Re: Crazy cross-MIPS-boards stunts possible?

On Thu, 3 Dec 2020, Maciej W. Rozycki wrote:

> > Understood, but sometimes patience pays off. SGI MIPS hardware has fluctuated
> > over the years of the used market but the general trend seems to be upward on
> > price and downward on availability.
> 
>  The difference is SGI hardware was end user stuff.  I don't recall ever 
> seeing any development hardware of this kind being sold second-hand, not 
> at least among the several items of my various level of interest I have 
> been watching out for for years now.  I guess they have been either kept 
> in storage, or decommissioned and given away to employees or scrapped.

 It looks like I was a bit too pessimistic about this, as Maltas do appear 
to pop up every now and then and the prices asked seem bearable.

 If you decide to get one, then pay attention to the core card included 
though -- as I noted those FPGA boards that were used outside MTI used 
encryption and the key was stored in NVRAM powered with a CR2032 button 
cell.  Once the cell has depleted the key would have been lost and the 
card brain-dead, as only MTI had the tools to have the key reprogrammed.

 As I recall the usual procedure for field button cell replacement was to 
do that while the board was powered on; the use of extra caution applying.  
You would have to do that speculatively of course, before its charge has 
dropped below the level of the key NVRAM losing its contents.

 Of course you'd usually not know what surprise you'd find in such an FPGA 
board, if anything usable at all.  Conversely with an LV or HC card there 
is no issue with bitfile encryption and not only you will always know what 
to expect, but it will just work (unless damaged of course, that is).

 FWIW,

  Maciej