SGI operated an Intel-certified Applications Solution Center. There, we worked with Independent Software Vendows (ISV) to assist them in porting and tuning their applications on Intel-architecture platforms, under Windows NT/2000/XP (Workstation and Server) as well as Linux operating systems on both IA-32 and IA-64 systems. This involved extensive work with performance analysis tools including VTune, Quantify, PerfMon, OGLdebug, pTrace and other WIN32 SDK tools. Average workload was 2 ISV visits per month and average application speedup is 300%. We also designed, deployed, and tuned Beowulf clusters (to 32 nodes) with ethernet and Myrinet, using MPI and OpenMP on Linux.
During my last year or so working for SGI, I was involved in the Application Solution Center jointly run by SGI and Intel to help developers support the IA-64 environment on the Itanium processor. Initially, SGI used Intel-supplied PC and server boxes. We configured these boxes with Intel-supplied hardware updates as well as pre-loading Linux software development environments on these boxes. They were then either sent out to off-site developers or used in-house for local developers. Intel didn't really share much detailed information on what processor steppings or configurations they sent us, just that we were supposed to yank out components X, Y, and Z and replace them with what's in boxes A, B and C. SGI also included OpenGL training with the IA-64 components as that was being rolled out around the same time.
During this time, SGI was in a decline. As I recall, there had been 4-5 Reductions In Force over the last few years. The Applications Consulting group I was in had mostly escaped those layoffs, but the writing was on the wall. It was still fun working there, but the low morale and office politics were starting to make it less so. The movie Office Space came out around this time and was more like a documentary. So, when the opportunity came to work on the new IA-64 workstation project, I decided to make the jump to that group. I figured it would either be the next big thing, or it would go down in flames.
That group grew a bit then started shrinking. For a year or so, I don't think we had an actual assigned manager. One of the SGI engineers had written an OrgChart application that parsed the HR employee database to produce a real-time organization chart. There was always a group, off to one side, called Boss-Less and the highest ranking person in that group was Boss of the Boss-Less. For a year or so, the IA-64 applications group was in the Boss-Less group. One layoff came around and everyone was to have a meeting scheduled with their manager the following day to get the official update on their position. Well, that day was wrapping up and nobody in the IA-64 group had a meeting scheduled. One of the other managers stopped by and told us not to worry, that someone would have notified us if our job's were on the chopping block.
I had a bit of a side hustle going and that was starting to gain some traction. As 2001 wore on, another round of RIFs came around, my number finally came up. For me, this was great news, as I was at the point of needing to decide whether to stay with SGI or start up my own company. As it turned out, SGI made that decision for me. By then, the IA-64 team had been moved into another group with an actual manager. When my manager was giving me the bad news, he was nearly in tears. For me, this was the greatest day in my life. SGI was going to give me about 6 months severance, which is what I needed to start up my business, which I did the following morning.
You'll find a collection of early IA-64 information below: