Raptor Computing To Launch "Arctic Tern" As An FPGA-Based Soft BMC

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Raptor Computing To Launch "Arctic Tern" As An FPGA-Based Soft BMC

Raptor Computing Systems that is known for their open-source POWER9-based Talos II and Blackbird systems that are fully open-source designs and running on free software down to the firmware level are preparing for a new product launch...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Raptor-Arctic-Tern

[zir_blazer]

This is the correct path to go for the future of any "libre" system. You build them on top of open Hardware, which at this point is realistically a FPGA + open source Verilog or something. You don't build them on top of propietary Hardware, then complain about backdoors, binary blobs, or lack of support from silicon vendors.

[schmidtbag]

Whenever I hear arctic tern, I think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBzwv057GPs

[onlyLinuxLuvUBack]

Nice, now only if they used codeberg

[tunnelblick]

Anything that improves the clusterfuck that BMCs are in nowadays servers is very welcome!

[zexelon]

I am very interested to see how long Raptor Computing can survive. They are so myopically focused on "low level openness" and the idea of "Libre" that they have dispensed with any form of usability. Its a cool looking hobby machine, but unfortunately not likely to have a market outside the random fanatical Linux user.

The hardware is really cool... but so was the Sony PS3 and it was pretty well a failure in its gen (depending how you look at the metrics) and only successful due to its software library.

[kpedersen]

The hardware is really cool... but so was the Sony PS3 and it was pretty well a failure in its gen

The PS3 was really interesting until they locked it down and crippled it. There were some small scale Cell clusters appearing.

[zexelon]

The PS3 was really interesting until they locked it down and crippled it. There were some small scale Cell clusters appearing.

Yes, unfortunately this was a business decision they had to make. They lost a fortune on the hardware and could only possibly make it up with software (i.e. games) sales. When a university class or such goes and buys even a few hundred PS3s with no intent of purchasing any software, that represents a very significant loss to Sony.

In reality it was a really poor business decision to ship such a unit "un-locked" in the first place... really cool and awesome (I still have one sitting on a shelf...) for the community but it pretty badly damaged the Sony PlayStation group.

[chocolate]

They are so myopically focused on "low level openness" and the idea of "Libre" that they have dispensed with any form of usability. Its a cool looking hobby machine, but unfortunately not likely to have a market outside the random fanatical Linux user.

You think that's their whole market and yet they are myopic... in comparison, your comment, during this era of computing platforms that are impossible to reasonably trust, is totally farsighted.
Sure, mate.

[zexelon]

You think that's their whole market and yet they are myopic... in comparison, your comment, during this era of computing platforms that are impossible to reasonably trust, is totally farsighted.
Sure, mate.

Farsighted or shortsighted... doesn't matter... the problem is they don't have a market, they are cutting their own legs off by spurning the Power10 on basically religious reasons, though behind the libre rhetoric they probably could not make a viable Power10 system atm any way due to supply and cost issues. With no alternative to move forward their very existence is limited.

I have seen mention of moving to Risk-V but the leader in that space SiFive is having production challenges of their own and the Risc-V software eco system is not yet developed enough for "prime time".

Its a really tough spot for Raptor Computing, especially since they have effectively cornered themselves, if they loosen up on the fanatical "libre" mentality and come out with say a custom "semi-libre" x86_64 system, they will immediately be branded a traitor, if they wait for some fully opened source solution to the Power10 they will like be waiting well past the Power11...