Moxa makes some pretty cool versions On Nov 25, 2015 9:23 PM, "Ken Hohhof" <af...@kwisp.com> wrote:
> I know you may scoff at the idea of a server based on a lowly ATOM chip. > And the idea of paying around $545 for one, plus RAM and HDD. > > But I am putting a couple Supermicro 5018A-TN4 servers into service, and > so far I'm pretty impressed with them. I just pop in an 8 GB stick of DRAM > and a 256GB 850 Pro SSD and then load CentOS 7. I think these could even > be used for virtualization, if you don't need hot plug HDD or hardware > RAID, like maybe you have a SAN. > > These are in a short depth 1U chassis that easily mounts to a 2 post rack, > no need for a rail kit. The CPU has a passive heatsink, there is a chassis > fan but I suspect everything would be fine if the fan died, the power > consumption seems negligible under normal load. It's as if it generates > zero heat. So with an SSD, there is little to fail, it's probably down to > the power supply. Despite the compact size, nothing inside is crowded. > The chassis seems to be a dedicated design for this server, not one of > their multipurpose chassis. My only complaint is there's almost no room on > the front for any labels, unless you cover up the logo and serial number. > > Some highlights: > > 2.4 GHz 8 core ATOM C2750 SOC (8 physical cores) > up to 32 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 ECC SO-DIMM (yes, ECC memory) > 2 x 3.5" or 4 x 2.5" HDD bays > 4 x GbE interfaces plus IPMI > 1 PCI-E slot > > Doesn't make much sense as a desktop, definitely a server. > > I wondered about the 8 physical cores without hyperthreading support, I > kept thinking that was equivalent to a 4 core CPU with HT. But I did a > little reading, and realized you don't just count virtual cores to estimate > performance, especially if the tasks are computation intensive not memory > intensive. > > There is also a 5018A0TN7B model for network security appliance use, based > on the C2758 SOC which includes encryption support. 7xGbE with software > controlled bypass, and up to 64 GB of UDIMM. That's a lot of memory. > >
