Bare Metal (PC Farm)
While the majority of DaDesktop functionality relies on virtual desktops, certain tasks demand access to actual hardware. Bare metal deployment allows each participant to utilise a dedicated physical desktop or server, all overseen via the DaDesktop interface.
Dedicated hardware per individual
Instead of sharing virtual resources, every participant is assigned their own physical machine.
Remote administration of physical classrooms
Link an existing classroom environment to DaDesktop to oversee the machines without requiring on-site presence.
When bare metal is required
- Software that is incompatible with virtualisation, such as ONAP and OpenStack.
- Hardware that cannot be virtualised, including specific GPUs, Mellanox cards, and other network equipment.
- Courses where firmware interaction or physical hardware manipulation is integral to the curriculum.
- Physical classroom configurations that necessitate remote management capabilities.
How it works
Every physical machine links to a DaDesktop node using a control cable known as ddnexus. Upon initiating a standalone or fresh-start desktop, choose the "Metal PC" option. The desktop is then provisioned directly onto the physical hardware.
PC Farm
Existing office desktops can be connected to function as bare metal nodes. In this context, each physical desktop is referred to as a potato. The server responsible for managing these is known as a pumpkin (also referred to 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 eBay and Alibaba.
Start Your Free Trial Today
Run seamless virtual IT training with cloud-based labs, no downtime, just scalable learning that works.