x86 Hardware Requirements¶
For general switch hardware requirements see the Switch Hardware Requirements section.
The hardware requirements for the x86 CPU architecture are:
| Required Hardware | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 1GB (min) CPU DRAM | The DRAM used by the CPU. |
| Mass storage 4GB(min), 16GB (rec) | GRUB, the ONIE kernel and the network OS reside in the mass storage block device. Although 4GB is the minimum size of this flash, 16GB is the recommended size. |
| Non-volatile board information | An EEPROM (or NOR / NAND flash) to store board information and manufacturing data, like the device serial number and network MAC address. |
| Ethernet management port | Required to download an operating system installer. |
For the mass storage device many possibilities exist. The only real requirement is that the BIOS recognizes the device as bootable. Some possibilities are:
- mSATA
- CFast
- SATA SSD
- USB NAND
System BIOS and the SMBIOS/DMI standard¶
A defacto standard for managing x86 servers is the SMBIOS and DMI data stored in the system BIOS. Under Linux the dmidecode utility is used to access this data.
For mega-scale data centers the DMI information is a key component for automation and configuration management. All the major automation engines use the DMI data to figure out what kind of box they are on. For example see:
x86 switches should behave like x86 servers in this regard.
Note
This is not a technical problem for ONIE, but it is an operational problem for end customers.
For reference see the SMBIOS Reference Specification, section 6.2 Required Structures and Data.
Below are the sections and fields of the SMBIOS/DMI data that are required by the aforementioned automation engines. The ONIE project recommends that all of these fields be filled in correctly.
Required SMBIOS/DMI BIOS Information (DMI type 0) Fields¶
| Field | Comments |
|---|---|
| Vendor | Required - BIOS vendor name |
| Version | Required - version of BIOS f/w |
| Revision | Required - version of BIOS f/w |
| Release Date | Optional - BIOS f/w build date |
Required SMBIOS/DMI System Information (DMI type 1) Fields¶
| Field | Comments |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Required |
| Product Name | Required - should match SKU description |
| Serial Number | Required |
| Version | Optional - match orderable SKU or sticker on chassis |
| SKU Number | Optional - match orderable SKU or sticker on chassis |
Required SMBIOS/DMI Chassis Information (DMI type 3) Fields¶
| Field | Comments |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Required |
| Type | Optional |
| Serial Number | Required |
| Asset Tag | Required - for null return “Not Specified” |
| Power Supply State | Optional |
| Thermal State | Optional |
| Height | Optional - should be in rack units |