Bare Metal (PC Farm)
While the majority of DaDesktop environments operate using virtual desktops, specific tasks require the performance of a real machine. The Bare Metal solution assigns each participant a dedicated physical desktop or server, all centrally managed through the DaDesktop platform.
Dedicated hardware per user
Every participant receives their own physical machine, bypassing the need for a virtual desktop instance.
Remote management of physical labs
Integrate existing classroom infrastructure into DaDesktop to oversee machines without requiring on-site presence.
Scenarios requiring bare metal
- Applications that cannot function in a virtualized environment, such as ONAP and OpenStack.
- Specific hardware components that do not support virtualization, including certain GPUs, Mellanox cards, and specialized network equipment.
- Training curricula where interacting with firmware or physical hardware is a core component of the lesson.
- Existing physical classroom configurations that require centralized remote administration.
Operational mechanics
Each physical device links to a DaDesktop node via a control cable known as ddnexus. When provisioning a standalone or new desktop, choose the "Metal PC" option to deploy the environment directly onto the physical hardware.
PC Farm terminology
Existing office desktops can be integrated to function as bare metal nodes. In this setup, each physical desktop is referred to as a potato. The server responsible for managing these devices is called a pumpkin (also known as a DaDesktop node, or ddnode). The USB cable that links each potato to the pumpkin is termed a potato stalk.
Potato stalk cables can be sourced from marketplaces like eBay and Alibaba.
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