SGI Tezro
Encyclopedia
The SGI Tezro was a series of high-end computer workstations sold by SGI
from 2003 until 2006. It was the immediate successor to the SGI Octane
line. The systems were available in both rack-mount and tower versions, and the series was released in June 2003 with a list price of $20,500. The Tezro was released alongside the SGI Onyx4 (and because of component sharing, the Onyx4 and rack-mountable Tezro shared many components, including skins.)
Tezro marked the return of the original 'cube' logo to SGI machines, which was welcomed by the loyal user base.
It was replaced in 2008 by the SGI Virtu
product line.
to connect all subsystems together. Tezro was based on SGI's Origin 3000 architecture.
ARCS was provided as the boot firmware
, as with other SGI computer systems of that era.
R16000 microprocessor
s. Available configurations included: two or four 1.0 GHz R16000s with 16 MB of L2 cache; or one, two, or four 700 or 800 MHz R16000s with 4 MB of L2 cache.
. It can be expanded using proprietary DIMM
s, the tower version can hold up to 8GB of main memory, and rack-mountable version up to 16GB of main memory.
V10 and V12 graphics options, though most customers chose the V12 version. Dual-head and dual-channel options were also available, allowing a fully equipped rackmount Tezro to drive four high-resolution monitors at once.
All PCI slots in each Tezro model are 3.3V card slots.
A single U160
SCSI
connector was available for attaching external peripherals, as was an optional FireWire card.
Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...
from 2003 until 2006. It was the immediate successor to the SGI Octane
SGI Octane
The Octane and the similar Octane2 are UNIX workstations marketed by SGI. Both are 2-way SMP-capable workstations, originally based on the MIPS R10000 microprocessor. Newer Octanes are based on MIPS R12000 and R14000. The Octane2 has four improvements compared to Octane, a revised power supply,...
line. The systems were available in both rack-mount and tower versions, and the series was released in June 2003 with a list price of $20,500. The Tezro was released alongside the SGI Onyx4 (and because of component sharing, the Onyx4 and rack-mountable Tezro shared many components, including skins.)
Tezro marked the return of the original 'cube' logo to SGI machines, which was welcomed by the loyal user base.
It was replaced in 2008 by the SGI Virtu
SGI Virtu
SGI Virtu was a computer product line from Silicon Graphics dedicated to visualization, announced in April 2008. It represented a return of Silicon Graphics to the visualization market after several years of focus on high-performance computing....
product line.
Architecture
Similar to other SGI systems, the Tezro used a non-blocking crossbar interconnectCrossbar switch
In electronics, a crossbar switch is a switch connecting multiple inputs to multiple outputs in a matrix manner....
to connect all subsystems together. Tezro was based on SGI's Origin 3000 architecture.
ARCS was provided as the boot firmware
Firmware
In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
, as with other SGI computer systems of that era.
Processors
Tezro systems used one to four 64-bit MIPSMIPS Technologies
MIPS Technologies, Inc. , formerly MIPS Computer Systems, Inc., is most widely known for developing the MIPS architecture and a series of pioneering RISC chips. MIPS provides processor architectures and cores for digital home, networking and mobile applications.MIPS Computer Systems Inc. was...
R16000 microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
s. Available configurations included: two or four 1.0 GHz R16000s with 16 MB of L2 cache; or one, two, or four 700 or 800 MHz R16000s with 4 MB of L2 cache.
Memory
The Tezro shipped with 512MB of DDR SDRAMSDRAM
Synchronous dynamic random access memory is dynamic random access memory that is synchronized with the system bus. Classic DRAM has an asynchronous interface, which means that it responds as quickly as possible to changes in control inputs...
. It can be expanded using proprietary DIMM
DIMM
A DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
s, the tower version can hold up to 8GB of main memory, and rack-mountable version up to 16GB of main memory.
Styling
While visual appeal is probably one of the least considerations when purchasing a high-end workstation, SGI had historically been known for making brightly colored machines with a dramatic appearance. The Tezro continued that trend with an appearance that was highly unusual, while in contrast the entry level Fuel was surprisingly conventional.Graphics
Tezro supported the VProSGI VPro
VPro, also known as Odyssey, is a computer graphics architecture for Silicon Graphics workstations. First released on the Octane2, it was subsequently used on the Fuel, Tezro workstations and the Onyx visualization systems, where it was branded InfinitePerformance.VPro provides some very advanced...
V10 and V12 graphics options, though most customers chose the V12 version. Dual-head and dual-channel options were also available, allowing a fully equipped rackmount Tezro to drive four high-resolution monitors at once.
Audio
Tower systems shipped with analog audio output as standard, while PCI cards provided audio capabilities (including 2-channel 24-bit AES and 8-channel ADAT connectors) on rack-mountable versions.Expansion
The number of available 64-bit PCI slots included in a Tezro system depended upon the number of CPUs installed in the system:- 7 133/100MHz slots in two- or four-CPU tower systems
- 3 133/100MHz slots in single-CPU tower systems
- 6 100MHz slots and two 66MHz slots in 4U rackmountable systems
- 2 100MHz slots and one 66MHz slot in 2U rackmountable systems.
All PCI slots in each Tezro model are 3.3V card slots.
A single U160
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
connector was available for attaching external peripherals, as was an optional FireWire card.