4 ms·

The "custom" and "proprietary" are largely irrelevant, in that they're merely internal implementation details. These systems (from SuperMicro or Lenovo, for ex

by mmt 8y ago

The "custom" and "proprietary" are largely irrelevant, in that they're merely internal implementation details. These systems (from SuperMicro or Lenovo, for example) still fit in a standard 19" rack, and still take standard CPUs, standard DIMMs, and standard PCIe cards. The main limitation is that the complete "barebones" system is indivisible, unlike with most 1S-2S systems, where motherboards can be mixed and matched among a wider variety of chasses. This limitation also applies to high-density offerings like blades and SM's "Twin" line. I have yet to encounter a situation where such a limitation has ever even entered the conversation.

Rychard 8y ago
> The "custom" and "proprietary" are largely irrelevant, in that they're merely internal implementation details. Agreed. I was merely trying to convey that they wouldn't be the normal [E]ATX form factor boards. The parent was asking for something "off the shelf", and I took this to mean purchasing a motherboard by itself. You could get something like that from SM[0], but I doubt you'd be able to find a compatible chassis for the motherboard from anyone other than SM. At that point it probably makes more sense to just buy the system[1]. [0] http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C600/X10QRH_.cfm http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C600/X10... [1] http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/2U/2048/SYS-2048U-RTR4.cfm http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/2U/2048/SYS-2048U-...
- mmt 8y ago
  > The parent was asking for something "off the shelf", and I took this to mean purchasing a motherboard by itself. The parent did ask about a mobo, specifically, but I think it's a stretch that the question was about the component on its own, at least in the context of the broader conversation of feasibility. I took the "off the shelf" question to be synonymous with "commodity". That is, the opposite of (truly) custom. One doesn't have to be Google or Facebook and design a board layout to get 8 sockets. One can just order it from the same vendor as all the other commodity hardware. > it probably makes more sense to just buy the system I'm asserting that this is what every commercial purchaser does, anyway.

by mmt 8y ago

Rychard 8y ago

> The "custom" and "proprietary" are largely irrelevant, in that they're merely internal implementation details. Agreed. I was merely trying to convey that they wouldn't be the normal [E]ATX form factor boards. The parent was asking for something "off the shelf", and I took this to mean purchasing a motherboard by itself. You could get something like that from SM[0], but I doubt you'd be able to find a compatible chassis for the motherboard from anyone other than SM. At that point it probably makes more sense to just buy the system[1]. [0] http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C600/X10QRH_.cfm http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C600/X10... [1] http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/2U/2048/SYS-2048U-RTR4.cfm http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/2U/2048/SYS-2048U-...

mmt 8y ago
> The parent was asking for something "off the shelf", and I took this to mean purchasing a motherboard by itself. The parent did ask about a mobo, specifically, but I think it's a stretch that the question was about the component on its own, at least in the context of the broader conversation of feasibility. I took the "off the shelf" question to be synonymous with "commodity". That is, the opposite of (truly) custom. One doesn't have to be Google or Facebook and design a board layout to get 8 sockets. One can just order it from the same vendor as all the other commodity hardware. > it probably makes more sense to just buy the system I'm asserting that this is what every commercial purchaser does, anyway.