AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Sept. 27, 2019 – Inspur, a leading data center and AI full-stack solutions provider, has been an active advocate of open source technology, as evidenced by its participation in Linux and multiple open source communities in both hardware and software fields. At OCP (Open Compute Project) Regional Summit in Amsterdam, Inspur is announcing a series of contributions in the open computing field.

The OpenRMC Version 1.0 North Bound Management Application Programming Interface (API) specification is primary among Inspur’s announcements at OCP Regional Summit. Furthermore, Inspur is announcing plans to release in 2020 OpenRMC Version 2.0 with a complete rack reference solution to address users’ needs for two-way, comprehensive management of an entire rack system with detailed WebUI. Inspur’s latest OCP product acceptance, NF8380M5, and the open source I-Flex standard server design are also announced at OCP Regional Summit.

With cost reduction and power efficiency as the biggest driving forces, data centers are increasingly embracing open computing. Especially as their legacy equipment cycles toward end of life, data centers are looking to open solutions for their feature flexibility, the value of disaggregation and the assurance offered by standardized OCP certifications.

Inspur is the only server vendor who has joined all major open computing organizations, including OCP, ODCC, and Open19. In fact, Inspur has developed the world’s first full-rack management architecture based on the OCP standard

OpenRMC NB API 1.0 release and roadmap

Devoted to the technology development of AI, edge computing and high-density storage pooling, Inspur continues development of four-socket, high-density servers and rack-scale systems. The new OpenRMC NB API 1.0 is to be contributed in the OCP Hardware Management Working Group for open discussion. The solution is designed to help users, in the small and medium-sized data centers especially, slash cost of IT operation and maintenance, unify management of multi-vendor systems and boost efficiency.

Considering all of the equipment in the entire rack as objects, the OpenRMC 1.0 system level management suite emphasizes “platformization” and “compatibility.” This solution grants the management of other equipment beyond computing  and drives smooth integration with the Redfish standard management API. Forthcoming versions 2.0 of OpenBMC and OpenRMC from Inspur, scheduled for March 2020, will deliver an even more complete rack reference system with detailed WebUI.

Inspur’s latest OCP-accepted platform

As an OCP Platinum Member and OCP Solution Provider, Inspur leverages decades of experience in hardware design to promote new open architectures. Its latest OCP-accepted platform, NF8380M5, is a 3U, four-socket server based on the Project Olympus normative four-socket server developed by Intel® Purley® Platform. Suitable for multi-scene AI applications, NF8380M5 can drive GPU acceleration training workloads when serving as compute head node and support all NVMe SSDs configuration for real-time decision database applications. Other Inspur’s OCP-accepted products include NF8260M5, ON5263M5, ON5266M5 and ON5388M5.

I-Flex joint development with internet companies

Inspur is also announcing that I-Flex server design standards will come to be open source in the OCP community. Based on the T-Flex 1.0 collaboration with Tencent, I-Flex is developed by Inspur, to satisfy specific demands of internet businesses. I-Flex enables modularized deployment of servers based on different application scenarios, so as to achieve server upgrades without changing the server architecture. It provides SAS/SATA expansion board options for two-way/one-way motherboards in C zone and supports JBOD function. Based on I/O pooling technology, I-Flex enables modular iteration and flexible combination of servers by decoupling and recombining different server modules. I-Flex not only has the existing 89cm system depth structure but also offers a short chassis form which can meet the needs of future edge computing scenarios through reusing modules and designs.

Inspur’s latest contributions to open computing extend from the company’s technology direction for four-socket, high-density servers and rack-scale systems, and product focus on driving the performance and efficiency upgrades required in AI, edge computing and high-density storage pooling. Alan Chang, deputy general manager of server product line with Inspur, said, “To seize the tremendous opportunities and vitality of the open computing market in the years ahead, Inspur will remain firmly committed to leveraging our decades of experience in data center level product design to promote new open architectures and facilitate a broader and more complete open ecosystem.”

About Inspur

Inspur is a leading provider of data center infrastructure, cloud computing, and AI solutions, ranking among the world’s top 3 server manufacturers. Through engineering and innovation, Inspur delivers cutting-edge computing hardware design and extensive product offerings to address important technology arenas like open computing, cloud data center, AI and deep learning. Performance-optimized and purpose-built, our world-class solutions empower customers to tackle specific workloads and real-world challenges. To learn more, please go to www.inspursystems.com.

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Source: Inspur