If the light is green then you are good imho.
I have several O2's.
It sounds like the graphics is set to console.
This is the default if there is no monitor/keyboard connected.
On the back of the O2 you should be able to get something
on console 1 (the inside one).
A normal cross over cable works fine for me.
Nothing special is required to make use of it.

When you get an orange/red light that stays on then you will have real 
problems. Few of the broken ones here do that.

Hope that helps.

-Jaime Fournier


On Tue, 7 Nov 2006, Ruth Ivimey-Cook wrote:

> Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2006 22:45:43 -0000
> From: Ruth Ivimey-Cook <Ruth.Ivimey-Cook@ivimey.org>
> To: port-sgimips@NetBSD.org
> Subject: SGI O2 not displaying anything...
> 
> Folks,
>
> I've been given 2 SGI O2 machines no longer needed by work. As far as
> work know they both work - although that would have been a while ago :-)
>
> They seem to be operational - in the sense that the chord can be heard
> on boot, and the fromt LED goes orange then green on the front. However,
> neither actually displays anything on the screen when I connect either a
> newish LCD nor an older CTX monitor to them. Also, the keyboard capslock
> LED doesnt light up.
>
> Both monitors do perceive there is a 1280x1024 signal coming in -
> although they think its at different rates.
>
> When I try to switch it off, it does so fairly promptly but not
> immediately - about 2-3 secs delay. There is a CD drive and the tray
> will pop out as requested. I've nothing to put in it though.
>
> I've tried attaching a serial console on one of them but this hasn't
> helped. I've actually got a laptop running SecureCRT 3 using a cable I
> know worked for another console type issue, but I can't easily change
> the null-modem state (I think it is already nulled, so I'm saying I
> can't easily try straight-through). The serial port is set at 9600 8N1,
> no flow control.
>
> Are they both dead?
>
> Regards,
>
> Ruth
>