On Sun, 2003-06-15 at 08:29, Tony Parker wrote:
> We have recently inherited a circa 1996 SGI Indy Colorbus Cyclone running
on
> Irix.
Cool! I also see to have a bunch of IRIX stuff around me.
> Our intention is to use this unit to drive our Canon CLC900 Scanner Copier
> and make it accessible to our Windows Network.
How does this scanner attach?
I ask because SGI is famous for using connectors that look like, and
only sort of act like standards you are familiar with. One
case-in-point in particular is their use of USB - yes, it's a USB
connector, and yes the USB protocol used is a correct implementation of
the bulk-transfer mode / HID class, but that's where it stops.
Ditto for some firewire stuff I've used...
Perhaps the *only* interface you could solidly count on would be
serial :-)
But, have a go at it. IRIX is fun, and you'll find that the leap from
Linux isn't huge.
> At the moment, our Windows Network does not "see" the Cyclone
& vice versa.
> 1.) Does the "Indy" Cyclone Irix package already contain
"Samba" or SMB
> capability? How would one determine whether or not SMB or "Samba"
may have
> been previously installed on the "Indy" IRIX system?
I strongly doubt it. If you were local, I'd bet a case of beer that
Samba isn't on your Cyclone.
> 2.) Can anyone on this mailing list please suggest exactly what Samba
> software should be installed on the Indy cyclone, and what kind of Windows
> Samba client software should be installed on the Windows workstations?
The great thing about Samba is that Windows *is* the client. There is
nothing to do to your Windows machines (generally; sometimes some little
settings, depending on which particular flavour of Windows you're
talking about).
Here's a site you're going to become familiar with:
http://freeware.sgi.com/index.html
Look under "Alphabetical", and go from there.
It's an extended learning curve to use the IRIX 'inst' package to
install new software - well, learning 'inst' itself only takes a few
minutes, really, but figuring out how to deal with unsatisfied
dependencies may drive you crazy. Do not put a system into production
until you have mastered some way of efficiently resolving dependencies.
One (blunt-instrument) way of satisfying dependencies is to download
*everything* from the SGI freeware site, then beginning an install.
Chances are, though, you're going to need the Base Install CD's
(probably 2), and the overlay CD's (for the latest IRIX 6.5.20, that is
another 4 CD's).
One outcome is that you will soon see the benefits of many other
package-managers :-)
> 3.) I'd also be most grateful for any information where this software
can be
> downloaded, as well as any tips & hints in installing and configuring
the
> Samba software on both the Indy cyclone and the windows workstations..
Well, generally speaking, on an SGI if you follow the package
instructions for compiling you'll be OK. This will mean you'll need to
become root on your new machine (you do have the root password, don't
you?). Further, you will need a compiler, and autoconf / automake...
all these are available from the freeware site mentioned above. I also
tend to immediately install 'bash', and 'emacs' (can you believe
it -
IRIX ships without emacs in the default installation - heresy!!!).
I think this is a great summer project. You will learn a lot,
especially about IRIX, and samba.
If you simply want to be quickly productive with your scanner, hook it
up to a Windows machine and share it off to the other Windows clients.
This is by far the faster/simpler way.
-Gord (who has built an Onyx Graphics Supercomputer off eBay, with 4x
64-bit CPUs, for under $3,000!!! OpenGL in hardware - which pulls 5A at
220V - simply *ROCKS*).
--
Gordon Pritchard, P.Eng. | Institute of Electrical and
Research Labs Manager | Electronics Engineers
Simon Fraser University, Surrey | Quarter Century Wireless Ass'n
gordonp@sfu.ca | Telephone Pioneers of America
phone: 604.268.7509 | Amateur Radio: VA7SFU, VA7GP