[geeks] IRIX install thoughts and questions

[James Braid]

> Somethougts - Irix doesn't set the root password on install???? 

Nope...just login and set it yourself dude :)
 
> And that is one wierd installer. IIUC the things I read on 
> the net, this
> is an _improvement_ over earlier IRIX installers??? Eeekkk!!! 

*shrug* it does the job :)

> Is there a cdrom automounter running - ie is /usr/etc/mediad 
> (for ex or
> is it something else?) like vold under solaris?  

Yep, tis mediad, just:
# chkconfig mediad on && /etc/init.d/mediad start

> One other thing, how do I tell how much disk I need for an update? The
> 6.5.14 update just failed because I was 300k short on the root
> partition. Obviously I can whack something, but I do need an idea of
> where to begin. The original install was pure defaults and I 
> did not see
> (which is not to say it wasn't there) anything in the relnotes.

Swmgr will tell you. Swmgr is the GUI version of inst.
 
> One last bit, is there a good web site that talks of whatever
> differences there are between admining "average" unix and Irix?

Umm...dunno. IRIX seemed pretty easy to pick up to me after using Linux
and Solaris (AIX on the other hand...*shudder*). The admin guides on
techpubs.sgi.com might have some useful stuff. Have a look at the
Rosetta stone maybe?

- James