Supermicro SYS-E403-14B-FRN2T Topology
Here is the block diagram. Something small, but notable here is that the socket is at the bottom of the system. That is not something we normally see, but it tells you just how different this system is. Supermicro has also had Xeon D systems in the E403 line, so this is not the first one that skipped a PCH.
Here is a quick look at the topology.
Next, let us get to the management.
Supermicro SYS-E403-14B-FRN2T Management
This system uses the industry-standard ASPEED AST2600 BMC.
We also logged in to see Supermicro’s standard IPMI interface.
That means we get all of the features, such as being able to get our inventory of components.
That is useful since oftentimes these systems are deployed at the edge, where it is challenging to do manual inventories.
Since there are redundant PSUs, it is useful to monitor both and check the load status.
As you might imagine, a key feature is the iKVM functionality with remote media.
Overall, this is the same management as you would expect to see on mainstream Supermicro servers.
Next, let us get to the performance.
Supermicro SYS-E403-14B-FRN2T Performance
This system is using the Intel Xeon 6521P. That is a 24-core processor with 144MB of L3 cache.
We tested this in a standard rackmount server and performance-wise, we saw what we would expect:
As a note, the Intel Xeon 6521P has a 225W TDP in a system rated for 300W. We would not expect that this system would have any challenges cooling the processor, given this delta.
This is a very solid performance, as one might expect. With a relatively tame CPU and cooling designed to cool both the CPU as well as high-speed GPUs, we are not stressing the cooling too much here.
Just as a quick aside, we ran two NVIDIA ConnectX-7 400GbE NICs in here and managed to get full 400Gbps speeds from both. Those are not the easiest cards to cool, either.
Next, let us get to the power consumption.
And how many ports would you like? Answer = YES!