Bare Metal (PC Farm)
While the majority of DaDesktop operations rely on virtual desktop environments, specific workflows demand dedicated physical hardware. The bare metal feature ensures that each participant is assigned their own physical desktop or server, all centrally overseen through the DaDesktop platform.
Dedicated Physical Resources
Participants are provided with dedicated physical hardware rather than virtualized desktop instances, ensuring direct access to system resources.
Remote Classroom Management
Integrate existing physical classrooms into DaDesktop to enable comprehensive remote administration of all connected machines without requiring on-site presence.
When to use Bare Metal
- Running software that is incompatible with virtualized environments, such as ONAP or OpenStack.
- Utilizing hardware that cannot be virtualized, including specific GPU models, Mellanox cards, and specialized network equipment.
- Conducting courses that involve direct interaction with firmware or physical hardware components.
- Managing physical classroom infrastructure remotely to enhance operational efficiency.
Operational Mechanics
Every physical device links to a DaDesktop node via a dedicated control cable known as ddnexus. When provisioning a standalone or fresh-start desktop, choose the "Metal PC" option. This action triggers the direct deployment of the desktop environment onto the physical machine.
PC Farm Architecture
Existing office desktops can be integrated to function as bare metal nodes. In this context, each individual physical desktop is referred to as a potato. The central server responsible for managing these devices is termed a pumpkin (also known as the DaDesktop node or ddnode). The USB cable connecting each potato to the pumpkin is designated as a potato stalk.
These Potato stalk cables can be sourced from retailers such as eBay and Alibaba.
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