This chapter provides a short introduction to the SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux - 230 Edition and describes the features provided with this release. Chapter 2, “Software Overview”, describes features supported in previous releases that enhance the features of your base Linux distribution.
SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux - 230 Edition is a special edition of SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux that supports the Silicon Graphics 230 Visual Workstation. This release includes all of the software components in SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux, plus additional software components that are needed to enable the graphical features of the Silicon Graphics 230 Visual Workstation.
 | Caution: SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux - 230 Edition has been tested only on the SG230 system, and it does not support any other system. Please do not attempt to install this software on any system other than SG230. |
This Start Here document covers the non-graphics system-software components that are included in both SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux and SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux - 230 Editions. The 2.2.13-2SGI version of the Linux kernel includes a number of Open Source enhancements provided by SGI.
Please read the file README.FIRST, located on the software CD, before you install the software. This file contains information related to the software components that enable graphics features of the SG230. After the software installation, this file is located at /usr/doc/sgi/VisualWorkstation/README.FIRST. Do not install the software without reading this file first.
The errata that describes issues which arose too late in the release cycle to be included in this document and provides help with all known problems is available at the following URL:
Manuals for installing your base Linux distribution and getting started in using it are included with your base Linux distribution release kit. Use these manuals as a reference for information not included in this guide. If you need to reinstall your base distribution, you must read “Configuring the X Windows System” in Chapter 3.
Documentation for the SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux - 230 Edition software and for Linux in general, including man pages, HOWTO guides, and other relevant documentation from the Linux Documentation Project, is available from the following URL:
SGI maintains the following Web site for open source information that describes projects related to its open source efforts:
 | Note: Packaged with the SGI ProPack 1.2 -230 Edition software is a separate sheet that contains the Software License Agreement. This software is provided to you solely under the terms and conditions of the Software License Agreement. Please take a few moments to review the Agreement. |
The SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux- 230 Edition is an overlay product that adds to or enhances features in base Linux distributions from Red Hat (version 6.1) or SuSE (version 6.3).
The SGI ProPack software will most likely come preinstalled on your SGI platform. If you should need to install it, be aware that you must install one of the supported base Linux distributions using the base distributor's installation tools and then install the SGI ProPack software using the ProPack installer. Installation and configuration is described in Chapter 3, “Quick Configuration and Installation Instructions”.
Some of the most significant features that SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux- 230 Edition provides are as follows:
Silicon Graphics VPro accelerated OpenGL implementation, which was developed in partnership with NVIDIA Corporation. The performance of this implementation equals or exceeds that of any other available Linux OpenGL implementation.
IRIS Performer, a high-performance 3D rendering toolkit for developers of real-time, interactive graphics applications. IRIS Performer simplifies development of complex applications such as those for visual simulation, simulation-based design, virtual reality, interactive entertainment, broadcast video, CAD, and architectural walk-through, while providing a high-performance portability path across the entire SGI product line.
IRIS Performer 2.3 for Linux is fully API-compatible with existing IRIS Performer applications and is a full distribution, including the core run-time libraries and file loaders, development header files, sample source code, and manual pages.
SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux - 230 Edition provides a kernel-level implementation of POSIX asynchronous I/O and the associated API library. This implementation works with raw devices as well as with file systems including pipes and sockets. For more information, see the /lib/libdba/README file and “POSIX Asynchronous I/O” in Chapter 2.
A new configuration parameter, CONFIG_NFSD_V3, is set by default to configure the use of NFSD version 3. Customers can turn off this parameter and the CONFIG_NFS_V3 parameter if they want to use NFS version 2 only. For information about how NFS is implemented in SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux, see “NFS” in Chapter 2.
The lcrash-1.0 RPM that was included in the SGI Linux Environment 1.1 with Red Hat 6.0 has been removed from the SGI ProPack 1.2 release, and the contents of the RPM have moved into the kernel RPM. For information about lcrash, see “Crash Functionality” in Chapter 2.
This section provides an overview of changes the SGI ProPack 1.2 for Linux- 230 Edition software makes in your base Linux distribution.
For information about the software that enables the graphical features of the SG230 system, see the file README.FIRST on the software CD. After installation, the file is also in /usr/doc/sgi/VisualWorkstation/README.FIRST.
The following packages were added by SGI:
kernprof 1.0 (kernel profiling tool to identify performance bottlenecks)
ktrace 1.0 (kernel trace tool)
libdba.so 1.0 (APIs to enhance database performance)
lockstat 1.0 (spinlock metering analysis)
sard 0.2 (disk activity statistics/analysis)
sgi-logos 1.0.1-1 (SGI logos)
sgi-extra-RedHat-1.2-1.noarch.rpm (manipulate system files for SGI value added features)
sgi-extra-SuSE-1.2-1.noarch.rpm (manipulate system files for SGI value added features)
sgi-initscripts-RedHat-1.0-1.noarch.rpm (manipulate init scripts for SGI value added features)
sgi-initscripts-SuSE-1.0-1.noarch.rpm (manipulate init scripts for SGI value added features)
sgi-release (SGI release identification)