[rescue] Sad end to SGI Power Challenge XL story

[ghub005 at xtra.co.nz]

Hi Guys

Thanks heaps for all of your help with this project. I was certain I could secure the Power Challenge XL for my home network, but unfortunately this story has come to a sad ending.

The current owner of the machine had bought it at auction on Monday for 2000 dollars simply because he thought it looked like an interesting system. I hoped to buy it directly but used up most my money getting an HP visualise J6000 workstation. Sensing that he didn't really know what the SGI system was, I negotiated to buy the system for 2000 dollars cash on the proviso that the owner got to keep the 6 * 9GB SE SCSI disks from the SGI vault (I would keep the trays). We shook hands and I offered to give him a quick visual tour of the machine before he left. What a stupid mistake.

I opened up all the components and showed him the massive cooling fans, the VME buses, and how the system cards were arranged around the midplane. I then opened the rear card cage and was surprised to find it had two MC3 cards with 64MB on each. The owner turned to me and said 'damn, I didn't realise it had ram in it, sorry - but I've decided it is no longer for sale'. I tried offering him more money but he turned it down.

Despite the fact he knows nothing about servers, SGI hardware, IRIX (or Unix concepts even), or serial consoles etc he is determined to dig up documents on the web and teach himself how to use it. 

The last I saw of the system, he had taken off all the panels and was loading it sideways into his van - oblivious to the deep scratches he was making all over the otherwise unmarked exterior. I felt sick to the bottom of my stomach. I am certain that I will never see this system again and shed a tear as I watched it drive off.

Crapola. My first major system rescue turns into a tragedy.

Oh well, at least I managed to get a good deal on my Challenge DM system (only 600 dollars). I'm pretty impressed by the DM as it came as a complete working system with 1*150 R4400/1MB, 128MB, 3*9GB, 3*4GB, CD, four diff SCSI busses, and two single ended SCSI buses. It was delivered today and I was pleased to find if came with a complete & working 6.5.14 operating environment and a root account with no password :-)

Do you have any recommendations for cheaply upgrading one of these systems? I'd like to run fairly intensive simulation software and would like to get one of the 4-way R4400 boards - but it seems unlikely that I'll ever get one for much less than 1900-2000 dollars. I'd appreciate any guidance you can give me.

With very best regards,

Gavin Hubbard


*note all prices above are in USD, which roughly equal 2 AUD*