It seems like on Fri, Feb 25, 2000 at 10:51:16AM -0700, Pyne, Jeffrey scribbled:
Orig Msg> An adventurous friend of mine is going to try to run Linux on an SGI Indigo
Orig Msg> he just acquired for $40.  The machine didn't come with a keyboard.  The
Orig Msg> only keyboard he's found for sale had the ridiculous price tag of $75.  (And
Orig Msg> the SGI Indy keyboard he has apparently won't work on the Indigo.  What kind
Orig Msg> of Mickey Mouse crap is that??)  Anyone have an Indigo keyboard they're
Orig Msg> dying to get rid of (for sale or trade) to further the "Linux On Alternate
Orig Msg> Hardware" cause?
Orig Msg> 
Orig Msg> > Jeffrey Pyne
Orig Msg> > UNIX Systems Administrator
Orig Msg> > Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Orig Msg> > Phoenix Data Center 2
Orig Msg> > phone..................602-355-5038
Orig Msg> > fax ...................602-355-5400
Orig Msg> > 
Orig Msg> > Warning:  All e-mail sent to this address will be received by the
Orig Msg> > Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. corporate e-mail system and is subject
Orig Msg> > to archival and review by someone other than the recipient.
Orig Msg> 
Orig Msg> _______________________________________________
Orig Msg> Plug-discuss mailing list  -  Plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
Orig Msg> http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss


Lessee:

The Linux On MIPS FAQ says:
================
Serial console on SGI machines

Make sure the kernel you're using includes the appropriate driver for a serial interface and serial console. Set the console ARC environment variable to either the value d1 or d2 for Indy and
Challenge S depending on which serial interface you're going to use as console. 

If you have the problem that all kernel messages appear on the serial console on bootup but everything is missing from the point when init starts, then you probably have the wrong setup for your
/dev/console. You can find more information about this in the Linux kernel source documentation; it's in /usr/src/linux/Documentation/serial-console.txt if you have the kernel source installed. 
=========================

So no monitor is needed.

Here is the link:
http://www.linux.sgi.com/mips/mips-howto.html

JLF Sends...

Being a Unix system administrator is like being a tech in a biological warfare
laboratory, except that none of the substances are labeled consistently, any
of the compounds are just as likely to kill you by themselves as they are when
mixed with one another, and it is never clear what distinction is made between
a catastrophic failure in the lab and a successful test in the field.
                                                                (--M. Tiemann)