[Arm-dev] Gigabyte MP30-AR0

[Gordan Bobic]

On 05/03/16 12:00, Richard W.M. Jones wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 05, 2016 at 11:57:11AM +0000, Gordan Bobic wrote:
>> On 05/03/16 11:22, Richard W.M. Jones wrote:
>>> I wanted to permanently get rid of u-boot because I want to see if we
>>> can turn these boards into real (SBSA/SBBR) server hardware that can
>>> run RHEL.
>>
>> Would putting UEFI image for chainloading onto the SD card not
>> fulfill this requirement without the loss of flexibility incurred by
>> losing the 1st stage u-boot loader?
>
> I'd really just like SBSA hardware without complications.  If we can
> get that I'll purchase dozens of these boards for OpenStack
> development.  If not, I'll be recommending Huskyboards :-)

 From what little I can find on the spec, it really doesn't look like 
the Huskyboard is anywhere nowhere even near the same league as the 
Gigabyte board. Not standard *TX form factor, one DIMM slot on the 
underside of the board, IIRC, non-standard power input connector. It's 
as awful a hack-job as most of the ARM dev kits.

OTOH, the MP30-AR0 is standard Micro-ATX in every way, and can take up 
to 128GB of RAM (it's a bit surreal of amazing to suddenly go from 
bashing my head against the limits of tiny memory on ARM bords to one 
that I can just fill up with 128GB of RAM I have lying around!).

Softiron Overdrive 3000 comes close in terms of spec, but unlike the 
Gigabyte, I cannot just click it into the shopping cart, hand over my 
payment details and expect it to be in my hands 48 hours later. And it 
is probably more expensive than even MP30-AR0.

Gordan