SGI IRIX 6.5.30

Why Upgrade to IRIX 6.5.30?

• IRIX 6.5 is SGI's only fully supported operating system (i.e., Active Release).
• The Office of Information Technology (OIT) offers remote installation support for IRIX 6.5.30.
• Security: OIT downloads and tests security patches on operating systems it supports.

Upgrade
Before you upgrade your current SGI machine to IRIX 6.5.30, be sure your machine meets the following requirements:

1. It has at least an R5000 processor. How one determines the processor type of your machine will be described later in this paper.
2. It has at least a 2GB root disk.
3. Your system should have a local CD-ROM drive on it. If it does not, you should contact the Office of Information Technology before proceeding further.
4. It has a current Educare License.
5. It has an IP address.

Steps to take before installation

1. Make sure a full backup of all local filesystems on your system has been completed.
2. Copies of the following files will be needed to reconfigure after install. You will need to compare these original files with the newly installed ones so one can put back in any local modifications that were done previously. These files can be copied to tape (using the "tar" command, for example) or copied to a file system which IS NOT on the machine to be upgraded.

   /var/mail/*
   /etc/aliases*
   /etc/auto.*
   /etc/client*
   /etc/exports
   /etc/fstab
   /etc/group
   /etc/krb-srvtab
   /etc/mail*
   /etc/printcap
   /etc/passwd
   /etc/sendmail*
   /etc/shadow
   /etc/ssh
   /etc/submit*
   /etc/workstation*
   /var/yp/*

• Please do not just overwrite these files after the installation
• Add only needed information in the (possible) new formats
• Have FX and INST documentation on hand or review them before starting the upgrade.

Media Needed to Install IRIX 6.5
FULL IRIX 6.5 installation cannot be done from CD alone. Some of the overlays and updates are available only over the network. To install the new system, you will need:

• access to a CD that allows you to boot the installation tools and use the fx (format utility). e-mail sgihelp@bu.edu to borrow:
  IRIX 6.5.X, 1 of 3 Installation Tools and Overlays. (CDROM)

To access the Office of Information Technology's SGI Media Server, Contact sgihelp@bu.edu with the exact date of your planned installation.

SGI Media Server: Your Installation Choices
Our installation setups allow IRIX 6.5 to be installed over the net. Due to the complex nature of these upgrades and the varying configurations of machines, the following is our best effort at a comprehensive description of the procedure. Write sgihelp@bu.edu if you encounter any problems.

The Maintenance Update

Use Maintenance Update if you are already running IRIX 6.5 and wish to update your system to the newest maintenance release. Only mild changes are made to your existing configuration.

Since all that is required is NFS access to the media server, a maintenance update can be done at any convenient time, and no coordination with OIT staff is required.
Maintenance Update Installation instructions

Contact sgihelp@bu.edu if you choose to do a Complete Overwrite. The procedure has changed.
Complete Overwrite Installation instructions