Bare Metal (PC Farm)
While the majority of DaDesktop operations rely on virtual desktop environments, specific tasks require direct access to physical hardware. In these scenarios, the Bare Metal solution allows each participant to utilize a dedicated physical desktop or server, all centrally administered via the DaDesktop platform.
Dedicated physical hardware per user
Rather than accessing a virtual instance, every participant is provisioned with their own exclusive physical machine.
Remote management of physical classrooms
Link existing physical classrooms to DaDesktop to oversee all connected machines, eliminating the need for on-site presence.
When you need bare metal
- Software that cannot operate in a virtualized environment, such as ONAP and OpenStack.
- Hardware components that do not support virtualization, including specific GPUs, Mellanox cards, and other network equipment.
- Training courses where firmware updates or direct interaction with physical hardware is integral to the curriculum.
- Physical classroom configurations that require centralized remote administration.
How it works
Each physical machine interfaces with a DaDesktop node using a control cable known as ddnexus. To initiate this setup, select the "Metal PC" option when creating a standalone or fresh-start desktop. The system then deploys the desktop environment directly onto the physical hardware.
PC Farm
Existing office desktops can be integrated into the infrastructure to function as bare metal nodes. In this architecture, each physical desktop is referred to as a potato. The central server responsible for managing these units is known as a pumpkin (equivalent to the DaDesktop node, or ddnode). The USB connection linking each potato to the pumpkin is designated as a potato stalk.
Potato stalk cables can be sourced from eBay and Alibaba.
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