This chapter introduces the SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics systems in the following sections:
The SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics system, based on the SGI 3000 family of servers and visualization systems, is a rackmounted graphics supercomputer composed of separate, but interconnected, rackmounted functional units called “bricks.” Figure 1-1 shows some of the bricks available with the graphics system in a front view of a sample SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics system that includes a G–brick, which contains InfiniteReality graphics pipes.
Figure 1-2 shows the rear view of a sample SGI Onyx 3000 graphics system that includes a G–brick, which contains InfiniteReality graphics pipes.
Table 1-1 provides functional descriptions of the bricks and rack components available with an SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics system. (For more detailed brick descriptions, see “Detailed Brick Descriptions”.)
Table 1-1. Major Components of the SGI Onyx 3000 Series Graphics System
Component | Description |
|---|---|
G-brick | The G-brick, which contains the graphics subsystem, supports one or two InfiniteReality graphics pipes (sets of boards). (The SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics system can contain either G–brick(s) or V–brick(s), but not both.) |
V–brick | Each V–brick, which contains the graphics subsystem, supports one or two InfinitePerformance pipes with each pipe consisting of one VPro V12 graphics board. (The SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics system can contain either V–brick(s) or G–brick(s), but not both.) |
C-brick | The C–brick, also known as the compute brick, provides computer processing and memory function for the system. |
I-brick | The I-brick provides basic boot functions, including the system hard disk, USB ports for keyboard and mouse connections, and an Ethernet connection. One CD-ROM drive is standard with each I-brick. This brick also has five PCI card slots. (See lithium battery warnings in Appendix B, “Regulatory Specifications” .) |
P–brick (optional) | The P–brick has 12 PCI card slots. |
X–brick (optional) | The X–brick has four XIO card slots. |
N–brick (optional) | The N–brick can replace an I–brick or X–brick to provide an efficient interconnection between the C–bricks and the InfiniteReality pipes in the G–brick. |
R–brick | The R–brick provides router capabilities to the SGI Onyx 3400 and SGI Onyx 3800 graphics systems. |
D-brick (optional) | The D–brick provides 3.5-inch drive slots for fibre channel drives to provide storage functionality. |
L1 controller interface panel | The L1 controller is a part of each brick except the D–brick. The L1 controller microprocessor reports brick status information to the L2 controller. |
L2 controller | The L2 controller and its touchscreen display panel provide an intelligent interface that can control and monitor all the rack activity, including all the brick L1 controllers in the rack. There is one L2 touch display panel in every rack with C–bricks. |
NUMAlink interconnect cabling | These physical cables enable different C-bricks in a single or multirack graphics system to communicate and share resources with other system bricks. The interconnect cables are made with delicate copper strands. These cables should only be handled by an SGI system support engineer (SSE). |
Cable bails | Cable bails hold any interconnect cables in place to prevent excessive cable bending, which can cause damage. |
Power Distribution Unit (PDU) and circuit breaker | These are the primary power distribution input point for the tall rack. The number of PDUs in a rack is determined by the number of power bays. (Each power bay requires four connections, one per each power supply.) The PDU can be single-phase or three-phase. The single-phase PDU, which supports one power bay, has one opening with six cables to connect to the power bay. This PDU has two input power-plug cables, a single outlet connector, and a circuit breaker switch. The three-phase PDU, which supports two power bays, has two openings, and each of these has six cables to connect to the two power bays. This PDU has one input power-plug cable, a single outlet connector, and a circuit breaker switch. Note that the G-brick(s) uses independent power cables that plug to outlets outside the rack system. |
Power Distribution Strip (PDS) | The PDS is a power distribution input point for the rack. The PDS has six outlet connectors, one inlet connector, and a circuit breaker switch. The PDS is used as a secondary distribution point for the tall racks and as a primary distribution point for a short rack. Because the D–brick(s) needs 220 VAC, it circumvents the power bay and plugs directly to a a PDS. |
Power bay | The power bay distributes 48 VDC power to the L2 controller(s) and system bricks (except G-brick and D-brick). |
You can customize your graphics system by combining the bricks to provide the computing, I/O, storage, and graphics capabilities to meet your specific visual simulation, post-production, multimedia, and distributed computing requirements. You can choose, for example, between single or multiple G–bricks with one or two InfiniteReality pipes per G–brick, or single or multiple V–bricks with either one or two InfinitePerformance graphics pipes (VPro V12 graphics boards) per V–brick to meet your graphics needs.
The highly configurable and flexible SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics system is available in single-rack and multirack enclosure models, depending on the level of functionality you need. The Onyx 3000 series graphics systems come in three models to meet your graphics computing needs: SGI Onyx 3200, SGI Onyx 3400, and SGI Onyx 3800. Figure 1-3 shows an example of an SGI Onyx 3800 multirack graphics system.
This section describes the following SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics systems bricks: C–brick, I–brick, P–brick, X–brick, N–brick, R–brick, D–brick, G–brick, and V–brick.
 | Note: For more detailed descriptions of the C–, I–, P–, X–, R– and D–brick, see SGI Origin 3000 Series Owner's Guide. For more detailed descriptions of the G–, V–, and N–brick, see Chapter 2, “G–brick, V–brick, and N–brick” in this guide. |
The C-brick compute enclosure consists of two or four 64-bit processors with a secondary cache of either 4 or 8 MB. Each processor can execute two floating-point instructions per cycle, which supports a peak speed of 1000 Mflop/sec. The memory is a distributed shared memory (DSM) scheme, in which the memory is physically partitioned among the nodes but is accessible by all nodes. Cache coherence is maintained through a directory-based scheme. The C–brick, which provides computing functions for the V–brick and G– brick graphics bricks, connects directly to a V–brick, and connects through an I–, X–, or N–brick to the G–brick.
The I-brick is a PCI–based I/O subsystem. It has two 800-MB/sec ports (in each direction) that connect to a C-brick, G-brick, or V–brick. The I-brick houses one or two standard system fibre channel (FC) hard disk drives. A standard CD-ROM drive is also located on the front of the I-brick. Five PCI slots are configured on two buses, and two drive bays support fibre channel drives (one standard system disk and one optional disk). The PCI buses support both 32- and 64-bit modes. The I-brick also provides the primary (standard) keyboard/mouse, audio, and serial port connections. Additional connections are available by adding optional PCI cards or additional I–bricks.
 | Warning: The motherboard on the I–brick has a lithium battery installed. Only qualified SGI service personnel should replace this lithium battery, and only with the same type or an equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer's instructions. There is a danger of explosion if the battery is incorrectly replaced. See Appendix B, “Regulatory Specifications”. |
The optional P-brick has two 1200-MB/sec ports (in each direction) that connect to a C-brick. Twelve PCI slots are configured on six buses. The PCI buses support both 32- and 64-bit modes.
The N–brick is an option to connect a C–brick to InfiniteReality pipes on the G–brick. The N–brick has four pairs of connectors (800 MBytes in each direction) that can be used in place of an X–brick or an extra I–brick to connect with as many as four C–bricks and as many as four InfiniteReality pipes. This is a cost and space-efficient solution when you do not require the additional I/O capability provided with an X–brick or extra I–brick.
For a more detailed description of the N–brick, see Chapter 2, “G–brick, V–brick, and N–brick” in this guide.
The R–brick provides routing capabilities to the system. R–bricks are available with SGI Onyx 3400 and SGI Onyx 3800 graphics systems.
The X-brick is a dual-port brick that provides four expansion slots for SGI XIO interface cards, such as HIPPI, digital video, GSN, and so on.
The D-brick supports 3.5-inch fibre channel disk drives. The dual-ported disk drives can be connected to two fibre channels. The aggregate channel bandwidth of a disk fibre channel depends on the bandwidth capability of the FC controller and the number and type of FC disk drives on the channel.
The SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics system provides graphics capabilities with either one or more G–bricks or one or more V–bricks (but not both types of bricks in the same system).
The 18U-sized G–brick supports one or two InfiniteReality graphics pipes. Each InfiniteReality graphics pipe consists of a set of graphics boards to meet your graphics needs. The set of boards contain a Geometry Engine (GE), a Raster Manager (RM), and a Display Generator (DG).
The G–brick also includes a Ktown2 interface board with two connectors to connect the G–brick pipes to an I–, X–, or N–brick (which is in turn connected to a C–brick) on the graphics system.
Each InfiniteReality-based graphics system provides the following features:
Between 1 to 16 graphics-pipe configurations. (The first pipe has one or two RMs, and the second pipe has one, two, or four RMs.)
Various DG daughterboard options.
Optional support of as many as eight monitors on each pipe.
An L1 controller that monitors and controls the G–brick environment.
Each V–brick supports one or two independent InfinitePerformance graphics pipes.
Each V–brick provides the following features:
Support for one or two InfinitePerformance graphics pipes. Each InfinitePerformance pipe has two DVI–I (Digital Video Interface–Integrated) output connectors for TMDS digital or RGB analog signals. Each InfinitePerformance pipe also provides swap ready, genlock, and stereo connectors.
Two XIO connectors.
An L1 controller that monitors and controls the V–brick environment.
This section describes how the various bricks, peripherals, and other SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics system hardware components connect and work together. This section includes block diagrams, which divide the system into “brick–level” functional parts: the I/O, compute, storage portions, and the graphics subsystems. (These block diagrams are divided into systems that include the G–brick with InfiniteReality pipes and the V–brick with InfinitePerformance pipes.)
The G–brick or V–brick provide the graphics capabilities for the system. The C-brick compute subsystems supply processing power for the G-brick and V–brick graphics system as well as for the I/O and storage subsystems within a rack. Note that in multirack systems, the compute, I/O, and graphics bricks may be mixed in different configurations than those shown in this section.
In an SGI Onyx 3000 series rack or multirack system, each brick (with the exception of the D-brick) has a dedicated module system controller (L1 controller), which monitors operational status.
System bricks communicate using the high-speed NUMAlink interconnect. The NUMAlink interconnect cables (also known as the interconnection fabric) consists of a set of high-speed routing switches and cabling that enable multiple connections to occur simultaneously. With the NUMAlink scheme, hardware resources (including main memory) can be shared and accessed by all the bricks in the graphics rack system.
Keyboard and mouse functions are routed through the Universal Serial Bus (USB) connections on the back of the I-brick. For more information on the keyboard and mouse connections, see “System Maintenance and Safety Information” in Chapter 4.
Audio connections are made through a PCI audio board physically located in the I-brick. “Speaker Pair Connections” in Chapter 3 provides detailed specifications on the audio board.
The CPU boards within the C-bricks use links that differ from bus technology. While a bus is a resource that can be used by only one processor at a time, the communications “fabric” in the rack makes connections from processor to processor as they are needed. The C-brick uses two or four processors, each with 4 or 8 MB of private secondary cache, interconnected at an ASIC called the “Bedrock” ASIC.
The Bedrock ASIC acts as a crossbar between the internal processors, local memory, the I/O interface bricks (such as the I–brick, P–brick, and X–brick), and the G-brick(s) or V–brick(s). It also facilitates connection to external I/O peripherals, such as an Ethernet network connection or D–bricks.
This web of connections differs from a bus in the same way that multiple dimensions differ from a single dimension. You could describe a bus as a one-dimensional line while the Onyx 3000 series uses a multidimensional mesh.
The multiple data paths are constructed as they are needed by router ASICs, which act as switches. When you add a C-brick, you add to and scale the system bandwidth.
In the case of a multirack graphics system with multiple C-, I-, P-, X-, and N–bricks, the NUMAlink interconnects link them all to one another. The NUMAlink interconnect may appear to be a type of super data bus, but it differs from a bus in several important ways. Basically, a bus is a resource that can be used by only one processor at a time. The NUMAlink interconnect is a mesh of multiple, simultaneous, dynamically allocated connections that are made from brick to brick in the single–rack or multirack system.
This makes the multirack system very scalable because it can range in size from 4 to 64 processors or more (up to 128 CPUs with graphics).
As you add C-bricks, you add to and scale the system bandwidth.
The NUMAlink interconnect technology has the following key features:
The interconnect is a mesh of multiple point-to-point links connected by routing switches. These links and switches allow multiple transactions to occur simultaneously.
The links permit extremely fast switching (a peak rate of 3200 MB/s bidirectionally, 1600 MB/s in each direction).
The NUMAlink interconnect mesh does not require arbitration, nor is it limited by contention.
More routers and links are added as C-bricks are added, increasing the NUMAlink interconnect's bandwidth.
The interconnect provides a minimum of two separate paths to any pair of bricks. This redundancy allows the system to bypass failing routers or broken fabric links. Each fabric link is additionally protected by a CRC code and a link-level protocol, which retry any corrupted transmissions and provide fault tolerance for transient errors.
Each of the C-brick's 64-bit microprocessors has direct access to as many as 8 MB of private secondary cache.
Each C-brick has local memory (as many as 8 GB) that can be distributed and shared among all system microprocessors. This shared memory is accessible by way of the NUMAlink interconnection fabric cabling, which provides inter-brick accesses with low latency. The memory that is physically located on a compute node is referred to as the node's local memory.
Other features of the SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics systems include:
Scalable growth of memory and I/O bandwidth as well as processor compute power.
As many as 16 InfiniteReality pipes or as many as four InfinitePerformance pipes in a single system.
As many as 16 GB of compute main memory in a single–rack graphics system for systems with InfiniteReality graphics pipes. And as many as 48 GB of main memory in a single–rack graphics system for systems with InfinitePerformance graphics pipes.
High availability within a single–rack or multirack system.
High-bandwidth I/O connectivity.
High total memory bandwidth.
Improved synchronization operations.
Wide variety of peripheral connectivity options, including support for super–wide (1920 x 1200) high-resolution monitors.
PCI-based digital audio processing.
Beeping keyboard for support of ”bell.”
The most basic InfiniteReality single-rack graphics system contains one InfiniteReality pipe with one RM [Raster Manager] board assembly in one G–brick, one C–brick, and one I-brick, as shown in a block diagram in Figure 1-4. Each system varies based on the configuration ordered.
Figure 1-5 shows a configuration with a single G–brick (with two InfiniteReality pipes with two RMs each), two C–bricks, an X–brick, and an I–brick.
Figure 1-6 shows a dual-rack InfiniteReality graphics system with two G–bricks (with each brick containing two pipes with two RMs), four C–bricks, two R–bricks, two I–bricks, and an N–brick.
Figure 1-7 shows a single-rack SGI Onyx 3400 system that supports two V–bricks (each with two InfinitePerformance pipes), one I-brick, five C-bricks, and two R–bricks (routers). Each system varies based on the configuration ordered.
| Note: Because each InfinitePerformance pipe requires a dedicated C–brick, and because one C–brick is dedicated for connection to the system I–brick, the minimum number of C–bricks required for a graphics system is the number of InfinitePerformance pipes in the system plus one. |
The following items help to identify an SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics system model:
The system can include either an InfiniteReality (G–brick) or InfinitePerformance (V–brick) graphics brick, but cannot include both in the same system.
Each G–brick (I8U-sized brick) can support one or two InfiniteReality graphics pipes, and each V–brick (4U-sized brick) can support one or two InfinitePerformance graphics pipes. (Each InfinitePerformance graphics pipe consists of one V12 graphics board.)
The different SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics system models are distinguished by the following:
The type and number of graphics bricks, and the number of graphics pipes or boards these bricks support.
The number of C–bricks and the number of processors in those C–bricks. (Each C–brick can contain either two or four processors.)
The combination of functional bricks you have in your graphics system.
The SGI Onyx 3000 graphics system models are described in the following sections:
This section describes the following two systems:
SGI Onyx 3200 graphics system with G–brick and InfiniteReality graphics
SGI Onyx 3200 graphics system with V–brick and InfinitePerformance graphics
An SGI Onyx 3200 graphics system model that includes one G–brick meets the following requirements:
The system supports one G–brick with a minimum of one and a maximum of two InfiniteReality graphics pipes. The first pipe can hold one or two RMs and the second pipe can hold one, two, or four RMs.
The system has a minimum of one and a maximum of two C–bricks, which together have a minimum of four to a maximum of eight processors.
The system supports one I–brick and one power bay.
Note: I–, X–, or P–bricks can be added to the system. The system has no R–bricks (no routers).
The system is housed in a tall 39U rack enclosure with one power distribution unit (PDU).
The system has an L2 controller with an L2 controller touch display.
The D–brick is optional with the SGI Onyx 3200 graphics system with a G–brick.
Figure 1-8 shows an example of an SGI Onyx 3200 graphics system with one G–brick with one InfiniteReality pipe.
An SGI Onyx 3200 graphics system that includes one V–brick with an InfinitePerformance graphics pipe meets the following requirements:
The system has one V–brick with support for one InfinitePerformance graphics pipe.
The system has two C–bricks (which together can have a minimum of four and a maximum of eight processors).
The system has one I–brick and one power bay.
The system has no R–bricks (no routers).
The system is housed in a short 17U rack enclosure with one power distribution system (PDS).
Note: Although an L2 controller is optional with the SGI Onyx 3200 graphics system, the L2 controller touch display is not optional.
Figure 1-9 shows an example of the SGI Onyx 3200 graphics system with a V–brick with one InfinitePerformance graphics pipe.
Figure 1-9. SGI Onyx 3200 Graphics System with One V–brick and Support for One InfinitePerformance Graphics Pipe
 |
This section describes the following two systems:
SGI Onyx 3400 graphics system with G–brick and InfiniteReality graphics
SGI Onyx 3400 graphics systems with V–brick and InfinitePerformance graphics
The SGI Onyx 3400 graphics system that contains one or more G–bricks with InfiniteReality graphics meets the following requirements:
The system has a minimum of one and a maximum of eight G–bricks, and a minimum of one and a maximum of eight graphics pipes.
The system has a minimum of one and a maximum of eight C–bricks. Together, the C–bricks can have minimum of four and a maximum of 32 processors.
The system has a minimum of one system I–brick.
Note: The number of additional I–, X–, P–, or N– bricks in the system depends on the number of C–bricks in the system. (Each InfiniteReality graphics pipe requires a connection to a C–brick through an I/O brick [I–, X–, or N–brick].) The rack-space–saving N–brick (2U) is a good option in environments where the I/O functionality of the I– and X–brick is not required. The system has two R–bricks (two six-port routers).
The system ships with at least two tall 39U rack enclosures. In the minimum configuration, the first rack holds the compute and I/O bricks, and the second rack holds one G–brick and space for a second G–brick.
The first rack has at least one power bay with one power distribution unit (PDU). The second rack with the G–brick(s) does not require a PDU.
Each tall rack enclosure containing C–bricks comes with an L2 controller and an L2 controller touch display.
Figure 1-10 shows an example of one possible SGI Onyx 3400 graphics system configuration that includes two racks. One rack has two G–bricks, and each G–brick has two InfiniteReality pipes.
The system model can be expanded to include additional racks to add I/O, storage (D–bricks), and graphics bricks.
The SGI Onyx 3400 graphics system that contains one or more V–bricks and InfinitePerformance graphics pipes meets the following requirements:
The system has a minimum of one and a maximum of four InfinitePerformance graphics pipes.
The system has a minimum of two and a maximum of eight C–bricks.
The system has a minimum of six and a maximum of 32 CPUs.
The system has a minimum of one system I–brick.
The system has two R–bricks (two six-port routers).
The system needs at least one tall 39U rack enclosure, which has at least one power bay with one power distribution unit (PDU).
Each tall rack enclosure containing C–bricks comes with an L2 controller and an L2 controller touch display.
Figure 1-11 shows an example of one possible SGI Onyx 3400 graphics system configuration that includes a V–brick with two InfinitePerformance graphics pipes.
The system model can be expanded to include additional racks to add I/O, storage (D–bricks), and graphics bricks.
This section describes the following two systems:
SGI Onyx 3800 graphics system with G–brick and InfiniteReality graphics
SGI Onyx 3800 graphics system with V–brick and InfinitePerformance graphics
The SGI Onyx 3800 graphics system that contains one or more G–bricks with InfiniteReality graphics pipes meets the following requirements:
The system has a minimum of one and a maximum of 16 G–bricks, and a minimum of one graphics pipe and a maximum of 16 graphics pipes.
The system has a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 32 C–bricks, and a minimum of 16 and a maximum of 128 processors.
The system has a minimum of one I–brick.
Note: The number of additional I–, X–, P–, or N– bricks in the system depends on the number of C–bricks in the system. (Each G–brick graphics pipe requires a connection to a C–brick through an I/O brick [I–, X–, or N–brick].) The rack-space–saving N–brick (2U) is a good option in environments where the I/O functionality of the I– and X–brick is not required. The system has two R–bricks (two 8-port routers).
The system needs at least three tall 39U rack enclosures, in which each has at least one power bay with one power distribution unit (PDU).
Each tall rack enclosure containing C–bricks comes with an L2 controller and an L2 controller touch display.
Figure 1-12 shows an example of one possible SGI Onyx 3800 graphics system configuration that includes four G–bricks (three G–bricks have two InfiniteReality pipes, and one G–brick has one InfiniteReality pipe).
Additional racks containing C–bricks, R–bricks, D–bricks, and I/O bricks (I–bricks, X–bricks, and N–bricks) can be added to your graphics system.
Figure 1-12. SGI Onyx 3800 Graphics System with Four G–bricks (with Seven InfiniteReality Pipes in Total)
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The SGI Onyx 3800 graphics system that contains one or more V–bricks with InfinitePerformance graphics pipes meets the following requirements:
The system has a minimum of one to a maximum of four InfinitePerformance graphics pipes.
The system has a minimum of four and a maximum of 32 C–bricks, and a minimum of 16 and a maximum of 128 processors.
Note: Each InfinitePerformance graphics pipe requires a dedicated C–brick, and the system I–brick requires a dedicated C–brick. The system has a minimum of one I–brick.
The system has one P–brick.
The system has two R–bricks (two 8-port routers).
The system needs at least two tall 39U rack enclosures, in which each has at least one power bay with one power distribution unit (PDU).
Each tall rack enclosure containing C–bricks comes with an L2 controller and an L2 controller touch display.
Figure 1-13 shows an example of one possible SGI Onyx 3800 graphics system configuration that includes two V–bricks, each of which contains two InfinitePerformance graphics pipes.
Additional racks containing C–bricks, R–bricks, D–bricks, and I/O bricks (I–bricks and X–bricks) can be added to your graphics system.
Figure 1-13. SGI Onyx 3800 Graphics System with Two V–bricks (with Two InfinitePerformance Pipe Each)
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To ensure proper system operation, your SGI system support engineer(s) (SSE) has installed your system in a location that observes the following basic requirements for physical location of the graphics rack:
As a general rule, rack systems are intended for a lab or “machine room” environment.
The graphics rack(s) should be protected from harsh environments that produce excessive vibration or heat.
The rack system should be kept in a clean, dust-free location to reduce maintenance problems.
If you have questions concerning physical location or site preparation, contact your SGI system support engineer (SSE) or other authorized support organization representative.