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0 pointsdist1ll2y ago0 comments

The difference is that when you're buying a x86 system, the entire CPU bringup (incl. AMEGAS/openSIL on AMD) runs proprietary and poorly documented firmware. You're entirely at the mercy of the vendor.

Oxide has put immense effort into writing open-source platform initialization code, and built their own open-source BMC/RoT solution.

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steve19772y ago

So effectively I’m at the mercy of Oxide, at least as long as their system does not become some kind of standard.

Not in theory maybe, but in practice. Because as a customer, I would probably also need to put in immense effort to understand and maintain that software myself.

EvanAnderson2y ago

Their firmware is open source. You can pay whoever you want to maintain it. You can't do that with Dell, HP, Supermicro, and the unknowable rabbit hole of ODMs and sub-suppliers and contractors who actually make the hardware and firmware for these companies.

Until you've dealt with a malfunctioning Dell or HP server and have to live with being told "we don't know why it acts that way, we'll try to get the ODM to repro" I don't think you can appreciate how cool Oxide's offering seems.

steve19772y ago

If I have server under maintenance with Dell or HP, they would replace the server or component for me in such a case.

Which would probably be a lot faster than trying to find someone who could maintain some non-standard firmware (as good as it might be).

Even if I had to replace the server on my own cost it would probably still be cheaper. And it would be easy to replace because it's commodity hardware, that was kind of my point.

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0 pointsdist1ll2y ago0 comments

Oxide has put immense effort into writing open-source platform initialization code, and built their own open-source BMC/RoT solution.

0 comments

steve19772y ago

So effectively I’m at the mercy of Oxide, at least as long as their system does not become some kind of standard.

Not in theory maybe, but in practice. Because as a customer, I would probably also need to put in immense effort to understand and maintain that software myself.

EvanAnderson2y ago

steve19772y ago

If I have server under maintenance with Dell or HP, they would replace the server or component for me in such a case.

Which would probably be a lot faster than trying to find someone who could maintain some non-standard firmware (as good as it might be).

Even if I had to replace the server on my own cost it would probably still be cheaper. And it would be easy to replace because it's commodity hardware, that was kind of my point.

2 more replies

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse