Instigator installs IRIX over the network from SGI CD images and shares host folders with SGI machines and emulators. It is a single Go binary for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
For installs, it reads the images directly and provides BOOTP, TFTP, and rsh
for the SGI boot firmware (PROM) and IRIX installer (inst). Several discs
can become one distribution tree, so you don't have to extract the media,
build a separate install tree, or swap sources by hand. The images stay
read-only. If two discs disagree about a file, you choose which copy wins in
the configuration.
For file sharing, it runs its own writable NFSv2/v3 server. Use it to move files between your host and IRIX without configuring a host NFS service. With an emulator's private QEMU network, it runs without root or privileged host ports. Install services and shares can run together or separately.
| I want to… | Guide |
|---|---|
| Install IRIX using a ready-made media config | Real hardware and shipped configs |
| Understand the installer prompts and finish an install | Installation walkthrough |
| Use my own media or change package selections | Configuration |
| Share a host folder with IRIX | File sharing |
| Extract files or manual pages without installing IRIX | Extraction |
| Record an install, diagnose a connection, or run a service | Operations |
Download an archive for your host from the releases page and unpack it. Release archives include the example configuration, ready-made configs, and these guides. Use the docs from the same release as your binary.
To build from a checkout, use Go 1.27.1 or newer:
go build -o instigator ./cmd/instigator./instigator --version prints the version recorded by Go. Local changes add
+dirty. Builds without source metadata report (devel).
The commands below assume the binary is in your current directory. On Windows,
use instigator.exe. Run host-network install services as Administrator
instead of using sudo.
The configs in configs/ have media URLs filled in for IRIX
6.5.30 and 6.5.22. Choose one for your machine in the hardware
guide. For a 6.5.30 standard install:
cp configs/irix-6.5.30-standard.yaml instigator.yaml
cp -R configs/addons .Edit server_ip, netmask, and the client MAC and IP. The supplied addresses
are placeholders. At the SGI PROM, printenv eaddr shows the MAC address. The
config uses remote media. Replace its source URLs with local paths if you
have your own copies. The second command copies the add-on files beside your
config so its relative paths work if you enable them.
Check it, then start the server:
./instigator check instigator.yaml
sudo ./instigator serve instigator.yamlcheck probes remote URLs without downloading their contents and fully checks
sets made only from local media. Use check --full to assemble and validate
remote media too. serve assembles every set before serving it. A passing
check does not prove the media will boot your machine.
Leave the server running. It prints a disk-partitioner boot command and the
remote distribution directory. Follow the hardware guide
to prepare the disk if needed, then start the installer from the maintenance
menu. It covers the 32-bit IP22 and 64-bit boot paths.
With a shipped config, load /irix.cmds at Inst> to apply its package
choices and add-ons. If an Install software from menu appears, enter the
number beside done to let the script continue.
For a physical machine on your LAN, bind to the host's install-network
address. Replace 192.0.2.10 with that address:
mkdir -p "$HOME/sgi-share"
sudo ./instigator share --listen 192.0.2.10 src "$HOME/sgi-share"On IRIX, as root:
mkdir -p /mnt/src
mount 192.0.2.10:/src /mnt/srcGuest writes change the host files. They run with the permissions of the user
who started Instigator. The sharing guide explains
permissions, firewall ports, and how to use a private emulator network without
sudo.
An Octane2 running IRIX 6.5.30 has netbooted, installed from merged media, booted from disk, and reached console login using a Linux host. The IP22 config and boot path are present, but an Indy or Indigo2 install remains untested on hardware.
The NFS reference records IRIX 6.5.30 guest checks for file sharing. macOS and Windows are build and test targets. That is separate from a completed hardware install on those hosts. The QEMU performance notes give the conditions and limits of the measured install comparison.
go test ./...Tests cover media reading and merging, installer scripts, BOOTP/DHCP, TFTP, rsh, NFS, private networking, extraction, and capture logs. Tests that need local IRIX media skip when those files are unavailable:
go test -run RealMedia -v ./internal/vfs ./internal/instcmd ./cmd/instigatorThe NFS reference covers protocol behavior and the transcripts shared with Origami's Rust implementation. The roadmap lists the remaining validation and possible work.
BSD 3-Clause. Dependency notices are in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.