The operating procedures described in this section are designed to ensure your safety and the integrity of your new system.

The Onyx deskside chassis can be configured for either 110 VAC or 220–240 VAC operation. The system requires alternating current (AC) service at specified voltage and current ratings for proper operation. Verify that the correct AC line voltages are selected for each peripheral.

Figure 3-1 shows user-accessible system components.

Figure 3-1. User Accessible Components

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Warning: To avoid electric shock and/or a fire hazard, do not disassemble the Onyx deskside chassis. No user-serviceable parts are located inside.

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Note: Before connecting or disconnecting any terminal, peripheral, or front-loading drive, be sure the system is powered off and the primary power source is disconnected. The system power connection should be unplugged at the wall or back of the chassis before you open either door.

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Before you can operate your new system, you need to connect a monitor, a keyboard, and mouse.

To connect anything to the I/O panel, you must open the front door by using the following procedures:

A high-resolution, 1600 x 1200-pixel 21-inch monitor ships as the standard monitor for the Onyx RE2 deskside systems. An optional 20-inch graphics monitor is also available with certain system configurations. This section describes how to install the 21- and 20-inch monitors. Connect the monitor you received by following the steps in the applicable section.

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Caution: Before plugging any monitor into either a 110 VAC or a 220–240 VAC outlet, be sure that the electrical rating on the label is in either the 110 or the 220–240 range, whichever applies.

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When using a monitor in locations that do not have either of these outlets, contact your Silicon Graphics system support engineer before plugging in the monitor power cable.

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Note: If your monitor has white switches below the RGB posts, make sure they are pressed in so that they are in the 75-ohm position; otherwise, the monitor displays the wrong colors.

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Use only the cables specified to connect the monitor to the Onyx deskside chassis.

Connecting a 21-Inch Monitor

The RE2 graphics system uses a 21-inch, high-resolution monitor. This monitor uses either a 13W3-to-BNC connector cable or a 13W3-to-13W3 cable. Connect the 13W3 fitting to the I/O panel and the BNC connectors to the back of the monitor. See Figure 3-3 for an example of the connectors on the 21-inch monitor. See Figure 3-4 for a cable connection example.

When the system is booted, the monitors will operate in their default resolution of 1280 x 1024. To change the default video format, you must use the setmon command. For more information about the setmon command options, see the setmon reference (man) page.

Figure 3-3. 21-Inch Monitor Connectors

Figure 3-4. 21-Inch Monitor Cable Connection

Connecting a 20-Inch Monitor

The video cable for the 20-inch monitor has two 13W3 connectors on each end.

Plug the male end of the monitor power cable into either the United States standard 110 VAC outlet (NEMA 5-15R) or the Continental European 250 VAC, 16A type CEE 7/7 outlet, whichever is appropriate. Then proceed with connecting the video cable.

Figure 3-5. Connecting the 20-Inch Monitor

1. Find the monitor video cable. This cable has large 13W3 connectors on each end. See Figure 3-6.

2. Attach one end of the monitor video cable to the 13W3 connector on the back of the monitor. Secure the screws on either side of the connector.

3. Attach the other end of the monitor video cable to the deskside system's I/O panel. Secure the screws on either side of the connector.

   Figure 3-6. 20-Inch Monitor Controls

   
   
   

Figure 3-7 shows the front control locations for the 21-inch color monitor. Table 3-1 describes the 21-inch monitor controls and Table 3-2 describes the 21-inch monitor viewing mode adjustments. Table 3-3 shows the preset viewing modes for the 21-inch monitor.

Figure 3-7. 21-Inch Monitor Controls

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Note: The 21-inch model has 7 factory-set viewing modes (see Table 3-3) and memory for an additional 23 configurable settings. The 20-inch model also has factory-set modes (see Table 3-5) and memory for configurable settings.

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Table 3-1. 21-Inch Monitor Controls

Control	Description
Signal Input Selection	Selects BNC or 15-pin mini-D connectors.
Manual/Auto Selection button	Manual position allows display size and position to be changed using the Store, Selection, and Adjustment controls. The Auto position selects one of the seven factory-preset viewing modes.
Store button	With the Manual/Auto Selection button in the Auto position, pressing this button steps through the preset viewing modes. With the Manual/Auto Selection button in the Manual position, pressing this button stores the displayed viewing mode. This mode is indicated when one of the adjustment LEDs lights.
Selection button	With the Manual/Auto Selection button in the Manual position, pressing this button steps through the four available adjustments (horizontal size, horizontal position, vertical size, vertical position). When the adjustment is active, the corresponding amber LED is lit.
Adjustment button (–)	Pressing this button, with either the horizontal or vertical size adjustment selected, decreases screen size. With the horizontal position adjustment selected, pressing this button shifts the screen position to the left. With the vertical position adjustment selected, pressing this button shifts the screen down.
Adjustment button (+)	Pressing this button, with either the horizontal or vertical size adjustment selected, increases screen size. With the horizontal position adjustment selected, pressing this button shifts the screen position to the right. With the vertical position adjustment selected, pressing this button shifts the screen up.
Power Switch	Press on/press off switch. When power is on, the green LED in the switch is lit.
Contrast control (half moon icon)	Turn to adjust foreground brightness.
Brightness control (sun icon)	Turn to adjust background brightness.
Degaussing button	Press to manually degauss monitor (monitor automatically degausses following power on).
Three video signal termination buttons (located on rear panel)	Press in when installing a single monitor (to provide 75-ohm termination). Release buttons when connecting multiple monitors with loop-through (provides higher impedance).
Sync Adjustment button (located on rear panel)	Release the button to adjust the incoming sync signal manually.

Table 3-2. 21-Inch Monitor Viewing Mode Adjustments

Active (Lit) Adjustment Button	Minus (–)	Plus (+)
Horizontal size	decrease screen size	increase screen size
Horizontal position	shift screen left	shift screen right
Vertical size	decrease screen size	increase screen size
Vertical position	shift screen down	shift screen up

Table 3-3. Preset Viewing Modes for 21-Inch Monitor

Mode Number	Video Mode	Horizontal Frequency	Vertical Frequency	Resolution
1	VGA350	31.5 kHz	70 Hz	640 x 350
2	VGA400	31.5 kHz	70 Hz	640 x 400
3	VGA480	31.5 kHz	60 Hz	640 x 480
4	8514/A	35.5 kHz	87 Hz	1024 x 768 (interlaced)
5	1024 x 768	48.8 kHz	60 Hz	1024 x 768
6	1152 x 870	63.5 kHz	70 Hz	1152 x 870
7	1152 x 870	68.7 kHz	75 Hz	1152 x 870

Table 3-4 describes the 20-inch monitor controls. Note that the remote control (remote commander) must be used within 19.75 inches (50 cm) of the monitor's front.

Table 3-4. 20-Inch Monitor Controls

Control	Description
Power switch (front mounted)	Turns the monitor on and off.
Contrast control (front mounted)	Two buttons (+ and –) are used to adjust foreground brightness.
	Note: The following controls are located on the pull-out remote control.
BRIGHT (brightness)	Press + to increase the picture brightness. Press – to decrease it.
V-CENT (vertical centering)	Press + to move the picture upward. Press the – to move the picture down.
V-SIZE (vertical size)	Press + to increase the vertical size. Press the – to decrease it.
V-STAT (vertical static convergence)	You can adjust the vertical static convergence so the colors converge at the center of the picture. Press + to move red upward and blue down. Press – to move red down and blue upward.
TILT	Press the right button to tilt the picture clockwise. Press the left button to tilt the picture counterclockwise.
COLOR TEMP (temperature)	Select proper signal color temperature. H=9300 K (factory default); M=6500 K; L=5000 K
CONTR (contrast)	Press + to increase contrast, or press – to decrease contrast.
H-CENT (horizontal centering)	Press + to move the picture to the right, press – to move it to the left.
H-SIZE (horizontal size)	Press + to increase the horizontal size. Press – to decrease the horizontal size.
H-STAT (horizontal static convergence)	You can adjust the horizontal static convergence until the colors converge at the center of the picture. Press + to move blue to the left and red to the right. Press – to move blue to the right and red to the left.
Reset (button)	Pressing the button resets every user-stored data adjustment to the factory-preset level for the input signal being received. Note that you cannot reset the user-stored adjustment data item by item.

Table 3-5. Preset Viewing Modes for 20-Inch Monitor

Mode Type	Resolution	Horizontal Frequency	Vertical Frequency
1	1024 x 768	48.5 kHz	59.6 Hz
2 (non stereo)	1280 x 1024	63.9 kHz	60 Hz
3 (stereo)	1280 x 492	63.9 kHz	119.88 Hz
4	1280 x 1024	76.9 kHz	72.3 Hz
5	1280 x 512	65.05 kHz	120.05 Hz
6 (default)	1280 x 1024	81.967 kHz	75.966 Hz
7	1280 x 1024	53.249 kHz	50 Hz

Manually Adjusting the Vertical Sync on a 21-Inch Monitor

The following procedure is used to adjust the monitor's screen geometry when the monitor is experiencing problems with the vertical sync.

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Note: Do not use this button unless there is a problem with the incoming sync signal.

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1. Select the Manual mode by pushing in the Manual/Auto Selection button.

2. Push out the Sync Adjustment button (located at the rear of the monitor).

3. If the monitor is out of sync or there is no display with the correct input signal, press the “+” Adjustment button repeatedly until the displayed image is correct.

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   Note: Both the Adjustment buttons change the screen geometry in single increments. Each time a button is pressed, the screen geometry is changed by one increment. Holding a button in will not cause a continuous change in the screen geometry.

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4. When the screen geometry is correct, press the Adjustment button one more time.

5. If the monitor displays partial skew (the top of the screen appears to tear to the right), press the “–” Adjustment button repeatedly until the displayed image is correct.

6. When the vertical sync is correct, push in the Sync Adjustment button to the off position.

7. If the size and position of the displayed image is incorrect, use the Selection button to activate the required adjustment (the corresponding LED will light), and the “+” and “–” adjustment buttons to correct the screen geometry.

8. Press the Store button to save the adjustments in the monitor's memory.

9. Push out the Manual/Auto Selection button to return to “Auto” mode.

The Onyx Extreme has genlock and stereoview connectors in addition to the 13W3 video connector.

The Onyx RE2 or VTX graphics system provides connections to a number of video peripherals. In addition to the standard high-resolution 21-inch monitor, the following peripherals can be connected:

Before using the graphics software, connect the composite or S-Video monitor and VCR to the appropriate output ports on the I/O panel. Refer to Figure 3-8.

The CMPST A and CMPST B ports are standard BNC video connectors. They are electrically identical: a tape deck or monitor can be connected to either port. Connect a cable to your composite monitor and to either the CMPST A or CMPST B port. Connect another cable to your VCR and to the other composite port.

The video ports (S-Video A and S-Video B) are output ports that connect to an S-Video monitor and SVHS video cassette recorder. These ports use 4-pin mini DIN connectors. They are also electrically identical: each port can connect to either the S-Video monitor or to the VCR. Connect a cable from your S-Video monitor to either S-Video A or S-Video B. Connect a cable from the tape deck to the remaining S-Video port.

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Caution: You must use the appropriate video peripherals. The composite video ports are connected to video monitors and VCRs that operate in NTSC or PAL video format. The S-Video ports connect to VCR equipment that uses SuperVHS format.

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Video peripherals connect to the I/O panel, as shown in Figure 3-8.

Figure 3-8. RE2/VTX Video Peripherals Connection Example

The Onyx deskside system comes with a standard 101-key international keyboard. One connector on the keyboard cable plugs into the round 6-pin connector, marked Keyboard, on the I/O panel, and the other connector plugs into the socket on the keyboard. To install a keyboard, follow these steps:

The Onyx deskside workstation comes standard with a SCSI drive rack that holds seven half-height front-loading devices (FLDs). Each FLD must be mounted on a drive sled before it can be mounted in the rack. The drive sled adapts the drive's power and signal connectors to the connectors on the SCSI drive backplane.

See the list of SCSI configuration rules at the beginning of Chapter 4 to better understand the importance of proper SCSI bus configuration.

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Note: FLDs can be installed and removed with the front door closed and only the drive door open.

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Caution: Use proper handling and storage procedures to minimize the loss of data and equipment. In particular, do not remove disk drives while they are operating. Always power off the system prior to removing an FLD. Be sure to use standard electrostatic discharge prevention precautions when removing, storing, transporting, or replacing the FLDs.

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The drives being plugged into the rack can be configured to run on either SCSI channel A or B. They must also be set to operate with either single-ended or differential SCSI protocols. The configuration for these functions is set on the drive sled's adapter module board.

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Caution: The operating protocols of a drive must match the setting of the SCSI channel. If they do not, the drive and/or the SCSI bus will not operate properly. Be sure to carefully read the instructions and warnings in Chapter 4 prior to installing a SCSI device.

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The drive rack in the Onyx deskside workstation accommodates up to seven half-height devices, or three full-height devices and one half-height drive.

Drive channels A and B are terminated on the SCSI drive backplane. There is no provision for plugging in an extension of the SCSI bus to the internal SCSI backplane.

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Note: The maximum SCSI cable length for single-ended applications is 19.6 feet (6 meters). Differential lines are allowed a maximum of 81 feet (25 meters). Be sure to include both external and internal cabling when you calculate the lengths for the SCSI bus.

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To operate multiple external SCSI devices, you must order your system's IO4 with extra mezzanine SCSI channel daughter boards. These are the mezzanine options mentioned in Chapter 1; they connect to the I/O panel and then to external devices.

Your deskside Onyx comes with a standard 15-pin (AUI) Ethernet connector.

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Note: Always verify the type of signal being transmitted over your network cable before plugging in the connector. Some networks use a twisted-pair cabling system that carries AUI signals. These networks use an RJ-45 connector that is meant to be plugged into an IEEE 802.3 Transceiver unit.

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You can order optional boards for additional Ethernet connections.

Observe the following procedures when making Ethernet connections:

Continue with any additional peripheral connections or installations, or close and restart the system.

Figure 3-10. Connecting an Ethernet Cable

Use the following procedure to power on your new Onyx deskside chassis:

With the video out panel, you can control the video signals to the CMPST A and B ports and the S-Video A and B ports. Pop-up menus allow you to select between NTSC and PAL video formats, standard or in-house video synchronization, and standalone or special genlock signals. An Options menu allows you to fine-tune the genlock delay, chrominance phase, chrominance color, and horizontal phase signals.

To start the video out panel, enter the following command in a text window and press <Enter>:

vo

The video out panel Encoder Controls menu appears on your screen (see Figure 3-11).

The Controls menu has buttons that select different video options. These options are described in Table 3-7.

The video signals can be controlled through the Options menu. Click on the Options field in the Controls menu to invoke the Options menu (see
Figure 3-12).

The Options menu has buttons that control the video signals through the ports. The buttons are controlled by the mouse. Place the cursor on the button, and click and hold down the mouse button. As you move the mouse in an arc, the button turns just like a rotating knob. The options are described in Table 3-8.

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Note: In most cases, the Options menu is not needed. For most uses, the default settings are perfectly suitable.

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This section takes you through a sample session with the video out panel. To start, let's assume that you have a graphic image or animation sequence running on the 21-inch high-resolution monitor. You should size the window in which the display is running so that it doesn't take up the entire screen.

Type the command vout and press <Enter>. The Controls menu appears.

Click either the NTSC or PAL button, depending on the video format of your monitor and VCR. Your choice here determines the default settings for the rest of the controls.

Now click the Output Area button. A black rectangle appears on the screen. The rectangle has the correct format, that is, aspect ratio, for either PAL or NTSC. This rectangle is much smaller than the full screen area because NTSC and PAL operate at a much lower resolution than your graphics system does.

Use the mouse to move this window. Move the cursor over the frame of the window and click and hold down the mouse button. You can now move the window over the portion of the image or animation that you wish to send to the composite monitor or VCR. If the image is too large to be captured in the window, resize the display window, then pull the black output window over the image again.

Once you have covered the display with the output window, you will see the demo or image appear in the output window and also on your composite video monitor. If you have a VCR connected, you can begin recording immediately.

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Caution: The video out panel captures images only when the high-resolution monitor is running at its default configuration of 1280 x 1024, or at high resolution of 1600 x 1200. While other video resolutions are supported, the images will not display on the composite or S-Video monitor.

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The Onyx deskside workstation should be completely powered off only for relocation, routine maintenance, or repair. Before beginning this procedure, log out and shut down the software using the software instructions that follow:

To reboot the Onyx deskside system, use the /etc/reboot command input to the system monitor. The /etc/reboot command can be entered from any functional UNIX shell on your workstation monitor. You must be superuser before trying to input this command. If you are remotely logged in to the system, it will prompt you to confirm the command before executing it.

After successfully entering the command, the system gracefully halts and then automatically restarts.

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Caution: Use the key switch (not the main system circuit breaker switch) to reboot your system only if the system is completely unresponsive. See Figure 3-13 for its location. Using the system circuit breaker to power-cycle and reboot the system can cause damage to system software and data. Use the System Manager menu and select “System Shutdown” or the /etc/reboot command, if possible.

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Figure 3-11. Key Switch Positions on the System Controller Front Panel