Looking for just the latest release notes? Jump below. Looking for the BIOS 1.2c release? Jump to this detailed article. What does BIOS stand for? Basic Input/Output System, see Wikipedia: The BIOS (/ˈbaɪ.ɒs/, an acronym for Basic Input/Output System and also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS or PC…
Looking to ignore release notes and disclaimers/warnings to get right to the downloads? Jump below. See also video demonstrating of how HTML5/iKVM lets you dump Java, if you can get around the known IPMI 3.46 issues. Here's the current Supermicro Xeon D-1500 systems with X10SDV motherboards, in…
Nov 29 2016 Critical Update - If you are already using a 6.2 release prior to today, see article updates below for details on the important, just-released Updater that's recommended for all existing v6.2.0 users. Those downloading new aren't affected. I'm so glad to hear NAKIVO Backup &…
All the details about these 3 remaining demonstrations in 2016 are found here: TinkerTravels 2016 - More than a dozen technical demonstrations at a variety of user groups and conferences where you'll also be able to scroll back and see the 9 other presentations that already happened! Google Maps…
I already told the story of the trials and tribulations and a failed engine starter motor, which cause our plane to make a barking dog sound. The 10 hour delay almost kept me from getting to Indianapolis this year, see also pictures below. In the end, I obviously made it, with my day-of-release…
Putting yourself out there on the web has its benefits, including virtually meeting people from all over this planet who share tips and tricks. What a nice feeling, when I recently came across the perspective of an enthusiastic Mac/NUC/SuperServer guy who recently went through the home lab…
Josh @jcefidel, about your tweet, pictured at right, I'm honored! Loaner status (not Loner status ;-) Unfortunately, despite my attempts to reach Samsung PR, and my visits to their booth at VMworld 2015 and VMworld 2016, I have failed to secure any test samples. In a perfect world, I'd be…
I'm honored to know Ariel Sanchez (@arielsanchezmor) for some years now, and even captured a bit of his signature happiness on camera at last year's VMworld here. Well this year, with the help of friend Jonathan Frappier (@jfrappier) and new friend Matt Crape (@MattThatITGuy), Ariel made this…
I've had couple of folks alert me to potential issues that result from having both power connectors simultaneously connected. One guy reporting SATA ports gone bad, perhaps caused by an EU reseller that had attached both connectors simultaneously. I've had one report of a non-bundle bare-bones…
Anandtech has published an in-depth article that details not only VDI test results, but also new server testing tools from Futuremark. Given the hundreds of VMworld 2016 attendees who visited my Supermicro Xeon D VMware vSphere 6.0U2 cluster of 5 SuperServers yesterday, I won't argue with the…
Sep 15 2016 Update - pre-orders of this new 12 core Bundle now available, with shipments expected to start in early October. This past winter, you may recall my observation that Supermicro's announcements of new Xeon D systems was conspicuously missing any new mini-tower form factor systems.…
Ever wonder if there's an affordable power strip that you could add to your home network that would give you insight into the power usage of up to 8 devices, and allow remote power on/off operations? If you're willing to tolerate a bit of initial setup pain that requires a back-level Java and a…
SYS-E300-8D and SYS-5018D-FN4T networking compared. ESXi 6.0U2, fully loaded! I used to do high jump and 400 meter hurtles back in high school. This Olympic month, it feels a little like that again. Numerous obstacles tripped me up on my way to the finish line. First, an NVMe storage vendor that…
There's this TinkerTry visitor who has been dropping a lot of insightful comments below various SuperServer articles lately. Like another VMware guy who reached out to me recently, it would seem that Askar Kopbayev is rather keen on getting just the right fit for his home lab needs. I'm hoping to…
Pricing info updated on Mar 16 2017, with DDR4 pricing rising >25% in the last few months. Below you'll also find the detailed pricing & specs comparison table, relative sizes, performance testing graphs, and a thorough sound and watt measurement video of each system at idle and under…
AUG 15 2016 I'm all set now, networking is fine on the SYS-E200-8D when using BIOS 1.1b and IPMI 3.26. Had to turn off the system for longer after both upgrades were complete for it to suddenly work just fine. Testing of Intel/VMware's suspect 4.4.1 10GbE VIBs is now starting, now that I have a…
You may recall I announced the NAKIVO v6.1 beta back in early July. Turns out I was able to participate myself, do several backups and restores, and provided some constructive UI and functionality feedback to the developers. I actually enjoy doing beta testing for about two decades now, and it's…
Fun new time-lapse video now available, in the updates section below the original article. The idea here is not what you should do in a home lab, it's really just determining what's become possible. Let's hold-off on concluding much of anything until I get this All-Flash vSAN rig fully…
There are many nice things to say about a tiny and efficient GPU-equipped mobile Core i7 like the latest Intel NUC, wrapped in a lovely skin and all the latest and fastest consumer tech, and finally a chipset and BIOS that allows M.2 NVMe to run at full speeds, see also: New Intel 6th generation…
This is just the beginning, a good start at understanding the differences between the sound output of these svelte little Supermicro SuperServers and the tiny Intel NUC. For the initial run of tests, I'm only looking at sound and watts during the initial power up, and after POST has completed. All…
Having already carefully inspected those recent Supermicro PR stock photos, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I finally had a little time to have a close look under the hood, minutes ago. Remember, those E300 and E200 product pages don't even have instruction manuals yet, so I was quite eager…
You've likely been itching to get rid of that pesky Java requirement if you want to remotely administer your Supermicro gear that's blessed with free IPMI/BMC/iKVM. Especially if you read my closely-related posts earlier this year: Supermicro's beloved iKVM Console Redirection is dumping…
Article updates added below, including new unboxing pictures and video. Since spotting new arrivals at Supermicro's New X10 UP Server & Storage Solutions site, interest for big images of these little server beasts has been considerable. Coming Soon, as seen on the "Supermicro New X10 UP…
You may have recently read about VTUG Co-Leader Chris Williams, in my recent post about falling DDR4 prices that are helping make Supermicro Xeon D-1541 SuperServers more obtainable for virtualization enthusiasts who are always thirsty for more RAM. Well, just so happens he's taking delivery of his…
TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here, not my employer's.
Paul Braren, MCSE in 1998, VCP #2681 in 2005, vExpert 2014 to 2024, Veeam Vanguard Emeritus, 2015 to 2019.
PayPal | Patreon | VMware Store
After 6 successful years testing then shipping well over 1,000 Xeon D Bundles, Wiredzone had to stop selling them in mid-2021 due to cost, supply, and logistics challenges. So far, Xeon D-1700/2700 (Ice Lake D) was a minor refresh for 2023, with Xeon D-1800/2800 (Granite Rapids D) refresh looking a little better for 2024. More cores, but still just PCIe Gen4 and DDR4. Looking ahead, I'm glad it's Pat Gelsinger at Intel's helm. I'm also grateful to have had the honor of working at VMware when Pat was the CIO there. I'll leave it at that, given the whole Broadcom thing.
Easily update VMware ESXi at TinkerTry.com/easy-update-to-latest-esxi
