Gigabyte H231-H60 Server

Description

Each of the two server nodes on the Gigabyte H231-H60 high-density server supports a number of options from Nvidia, including the Tesla V100 featuring Volta architecture and several Pascal based GPUs including the P100, P40 and P4 GPUs. This system is designed for applications in AI, high-performance computing (HPC), edge computing, virtual desktop infrastructure and a variety of other workloads. Using 2nd generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors this system can also support data centric persistent memory modules (DCPMM), offering greater resiliency for business-critical workloads. Dual redundant 2000W 80 PLUS Platinum PSUs provide power to the system. This system does not offer integrated network ports but does provide PCIe slots and support for an optional OCP networking card.

Performance

Each node supports dual Intel Xeon Scalable processors from the 1st or 2nd generation. With only a single processor installed, some memory and PCIe functions will not be available. Processors with a thermal design point (TDP) of up to 165W are supported from the Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories.

Memory

Each processor supports 6-channel memory architecture and is in charge of 16 memory module slots. Supported memory types include Registered (RDIMM), Load Reduced (LRDIMM) and data centric persistent memory modules (DCPMM). Depending on the installed CPU, memory and memory configuration, memory speeds of 2933MHz, 2666MHz, 2400MHz and 2133MHz are supported memory speeds of 2933MHz and DCPMMs are only supported using 2nd generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors. A maximum of 2x DCPMMs are supported per server node and must be pared with an RDIMM.

Storage

The 24x 2.5-inch storage bays along the front of the Gigabyte H231-H60 server are divided equally between the 2x server nodes. The storage bays are color coded with blue tabs supporting hot-swap drives SAS/SATA drive formats and orange tabs supporting NVMe U.2 or SAS/SATA hot-swap drives. The default configuration for each server node includes 2x NVMe U.2 drives with 0 SAS/SATA drives. The U.2 drives are supported using the included virtual RAID on CPU key. A SAS add-on card is required to activate the other storage bays on the system, which includes 2x Broadcom expander boards. The system supports a SATA disk on module (DOM) for support of the OS.

Expansion

Each of the server nodes has a GPU tray on top with support for a single double or single-width GPU using a PCIe x16 bus interface. Two more low-profile PCIe slots in the compute tray down below provide a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot and a x8 slot for support of network or storage controllers. Another PCIe 3.0 x16 mezzanine card slot is for an optional OCP add-on card supporting 2-4 network connection ports with varying connection speeds depending on the installed card.

Management

The two server nodes in the chassis feature an ASPEED AST2500 baseboard management controller (BMC). The two nodes are addressed by the single ASPEED AST1250 central management controller chip which leverages the BMC in each of the server nodes to monitor status, inventory and troubleshoot. Also provided are Gigabyte’s proprietary management software suites, the Gigabyte Management Console and Gigabyte Server Management, or GSM. GSM provides for multiple servers or large server clusters and leverages the Gigabyte Management Console in each server node.

Summary

Outfitted with dual socket server nodes in a 2U chassis, the Gigabyte H231-H60 server can provide up to 4TB of memory and 24x hybrid drive bays for support of a variety of business-critical workloads. With free of charge management tools provided by Gigabyte reducing cost of entry and providing a quick return on investment, this is a highly flexible platform that can easily scale and adapt to changing business needs.