Silicon Graphics pc for dvd ripping

[WildParadise]

if I get a silicon graphics pc at low price is there any way to do dvd ripping an authoring on it?

[BJ_M]

which type of SGI ?
IRIX OS octane or O2 ?
or a 320 / 540 w/ embedded graphics dual or quad systems ?
or a linux workstation ?
or one of those 220 / 330 windows workstations?

Or one of the various other sytems from little to main frame ?

Or are you talking SGI-CRAY super computer ?

I have several SGI and depending on the model you can do everything or nothing ..


Low price is could mean from 300$ to $1,000,000 depending on model and age..

If its a 320 and you got it cheap just in the last week -- it is prob. mine as I had one stolen during shipment by fedex ... thank you very much ..

I have a quad 550xeon w/ 1 meg cache each cpu all scsi , video capture/editong system sgi 540 (for sale right now) .. with a wide screen LCD 18" sgi monitor (1600x 1024 .22dp) and a color/gamma automatic sgi monitor calibration camera system.
and
also a IRIX based larger system

[WildParadise]

Nothing stolen, all legit

an SGi Octane R10000 250mhz 1mb cache, 768 mo ram, 3x 9.1gig scsi, a SGI 20inch monitor with the other standard option, all based on Irix, 200$

[BJ_M]

well your in luck -- nice machine -- good price for sure , they were $20,000 new couple years ago .. get another cpu would be nicer ..

You can author on it for sure .. no problems ... Just buy Scenarist for IRIX - SGI .. Its $25,000US for the software package..

I don't know which graphics/video option card you got - but even the base model has great capabilities for video capture. A good editing/comp/3d paint package would be to buy flame, flint , fire and inferno .. that will set you back $175,000 for the base package plus a $7500 per year charge (required) for support... you could just maybe get one or two of those for $75,000 instead..

Of course the best compositing can be done on IRIX .. Shake for IRIX - SGI (sold by apple) is on sale right now for $9995 per lic .. no render nodes included..

if you want to do animation -- get Maya for IRIX or alias/wavfront also have some other products (owned by sgi) -- figure on $20,000 plus $3500 a year ..

There are no ripping packages around - though the pioneer 201 ($4000 dvd burner) is supported (no ide - no firewire - no USB) - as well as some plextor cdr's ..

There are a couple encoders (hardware) .. cheapest I know of is about $30,000 .. I don't know of any software encoders -- but i suspect there are some. though may be very slow - even in 64 OS and cpu .

What those machines are great for is color correction w/ a DeVinci set up .. $350,000 for one just saw used ..

Lot of software and parts around .. and good support .. another 256meg of memory is going to cost you about $3000 though - unless you can find some used or at some of the discount sgi parts places ..

[The village idiot]

In other words, what he is saying, is that you would be stepping into a whole other world. The one where people work with million dollar budgets...


One question though...

Could you you the Octane on a ported version of Linux, and then port the available Linux tools over to that box? You would of course have to run all you drives on SCSI, but that isn't the biggest problem. All in all, you would be best off just buying a nice P4 or AMD machine.

[The village idiot]

Almost forgot...

We recently upgraded a machine at work in our weather graphics dept. It was an SGI Octane, now they replaced it with an SGI Xeon P4 (single cpu I think). If that tells you anything about its performance.

[BJ_M]

yes - running linux on it is a great idea .. .. the machine is a bit slow by todays standards but a lot of high end software still runs on it very well - and there are a lot of them in use ...

also is is one of the most stable - smoothest running , well build machines you could ever find w/ awesome video/graphic features (even by todays standards. SGI was/is very close to nvidia and NEC on graphics chip design) .. High Def was standard on these machines way before any thing else could touch it .. first DVD's were done on sgi's (scenarist was developed first for sgi ) ..

info on running linux on sgi here
http://www.linux-mips.org

doesnt look like octanes r10000 are on the list though of supported .. i didnt read to closely..

BUT -- since IRIX is a unix type , there seems to be a lot of info on compiling most Linux apps over to IRIX .. so that may be a route to explore also ..

The following companies provide commercial, supported Linux/MIPS solutions for the embedded market, on a number of different platforms.

MontaVista
Red Hat
Lineo
LynuxWorks
TimeSys

[WildParadise]

hum.. I sure don't like these high prices.. is it worth the trouble?

[sterno]

As I recall, Linux on SGI hardware is still not in very good shape, though older machines like the Indy are reasonably well-supported. But if you did want to try running the Linux software, most of it should compile on Irix with little or no change. Of course, that requires a working compiler and the IRIX development header files. I haven't looked at SGIs in a few years, but I think that with older versions of Irix the header files (which you would need to compile any software) were only included if you bought SGI's compiler package, which was priced in the same ballpark as all the other software listed in this thread. It seems to me that newer releases included enough headers to compile most software with gcc, just not the Motif development files.

I'm not sure what releases of IRIX know how to access a DVD. Of course, you'd have to buy a SCSI DVD-ROM, and those aren't too cheap even if you can just use a standard PC/Mac drive (which you may not be able to do).

Of course, if you have no idea what any of the stuff I just said means, you probably shouldn't try until you do understand most of it.

[WildParadise]

let's say i understand 33%

[sterno]

If you only understand about a third of it, then there's a pretty good chance you don't understand just how much you have to learn. So my off-the-cuff suggestion is this:

If you want to be encoding right away, don't buy it because you will just end up being frustrated. Having done a fair amount of UNIX software porting, I can say that it can be a royal pain because of programmers being shortsighted and making bad assumptions.

If you want to learn a lot and end up with a really cool system that may or may not be good for your video, go for it. The monitor alone is probably worth over $200. If it's a real SGI monitor it's probably a Sony Trinitron inside (you'd have to buy an expensive adapter to have any hope of using the monitor on a PC, though).

If you want to learn but know nothing about UNIX, think it over because you will have a lot to learn. Used SGIs usually include the OS preinstalled, but no media to reinstall if you accidentally screw things up (unlike Windows, they don't screw up by themselves). You can sometimes get the CDs off ebay or something, but SGI has always been pretty tight with their media so most people don't have extras to sell. The hardware on UNIX workstations is also usually much more sensitive than PC hardware. All those rules about grounding that people just ignore actually are important, if you ignore them on a high-end workstation you can fry things.

[WildParadise]

any other alternative for getting the media? as I need to boot the cd to recover some passwords..

[BJ_M]

you have the best chance off ebay ..

[sterno]

Yeah, ebay often has SGI media for sale, though it's likely to cost around $100. You probably want 6.5, as I recall earlier 6.x versions were all tied to specific models and I'm not sure that 5.x would even boot on a machine that new.

[BJ_M]

Removing Root Password from SGI Systems
Problem:
The root password has been lost or forgotten for your SGI workstation. 

Assumption:
You know the password for the PROM Monitor or it has not been set. If the PROM Monitor password has been set and you do not know it, refer to the appropriate system reference manual for instructions on how to disable the PROM Monitor password. On many SGI workstations adding or moving a jumper on the motherboard accomplishes this. 

Throughout the text are comments that will explain what you are doing or what is about to happen as a result of executing a command. 



Commands that you are required to enter, are indented, HIGHLIGHTED USING BOLD print next to the prompt that would be displayed, and will be surrounded by a double box. See example below: 


	# pwd 



Occasionally you will be instructed to do something and the instructions are not indented, but they will still be in bold print and surrounded by the double box. 

The stdout or stderr of each command, or terminal output that would result from something that you are required to do, will be beneath the command, left justified and HIGHLIGHTED USING ITALICS and surrounded by a single box. See example below: 


	root/usr



The information comments will be in normal print. 




Software Installation Tools General Information


The IRIX operating system and all the optional software products are released as a set of CDROMs. The IRIX 5.X and 6.X release CDROMs contain the following: 


Partition 8 (volume header)

- sashARCS                    The ARCS sash. 

The 5.0 and 5.0.1 CDROMs contain only sashARCS, while the 5.1.1 and later CDROM contains the
sash images for all the different CPU types.

- mr                          The mini-root. 

- proml.03                    Code for I04 flash prom (Release 5.0 only). 

- io4prom                     Code for I04 flash prom (Release 5.1.1). 


Partition 7

-  /dist                        The directory that holds:

- sa                            The standalone tools used for installing software. 

- software images               The actual software images. 

-  /stand                       The directory that holds:
 
- sashARCS                      Another copy of the ARCS sash. 

- fx.ARCS                       A copy of the ARCS fx. 

- ide.IP19                      Copy of the CPU ide. 



Copies of other sash, fx, and ide images are maintained in /stand for the other CPU types on the 5.1.1 and later CDROM. 


- /insight                     SGI Bookshelves. 



The Standalone Tools are, sash, fx, and the mini-root. 


The mini-root, with it's Install Utility (inst), is used to build a new operating system or update (add to) an existing system with additional software images. 

The mini-root loads into and runs out of the system disk swap partition. The mini-root, because it resides in the swap partition, and has the special directories of /root and /root/usr, in which it mounts the root and user partitions. 



Begin Actual Procedure.


STEP 1: Booting the Mini-Root and Starting the Install Tool (inst)
You must be in the PROM Monitor in order to boot the mini-root from the CDROM. 


System Maintenance Menu: 


1) Start System 
2) Install System Software 
3) Run Diagnostics 
4) Recover System 
5) Enter Command Monitor 

Option ? 


We will start the process by selecting choice #2: Install System Software. 

The PROM Monitor will prompt you, asking you if the load device is a local or remote device. 

The PROM Monitor will load sash from the volume header of the CDROM, and then sash will load the mini-root from partition 7 of the CDROM. 

Once the mini-root is loaded, the Installation Tool (inst) is started, which you will immediately exit by starting a mini-root shell. Once in the shell, you will use vi to edit the /etc/passwd file. 

The load from the CDROM will take several minutes, during which time dots are output to the screen to inform you that the load is progressing. 

Let's load the mini-root. 

Install the IRIX CDROM contain the installation tools into the reader 




Option 2



Installing System Software... 


Press <Esc> to return to the menu. 
1) Remote Tape 
2) Remote Directory 
3)[Local CD-ROM] 
4) Local Tape 
*a) Local SCSI CD-ROM drive 6 

Enter l-4 to select source type, a to select the source, <Esc> to quit, or <Enter> to start 



Enter l-4 to select source type, a to select the source, <Esc> to quit, or <Enter> to start: 3 

Enter l-4 to select source type, a to select the source, <Esc> to quit, or <Enter> to start: return 


Insert the installation CD-ROM, then press <Enter>: 



Insert the installation CD-ROM, then press <Enter>: return 


Copying installation program to disk. 

. . . . . . . *. 10% . . . . . . . . . 20% . . . . . . . . . 30% . . . . . . . . . 40% . . . . . . . . . 50% 
. . . . , . . . . 60% . . . . . . . . . 70% . . . . . . . . . 80% . . . . . . . . . 90% . . . . . . . . . 100% 

Copy complete 
Copyright 1987- 1993 Silicon Graphics, Inc. 
All Rights Reserved. 
Creating miniroot devices, please wait... 
The system is coming up. 
The system is ready 
Current system date is <date and time> PST 1993 

Dir Reorg: Mounting file systems: 
Mounting file systems: 



/dev/dsk/dks0d1s6                on              /root/usr 


Default location of new software is /CDROM/dist

If you are a first-time inst user, give the command ·help beginner·.

Inst Main Menu

1. from [source]                       Specify location of software to be installed 

2. list [keywords] [names]             Display information about software subsystems 

3. go                                  Perform software installation and removal now 

4. install [keywords] [names]          Select subsystems to be installed 

5. remove [keywords] [names]           Select subsystems to be removed 

6. keep [keywords] [names]             Do not install or remove these subsystems 

7. step [keywords] [names]             Enter interactive mode for install/remove/keep 

8. versions [args]                     Get information about installed software 

9. help [topic]                        Get help in general or on a specific word 

10. admin                              Go to the Administrative Commands Menu 

11. quit                               Terminate software installation 

Inst>



After inst creates a filesystem in partition 6 and mounts it at /root/usr, it displays it's Main Menu. 




*****************WARNING*************** 


When the mini-root is started, the system disks partition table is modified to allow the install tool to function correctly. When you quit the install tool, the partition table will be set back to its correct values by inst, therefore, while in the mini-root shell, do not forget how you got there and inadvertently attempt a reboot or shutdown. You must return to inst and select quit to insure that the partition table is returned to its normal settings. 

Also, when you are normally in inst and want to quit, you would select quit and inst would ask you if you wanted to reboot the system. Since there is no root filesystem, the reboot would fail. Inst knows this and would not allow the reboot and would instead output an error message informing you that the root filesystem was not usable. 



STEP 2: Starting a Mini-Root Shell.


Let's exit the install tool by starting a mini-root shell. 


 

	Inst> sh




# 

Now that we are in a mini-root shell, let's use the ls command and look at the mini-root top level directory (/). 
STEP 3: Editing the /etc/passwd contents to remove the password for root.


We will use the vi screen-oriented (visual) display editor to edit the contents of the passwd file. Remember that when mini root loaded no .profile or .cshrc files contain path statements or other use environmental variables were loaded. This means that you will need to provide the absolute path to vi and the passwd file. Open the passwd file using vi. 

#> /root/bin/vi /root/etc/passwd 

Here is a sample /etc/passwd file which this command opens: 

root:q.mJzTnu8icF.:0:10:superuser:/:/bin/csh 
bill:6k/7KCFRPNVXg,z/:508:10:& The Cat:/usr2/bill:/bin/csh + 
john:+@documentation:no-login: +::::Guest nobody:*:-2:-2::/dev/null:/dev/null 

In this example, there are specific entries for users root and bill, to assure that they can log in even when the system is running stand-alone or when the NIS is not running. The user bill has 63 weeks of maximum password aging and 1 week of minimum password aging. Programs that use the GECOS field replace the & with 'Bill'. The user john has his password entry in the NIS incorporated without change; anyone in the netgroup documentation has their password field disabled, and anyone else is able to log in with their usual password, shell, and home directory, but with a GECOS field of Guest. The user nobody cannot log in and is used by the exportfs(1M) command. 

To remove the password for root you want to delete the characters between the first and second : in the line starting with the word root. To do this use the space bar to move the cursor over the first character to be deleted. If you go to far you can use the back space key to the cursor back one character at a time. 

Once you reach the first character delete it using the x key continue this until all of the characters between the two : are deleted. 

After you have finished deleting all of the characters between the two colons, press the Esc key to make sure that you are not in an edit or delete mode. 

The next step is to save the modified file and exit vi. Use the following commands to accomplish this. 

:w! 
:q 


If you delete too many characters you can undelete a single character using the u key or alternatively quit the file leaving it unchanged by typing :q! without first typing :w!, which writes out you changes to the disk file. 



STEP 4: Returning to the Install Tool.


If you remember, we started the mini-root shell (using sh) while we were in the install tool (inst). 

I mentioned (at that time) that the install tool modifies the partition table to suit its own needs, and the current state of the partition table is not compatible with IRIX. 

You must return to inst and select quit, allowing inst to restore the volume header to the state that it was in before inst was started. 

Follow the procedure on the next page to exit the mini-root and terminate inst. 

Return to inst using exit. 



	If you removed any files while you were in the shell, give the 
	·admin recalculate· command to update the disk space 
	requirements.

  

	Inst> 




2. When inst is entered, execute quit. 



		Inst> quit 
 



	Please wait.. . . . . 

	Ready to restart the system. Restart? 

	[y,n] 
 

  



3. Answer yes, allowing inst to clean up the volume header. 

	Ready to restart the system. Restart? [y,n] yes
 




  
The system will now reboot into IRIX

[WildParadise]

thanx for the process, i'll try to get my hand on one of those media..