Tag: server

How to read a specific FRU in IPMI?

Server

You can use ipmitool for reading the specfic FRU details. In this case we wanted to locate a FRU named UCS-M2-HWRAID in Cisco servers.

[Mon Jan 20 20:50:30 root@C240-WZP281799EK:~]$ipmitool -I bmc sdr list fru
FRU_RAM | Log FRU @00h 07.0 | ok
FRU_FP | Log FRU @01h 0c.3 | ok
FRU_MB | Log FRU @02h 07.1 | ok
FRU_TPM | Log FRU @03h 11.1 | ok
FRU_PSU1 | Log FRU @04h 0a.1 | ok
FRU_PSU2 | Log FRU @05h 0a.2 | ok
FRU_VIC_SLOT1 | Log FRU @06h 0b.7 | ok
FRU_VIC_SLOT2 | Log FRU @07h 0b.8 | ok
FRU_VIC_SLOT4 | Log FRU @08h 0b.9 | ok
FRU_VIC_SLOT5 | Log FRU @09h 0b.a | ok
FRU_MLOM | Log FRU @0Ah 0b.3 | ok
FRU_HD_BP | Log FRU @0Bh 0f.0 | ok
FRU_MINI_STORAGE | Log FRU @0Ch 33.1 | ok
FRU_MRAID1 | Log FRU @0Dh 33.2 | ok
FRU_MRAID2 | Log FRU @0Eh 33.3 | ok
FRU_MID_BP | Log FRU @0Fh 0f.4 | ok

FRU device ID formt he above command is 0xC. read directly the FRU.

[Mon Jan 20 20:52:57 root@C240-WZP281799EK:~]$ipmitool -I bmc fru print 0xc
Board Mfg : Cisco Systems Inc
Board Product : UCS-M2-HWRAID
Board Serial : FCH2747790W
Board Part Number : 73-19532-07
Board Extra : A05V02
Board Extra : 0000000000

add -vvv to find how IPMItool is forming the command

ipmitool usage
IPMITool Usage

Specification to find the command details.

Intel IPMI v2 Specification

commands used are Read FRU Data and Get SDR Command

Refer these sections to form and decode the commands
43.8 SDR Type 11h – FRU Device Locator Record
33.5 Reading the SDR Repository

 

Compute Express Link or CXL What it is?

Server

Compute Express Link is a cache-coherent link meant to help systems, especially those with accelerators, operate more efficiently.

CXL uses 3 main protocol.
1. CXL.io – used for initialization, link-up, device discovery and enumeration, and register access.
2. CXL.cache – defines interactions between a Host (usually a CPU) and Device (such as a CXL memory module or accelerator.
3. CXL.memory – protocol that provides a Host processor (usually a CPU) with direct access to Device-attached memory using load/ store commands.

Typical use case
Type 1 one can think of as an accelerator like a NIC that accesses the host CPU’s memory directly. Type 2 is a case where we have an accelerator, like a GPU with memory, and the GPU can access host memory while the host CPU can access GPU memory. Type 3 one can think of as a memory module where its primary purpose is to expose the CXL memory device’s media to the host CPU. Nice detailed article and video can be found in the below source.

Source: Compute Express Link or CXL What it is and Examples – ServeTheHome

Inventec Introduces Entei, the Advanced Storage Server System

Storage

To match an ever-growing need for data storage space, Inventec (2356.TW), one of the key suppliers of world’s leading server brands, hyperscale data centers and server system integrators, announced the arrival of Entei – a 2U24Bay Storage Server System to support dual 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors.

Source: Inventec Introduces Entei, the Advanced Storage Server System

Blade vs. Rack vs. Tower Servers

TIPS

Servers come in several different configurations. In the data center, decisions about blade server vs. rack server vs. tower server will affect performance, data center space, budgets, and scalability. This article is a quick start guide to rack servers, blade servers, tower servers: how to understand their advantages and shortcomings, and how each type fits into your server requirements.

Source: Blade vs. Rack vs. Tower Servers

Ampere eMag 64-bit ARM Server Platform Targets Intel Data Centers – ExtremeTech

TIPS

16 and 32-core SKUs
3.0GHz base clock, 3.3GHz Turbo
256KB L2 per pair of cores.
32MB global shared L3 cache
8x DDR4-2667 memory channels (170.7GB/s memory bandwidth)
16 DIMMs, up to 1TB DRAM per socket (most Intel Xeons top out at 768GB)
42 lanes of PCIe 3.0 connectivity

Source: Ampere eMag 64-bit ARM Server Platform Targets Intel Data Centers – ExtremeTech