What sets ZimaBlade apart ZimaBoard? Are there just differences in IO?
ZimaBlade is designed as a more compact, budget-friendly option with slightly reduced features, aiming to make home lab and personal cloud setups more accessible.
ZimaBoard, however, will focus on larger size, enhanced performance, and more interface options, moving away from ZimaBlade's ultra-compact design. These differences mean ZimaBoard and ZimaBlade cater to distinct use cases within the Zima product ecosystem, reflecting community feedback and user suggestions over two years.
Will there be a dual NIC version of the ZimaBlade?
The multi-NIC product line will be positioned in the ZimaBoard and further models.
ZimaBlade will focus more on credit card size, passive cooling, and stackable product form factor evolving.
The current version remains in Realtek's NIC.
I'd like to build a rackmount cluster of ZimaBlades. Is this technically possible?
Through community interactions, we've identified clustering as a popular application scenario. Utilizing software like PVE and Ansible, you can swiftly set up a compact desktop-level cluster. The Zima team is also exploring a concept design for a server inspired by the HAL9000 prototype, based on the ZimaBlade.
Is the ZimaBlade system appears to meet the minimum requirements for TrueNAS. Has the system been tested running TrueNAS?
Yes, we've previously conducted basic compatibility testing and verification for TrueNAS. Additionally, here's a link to a user's installation test video with ZimaBoard for your reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwHvHMTkva8
I have the ZimaBoard already any reason to get the ZimaBlade?
We invested some time to customize the optimization and make ZimaBlade support 16GB of RAM.
ZimaBlade is more compact and small compared to Board, and the design of C-port also allows it to be one of your daily portable arithmetic modules, plug in a C-port display, and your personal developer starts to work.
In the small x86 Cluster scenario ZimaBlade also has more room for activity, we are actively designing some open source models and sharing them in the community, if you are interested, we sincerely invite you to participate in community discussions in this kind of direction.
Can I connect a 3.5" HDD to each of the two SATA ports on the ZimaBlade using a SATA Y cable without issues?
Yes, the SATA Y cable is fully compatible with connecting two 3.5" HDDs to the ZimaBlade, a setup that has been confirmed for its engineering integrity and reliability over time.