This guide describes the ways in which hardware devices are integrated into and controlled from an SGI Altix series system running the Linux operating system. This guide provides an overview of the unique elements of writing drivers for SGI systems, a description of the SGI Altix architecture, and a summary of the SGI Linux kernel resources.
To write a process-level driver, you must be an experienced C programmer with a thorough understanding of the use of Linux system services and, of course, detailed knowledge of the device to be managed.
To write a kernel-level driver, you must be an experienced C programmer who knows Linux system administration and who understands the concepts of Linux device management.
The resources listed in this section contain additional information that might be helpful.
Information and support are available through the SGI Developer Program. To join the program, contact the Developer Response Center at 800-770-3033 or e-mail devprogram@sgi.com.
A great deal of useful material can be found on the Internet. Some starting points are in the following list.
| http://docs.sgi.com | SGI technical manuals to read or download
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| http://www.pcisig.com | Home page of the PCI bus standardization organization |
For additional information on SGI Altix system documentation, see the following:
SGI ProPack for Linux Start Here
Provides a comprehensive list of SGI Altix system hardware and software documentation
SUSE LINUX for SGI Altix Systems
Provides a comprehensive list of SGI Altix system hardware and software documentation
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SGI technical manuals to read or download
Note: Make sure you search in the entire Technical Publications Library (TPL) to view Linux and Altix systems documentation. SGI Altix Architecture Considerations for Linux Device Drivers
This manual contains information about device drivers specific to SGI Altix systems running an SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 2 release (or later).
The following documents are the official standard descriptions of buses:
PCI Local Bus Specification, Version 2.1, available from the PCI Special Interest Group, P.O. Box 14070, Portland, OR 97214 (fax: 503-234-6762).
ANSI/IEEE standard 1014-1987 (VME Bus), available from IEEE Customer Service, 445 Hoes Lane, PO Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331.
Documentation for the Intel compilers is located on your system in the /docs directory of the directory tree where your compilers are installed. If you have installed the Intel compilers, the following documentation is available:
Intel C++ Compiler User's Guide (c_ug_lnx.pdf)
Intel Fortran Compiler User's Guide (for_ug_lnx.pdf)
Intel Fortran Programmer's Reference (for_prg.pdf)
Intel Fortran Libraries Reference (for_lib.pdf)
The following documents describe the Itanium (previously called "IA-64") architecture and other topics of interest:
Intel Itanium 2 Processor Reference Manual for Software Development and Optimization, available online at the following location:
http://developer.intel.com/design/itanium2/manuals/251110.htm
Intel Itanium Architecture Software Developer's Manual, available online at the following location:
http://developer.intel.com/design/itanium/manuals/iiasdmanual.htm
Introduction to Itanium Architecture, available online at the following location:
(secure channel required)http://shale.intel.com/softwarecollege/CourseDetails.asp?courseID=13
The following additional publications are referenced in this manual:
David Mosberger and Stephane Eranian, IA-64 Linux Kernel Design and Implementation. Prentice Hall, http: //www.phptr.com. ISBN 0-13-061014-3.
Alessandro Rubini and Jonathan Corbet, Linux Device Drivers. Second edition, June 2001. O'Reilly, 0-59600-008-1, order number: 0081. Also available at http://www.xml.com/ldd/chapter/book/index.html.
Tom Shanley, PCI-X System Architecture. First edition, 2001. Mindshare Inc. Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-2-1-72682-3.
Tom Shanley and Don Anderson, PCI System Architecture . Third edition. Mindshare Inc.
You can obtain SGI documentation as follows:
See the SGI Technical Publications Library at http://docs.sgi.com. Various formats are available. This library contains the most recent and most comprehensive set of online books, release notes, man pages, and other information.
If it is installed on your SGI system, you can use InfoSearch, an online tool that provides a more limited set of online books, release notes, and man pages. With an IRIX system, enter infosearch at a command line or select Help -> InfoSearch from the Toolchest.
On IRIX systems, you can view release notes by entering either grelnotes or relnotes at a command line.
On Linux systems, you can view release notes on your system by accessing the README.txt file for the product. This is usually located in the /usr/share/doc/productname directory, although file locations may vary.
You can view man pages by typing man title at a command line.
If you have comments about the technical accuracy, content, or organization of this publication, contact SGI. Be sure to include the title and document number of the publication with your comments. (Online, the document number is located in the front matter of the publication. In printed publications, the document number is located at the bottom of each page.)
You can contact SGI in any of the following ways:
Send e-mail to the following address:
techpubs@sgi.com
Contact your customer service representative and ask that an incident be filed in the SGI incident tracking system.
Send mail to the following address:
SGI Technical Publications 1140 East Arques Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94085-4602
SGI values your comments and will respond to them promptly.