Re:The logging framework isn't a bottleneck, and other lies ...
by dijit on Thursday May 14, 2020 @10:13AM
(#23179758)
Seems like most of the comments are talking about the reasons and they're all right of course but there's a bit more to it.
First, there's the out-of-band management engine, which is technically in control of everything. The BIOS and the Lights-Out management system are interdependent. They will communicate with each other.
Just initialising this communication channel is more complicated that a normal computers entire BIOS.
Then there's activating every sensor and hardware device, most servers aren't actually the 2 x86_64 CPUs that are socketed to the motherboard, they're more like 30+ CPU's, various hardware controllers, including networks, fan controllers, drive controllers, power supply controllers.
Each of them also has firmware equivelant of a whole BIOS, and they also will communicate with each other.
Thirdly, every sensor/firmware/device test is synchronous and logged. That logging is painfully slow as it's logging via the out-of-band management engine and that engine is super tiny and low power.
Finally all that memory will be tested and not 'assumed' to be fine. Each individual DIMM is blasted with voltage to test if it's seated well, then there is some memory testing which is not only more extensive than the 'fast check' your laptop will do, it's more heavy than the "heavy" check your laptop will do.
There's a bit more to it too, like the fact that memory gets "extended" into the out of band system so that it can control VGA/Serial/USB.
First, there's the out-of-band management engine, which is technically in control of everything. The BIOS and the Lights-Out management system are interdependent. They will communicate with each other.
Just initialising this communication channel is more complicated that a normal computers entire BIOS.
Then there's activating every sensor and hardware device, most servers aren't actually the 2 x86_64 CPUs that are socketed to the motherboard, they're more like 30+ CPU's, various hardware controllers, including networks, fan controllers, drive controllers, power supply controllers.
Each of them also has firmware equivelant of a whole BIOS, and they also will communicate with each other.
Thirdly, every sensor/firmware/device test is synchronous and logged. That logging is painfully slow as it's logging via the out-of-band management engine and that engine is super tiny and low power.
Finally all that memory will be tested and not 'assumed' to be fine. Each individual DIMM is blasted with voltage to test if it's seated well, then there is some memory testing which is not only more extensive than the 'fast check' your laptop will do, it's more heavy than the "heavy" check your laptop will do.
There's a bit more to it too, like the fact that memory gets "extended" into the out of band system so that it can control VGA/Serial/USB.