Bare Metal (PC Farm)
While the majority of DaDesktop functionality is delivered via virtual desktops, certain tasks demand direct access to actual hardware. With bare metal solutions, each participant is assigned a dedicated physical desktop or server, all centrally managed through the DaDesktop platform.
One machine per person
Instead of sharing virtual resources, each participant operates their own dedicated physical machine.
Manage physical classrooms remotely
Integrate existing classroom infrastructure with DaDesktop to oversee machines without the need for on-site presence.
When you need bare metal
- Software that requires direct hardware access and cannot run in a virtualised environment, such as ONAP and OpenStack.
- Specific hardware components that do not support virtualisation, including particular GPUs, Mellanox cards, and other network equipment.
- Courses where interacting with firmware or physical hardware is a core part of the curriculum.
- Physical classroom configurations that require remote administrative oversight.
How it works
Each physical machine is linked to a DaDesktop node via a control cable known as ddnexus. When configuring a standalone or fresh-start desktop, simply select the "Metal PC" option. The desktop environment is then deployed directly onto the physical hardware.
PC Farm
Existing office desktops can be repurposed to function as bare metal nodes. In this setup, each physical desktop is referred to as a potato. The central server responsible for managing these units is called a pumpkin (also known as the DaDesktop node, or ddnode). The USB cable that links each potato to the pumpkin is termed a potato stalk.
Potato stalk cables are readily available on eBay and Alibaba.
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