Introduction
Over the years at Puget Systems, we have expanded our support for enterprise-class hardware alongside the growing needs of our customers. As the volume and variety of our enterprise deployments increased, we knew it would be important to find a strong, reliable partner who could provide the barebones servers for us to build upon.
This search has led us to MSI.
Flexible and Scalable Servers
One of the things that first stood out to us about MSI’s server designs is their uniquely practical and forward-looking approach. Their architectures are modular and scalable, which makes it easier to adapt a platform for multiple use cases, and update it as technology changes and evolves with each new generation. For example, many parts can be used interchangeably, since MSI servers strictly follow modern enterprise form-factor standards. This allows us to offer more unique solutions, while maintaining the high familiarity we pride ourselves on having with our systems.
All of this configurability means we can address the needs of a wide range of applications within MSI’s lineup. Whether we are building a traditional web server, a high-density CPU compute node, or a multi-GPU platform, their broad portfolio gives us more flexibility to match the hardware to the real needs of our customers. Let’s take a look at some of these solutions.
Say your tasks require a lot of CPU power, but rack space is at a premium. In that case, our MSI-based X202-1U or E202-1U could be attractive options — packing two high-performance CPUs into just 1U of rack space.
Or if you need as many separate machines as can fit in a given space, our E102-2U-2N or X102-2U-4N multi-node systems can squeeze even more density into your rack by housing up to four systems in just 2U height.
For GPU-reliant workloads, the X142-2U (with four GPUs in a 2U form factor) could fit the bill. Or for even more demanding applications, the E282-4U-CX8 with up to eight GPUs and embedded NVIDIA® ConnectX®-8 networking is built with modern scaling needs in mind.
Consistent among all our MSI offerings is support for established standards like U.2, OCP, and remote management.
Navigating Our Server Catalog
One thing you may have noticed in our examples above is that we have crafted model numbers to refer to the various server platforms we offer. MSI has their own naming scheme, of course, but we have formulated a standard that we use for our products. If you’re curious how to read those model numbers while seeking the solution tailored for your own use case, here’s a simple breakdown:
“CPU family” is the first letter of the processor name, in this case E for AMD EPYC™. The “number of GPUs” indicates a maximum (since they don’t all have to be populated). “Extra info” varies, but can indicate things like how many nodes in some servers (2N or 4N, for example) or ConnectX-8 networking, as in the example in this diagram. Our laptops, workstations, rackstations, and storage systems all use similar naming conventions — but slightly tweaked to best describe the characteristics of each type of computer.
Beyond the Hardware
Hardware is only one aspect of what makes a good partner. Throughout our work with MSI, the people behind the products have consistently demonstrated a high level of technical knowledge and experience. They approach problems thoughtfully, and they understand that building enterprise systems involves much more than simply selecting the newest components. From engineering and product development to support and business operations, that intentional mindset has made MSI a strong partner for us.
We place a lot of value on understanding how a system will be used, identifying potential problems before they reach the customer, and making design decisions based on what is meaningful to the people actually using the computer. We see many of those same principles reflected in MSI’s approach to server development. Our customers’ needs in this space will continue to evolve as workloads become more demanding and the technology behind them changes, so having a partner who keeps their eye on the horizon while maintaining a practical approach to today’s challenges gives us a strong foundation to meet those needs.
We are excited and looking forward to seeing what this partnership enables our customers to create.
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