ILO is the same for all. An Advanced key is needed to use kvm after the OS is up.I'm interested but the catch is that you have to want 8 nodes not 4. Slower to expand. @Patriot How's the ILO setup? Need to buy a key for kvm?
I have actually only used HP KVMs at work... and 1 cheapy iogear at home.KVM direct attach = lantronix or avocent external box?
Exactly, just need the single SSD for the OS (VMware or Hyper-V), all storage is run off dual Infiniband QDR ports, basically a cheap hypervisor cluster node.HP Proliant SL390S G7 1U 2X Quad Core E5520 2 26GHz 8GB RAM No HDD | eBay
HP Proliant SL390S G7 1U 2X Six Core L5640 2 26GHz 8GB RAM No HDD | eBay
HP Proliant SL390S G7 1U 2X Six Core X5650 2 66GHz 8GB RAM No HDD | eBay
Pretty much pick what processor you want and buy some additional ram.
I never gave the HDD's sleds any thought as everything would be over a the 10Gb or IB. Boot would be USB. Heck you could even if I used a node as a OmniOS + Napp-It server with the use of an SAS HBA in the PCIe slot. If you are going crazy on the node setup you already have a rack to mount a 3U SAS expander in.
http://www.servethehome.com/sandisk-cruzer-fit-16gb-usb-20-thumb-drive-1u-server-accessory/What USB drive(s) do you recommend for OS loads that are reliable and will last?
Sorry to necro the thread but would you still say this is worth it? A barebones S6500 all with SL390s nodes goes for 900 on the bay..that works out to 112.50 a "server", which, IMO, is pretty damn amazing before you add in CPU/RAM/Drives.I recently bought this exact unit:
HP Proliant S6500 8 x SE2170S Node 16 x X5650 512GB RAM No HDD Rails | eBay
Some early feedback:
The rail kit doesn't work in a Dell 4 post cabinet, not sure they will work in any 4 post cabinets. The unit with all 8 sleds is super heavy, you will need a special heavy duty shelf to hold it. No idea if these are original HP rails (they look like it), or after market junk rails, but they don't work either way, and have to spend another $150 bucks on a heavy duty 4 port shelf to support it.
There are 4 x 2.5" SATA HDD's options on each sled, however it requires a special HDD adapter to use them, and the vendor I bought it from doesn't sell them, nor can I find a vendor that sells them. I have some SSD's in them, so I sort of just plugged em in and let them sit there without being "locked in" to place. I wouldn't do this with spinning HDDs.
The PCIe slot is a nightmare to get to/use. You have to remove 4 screws (typical HP torq like crap), pull the cage out, then pull the pci riser unit out (2 more torq screws, different size), put your card in (I'm using dual port Mellanox QDR cards), put the riser and card back into the cage, and then screw the cage back in. It looks like 2 x SAS connections go from the motherboard to the riser, at least on the SE2170s sleds I have, which I've never seen used to extend the PCIe slot, very interesting.
There is no unit/chassis management module, at least that I can figure out how to access. Each sled has on-board IL100 with basic key, you'll need to provide an advanced key to get IPKVM functionality.
The firmware on them is quite old, and thanks to HP's new policy, you cannot just download new firmware for them without a maintenance contract. I "borrowed" a friends 09.14 SPP ISO, to see if it would update firmware, and after a few hours of running and scanning, it didn't find anything to update, not sure if the G6 sleds aren't supported or something else was wrong.
The IO is all out the front, so 3 x Ethernet (1 x ILO, 2 x network) and 2 x QSFP, which is a nightmare to manage and properly run and make look nice once you snake it from the front of the cabinet to the back and then to the TOR switches.
The fans are LOUD, you don't want to run this in a home lab, unless it is in another room/section of the house. Our units are in a datacenter so noise doesn't matter to us.
Summary, for my usage anyhow, great lab/play setup, good price per unit, however I'd spend a bit more and do Dell R610's if I was buying used and looking to put them into production.
Tom
Edit... if it has the optional IB it is QSFPSorry to necro the thread but would you still say this is worth it? A barebones S6500 all with SL390s nodes goes for 900 on the bay..that works out to 112.50 a "server", which, IMO, is pretty damn amazing before you add in CPU/RAM/Drives.
The attractive thing about a barebones with the SL390s is that they have 10Gb and IB onboard already...meaning I wouldn't have to shell out 80-100 for a card per node for my alternate choices. But does anyone know if that onboard IB is 40GBps?
HP Proliant S6500 4U 8x SL390S G7 Barebone Server Nodes | eBayGive the link... There is no IB onboard persay... it is a flex-lom card that is flush with the mobo level.
Which means... you need to know what card it is.
If the picture is correct, it looks like it has 2 x 40gb IB, port P1 in the picture, and then an add-in card in the riser. That's a good price for 8x bare-bones!
Mine shipped from TX to VA, and it was $175 bucks via freight. Those things are heavy, see my post above too, the rail kit I received was useless and I had to spent another $100+ bucks on a shelf to hold it.I can't get those fools to pick up the phone or reply to my ebay messages. ALso, the shipping for it is freight which could easily add 200 bucks to the cost. We'll see I guess.