't get the keyboard through to test the VBOB RAM...

If the wiki is wrong fix it.

R.

Well it's the old "...hit ESC to halt the boot process and go to the diagnostics menu," and I'm hitting the ESC button like a mad fool but the VBOB either never sees it or ignores it, who knows why. So I rebooted the thing a dozen times and tried META-ESC, ALT-ESC (which gets captured by the window manager), CTRL-ESC, CTRL-META-RT BUTTON-ESC, etc., etc., all of which were summarily ignored. This was all from Linux using minicom; I'll try it from my Octane tonight, using cu, which is the way it's detailed in the wiki...

[gijoe77]

Hi Vishnu

Did you ever figure why your ml_xtdigvid_confidence test was failing? I'm having the same exact failure.

It looks like the VBOB has some issue, it is usually stuck in a rolling boot, but it does seem to come up once in a while. Here is what I see from console:

Code: Select all

VBOB bootloader version 1.1
Running power on diagnostics...

512KB external SRAM detected.

Press ESC to enter the RAM diagnostic mode OR load alternative image.
Loading active image vbob_a.bin version 1.3.22.

VBOB firmware revision 1.3.22 built 20031107165902
Initializing....
Press <esc> to skip xilinx load

VBOB bootloader version 1.1
Running power on diagnostics...

512KB external SRAM detected.

Press ESC to enter the RAM diagnostic mode OR load alternative image.
Loading active image vbob_a.bin version 1.3.22.

VBOB firmware revision 1.3.22 built 20031107165902
Initializing....
Press <esc> to skip xilinx load
Initializing xilinx......               DONE
DM5 daughter card detected, rev 1
loading denali fpgas...
programming fpga out
programming fpga scxp3
programming fpga fmta
programming fpga dctl
programming fpga csc
programming fpga scxp4
programming fpga ecc
programming fpga scxp1
programming fpga fmtb

VBOB bootloader version 1.1
Running power on diagnostics...

512KB external SRAM detected.

Press ESC to enter the RAM diagnostic mode OR load alternative image.
Loading active image vbob_a.bin version 1.3.22.

VBOB firmware revision 1.3.22 built 20031107165902
Initializing....
Press <esc> to skip xilinx load
Initializing xilinx.....               DONE
DM5 daughter card detected, rev 1
loading denali fpgas...
programming fpga out
programming fpga scxp3
programming fpga fmta
programming fpga dctl
programming fpga csc
programming fpga scxp4
programming fpga ecc
programming fpga scxp1
programming fpga fmtb
pr


it get to this point, sits here, and reloads after about 5 min. Sometimes It passes and boots properly, but it the also reloads. Here is what that looks like:

Code: Select all

VBOB bootloader version 1.1
Running power on diagnostics...

512KB external SRAM detected.

Press ESC to enter the RAM diagnostic mode OR load alternative image.
Loading active image vbob_a.bin version 1.3.22.

VBOB firmware revision 1.3.22 built 20031107165902
Initializing....
Press <esc> to skip xilinx load
Initializing xilinx......               DONE
DM5 daughter card detected, rev 1
loading denali fpgas...
programming fpga out
programming fpga scxp3
programming fpga fmta
programming fpga dctl
programming fpga scxp2
programming fpga csc
programming fpga scxp4
programming fpga ecc
programming fpga scxp1
programming fpga fmtb
------------------
Initializing DENALI...
Done.
                DONE
=========================================
vbob> videomanager starting up.
video: no ENV found in flash. Using factory defaults

VBOB bootloader version 1.1
Running power on diagnostics...

512KB external SRAM detected.

Press ESC to enter the RAM diagnostic mode OR load alternative image.
Loading active image vbob_a.bin version 1.3.22.

VBOB firmware revision 1.3.22 built 20031107165902
Initializing....
Press <esc> to skip xili
VBOB bootloader version 1.1
Running power on diagnostics...

512KB external SRAM detected.

Press ESC to enter the RAM diagnostic mode OR load alternative image.
Loading active image vbob_a.bin version 1.3.22.

VBOB firmware revision 1.3.22 built 20031107165902
Initializing....
Press <esc> to skip xilinx load
Initializing xilinx.....
VBOB bootloader version 1.1
Running power on diagnostics...

512KB external SRAM detected.

Press ESC to enter the RAM diagnostic mode OR load alternative image.
Loading active image vbob_a.bin version 1.3.22.

VBOB firmware revision 1.3.22 built 20031107165902
Initializing....
Press <esc> to skip xilinx load
Initializing xilinx......

from playing around with it, it seems to "come up" when the LVDS cables are not hooked up or when the Octane2 is powered off, but it seems to lock up right after

[jan-jaap]

Code: Select all

VBOB firmware revision 1.3.22 built 20031107165902

Maybe you need to upgrade the VBOB firmware. If you installed the driver package (6.5.21_dmediapro_DM2_DM3_1.1.3ml.tar), you don't have the last firmware. Several patches exist (you only need the newest):

Code: Select all

patchSG0005254  10/2003
patchSG0005398  11/2003
patchSG0005715  01/2005


From the release notes:

Code: Select all

         Fixes:
           Bug #896984- new firmware needed to support hardware
           updates to VBOB.

           Bug #902883- DM5 fails to load xilinx#8 at power up or
           during soft resets.


[gijoe77]

Thanks, I just picked up patch5715, I will give it a try tonight. BTW what is the best method to go about getting patches nowadays? I couldn't log in with my supportfolio login - I called SGI and they said I need to have a supported machine S/N binded to my account. I gave him my Tezro S/N and it didn't accept it, he said the new database might not even have the old MIPS S/N's - I guess it seems the MIPS purge is complete at SGI. The SGI rep was nice enough to get a copy of the patch to me but I wasn't able to find it in the usual looking spots (neko's ftp, mirror's ftp's). Is there someplace I can deposit this patch that wont violate any rules?

[gijoe77]

ok, I have the patch installed but I can't get the vbob to get flashed because its constantly in a rolling boot or its just halted. Once I finish up with some work I'll maybe take the cover off and see if I can maybe reseat a few things and see if that helps it get stable. I guess it resetting in the middle of a firmware flash would suck too