Node Provider Machine Hardware Guide
Hardware specifications and validated server configurations for node machines that join the Internet Computer — Gen-1 legacy and current Gen-2.
Node providers operate one or more node machines that run on the Internet Computer network. This guide lists the hardware required for each generation of node machine and the configurations that have been validated for use.
Gen-1 hardware was used by node providers to set up node machines during the Genesis launch. Gen-2 is the current specification, defined for the network's continued growth: it is generic rather than vendor-specific, and supports VM memory encryption and attestation, which the network will need for future features.
While Gen-2 node providers are only strictly required to follow the generic specifications — IC-OS installation will fail if those specifications are not met — it is strongly recommended that providers purchase one of the validated configurations listed below.
Gen-2 node machine requirements
Gen-2.3 generic specification
| Quantity | Item description |
|---|---|
| 2 | Dual Socket AMD EPYC Milan CPU — Recommended: 7313 (16C/32T 3 GHz). Optionally 7343, 7373, 73F3 |
| 16 | 32GB RDIMM, 3200MT/s, Dual Rank |
| 5 | 6.4TB NVMe Mixed Mode (DWPD >= 3) with U.2 or U.3 interface |
| 1 | Dual Port 10G SFP or BASE-T |
| 1 | TPM 2.0 |
[!WARNING] Do NOT order a RAID controller for your node machine. If a RAID controller is included in your setup, it will cause issues with the installation of IC-OS on your machine.
DFINITY-validated configurations
DFINITY has validated the following Gen-2 hardware configurations.
Dell
| Quantity | Item description |
|---|---|
| 2 | AMD EPYC 7343 3.2GHz, 16C/32T, 128M Cache (190W) |
| 16 | 32GB RDIMM, 3200MT/s, Dual Rank 16Gb BASE x8 |
| 5 | 6.4TB Enterprise NVMe Mixed Use AG Drive U.2 Gen4 with carrier |
| 1 | PowerEdge R6525 Motherboard, with 2 x 1Gb Onboard LOM (BCM5720) MLK V2 |
| 2 | Dual, Hot-plug, Redundant Power Supply (1+1) 1100W, Mixed Mode Titanium |
| 1 | Intel X710 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+, OCP NIC 3.0 |
| 1 | Trusted Platform Module 2.0 V3 |
ASUS
| Quantity | Item description |
|---|---|
| 2 | AMD EPYC 7313 (3.00 GHz, 16-Core, 128 MB) |
| 16 | 32GB ECC Reg ATP DDR4 3200 RAM |
| 5 | 6.4 TB NVMe Kioxia SSD 3D-NAND TLC U.3 (Kioxia CM6-V) |
| 1 | Asus Mainboard KMPP-D32 Series (without OCP 3.0, without Pike) |
| 2 | 1600 Watt redundant PSU |
| 1 | Broadcom 25 Gigabit P225P SFP28 Dual Port Network Card |
| 0 | TPM 2.0* |
[!NOTE] * DFINITY did not order the TPM 2.0 on the ASUS test machine that was validated. Your machine DOES need the TPM 2.0.
Supermicro
| Quantity | Item description |
|---|---|
| 2 | AMD EPYC 7313 (3.00 GHz, 16-Core, 128 MB) |
| 16 | 32GB ECC Reg DDR4 3200 RAM |
| 5 | 6.4 TB NVMe TLC SSD, PCIe 4.0 x4, U.3 2.5", 3 DWPD |
| 1 | SuperMicro H12DSU-iN |
| 2 | 1200 Watt redundant PSU |
| 1 | Dual Port 10GBase-T Network Adapter Intel X710-TM4* |
| 1 | Dual Port 10GbE Network Adapter Intel X710-TM4, SFP+* |
| 1 | Trusted Platform Module 2.0 |
[!NOTE] * Only one dual-port network adaptor is required.
Gigabyte
| Quantity | Item description |
|---|---|
| 2 | AMD EPYC 7313 (3.00 GHz, 16-Core, 128 MB) |
| 16 | 32GB ECC Reg DDR4 3200 RAM |
| 5 | 6.4 TB NVMe TLC SSD, PCIe 4.0 x4, U.3 2.5", 3 DWPD |
| 1 | Gigabyte MZ92-FS1 Rev. 3.0 |
| 2 | 1200 Watt redundant PSU |
| 1 | Dual Port 1000Base-T Network Adapter Intel I350-AM2* |
| 1 | Dual Port 10GbE Network Adapter, Broadcom NetXtreme E-Series* |
| 1 | Trusted Platform Module 2.0 |
[!NOTE] * Only one dual-port network adaptor is required.
Community-validated configurations
Node providers have validated the following Gen-2 hardware configurations.
Dell PowerEdge R7525
| Quantity | Item description |
|---|---|
| 2 | AMD 7313 3.0GHz, 16C/32T, 128M, 155W, 3200 |
| 16 | 32GB RDIMM, 3200MT/s, Dual Rank 16Gb BASE x8 |
| 5 | 6.4TB Enterprise NVMe Mixed Use AG Drive U.2 Gen4 with carrier |
| 1 | PowerEdge R7525 Motherboard, with 2 x 1Gb Onboard LOM (BCM5720) MLK V2 |
| 2 | Dual, Hot-plug, Power Supply Redundant (1+1), 800W, Mixed Mode, NAF |
| 1 | Intel X710 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+, OCP NIC 3.0 |
| 1 | Trusted Platform Module 2.0 V3 |
Gen-1 node machine requirements
If you are a node provider acquiring machines to join the network, use the Gen-2 specifications listed above. This section is for Gen-1 node providers who joined before Genesis.
SuperMicro — Gen-1.1
| Quantity | Item description |
|---|---|
| 1 | AS-1023US-TR4 |
| 2 | Rome 7302 DP/UP 16C/32T 3.0 |
| 16 | 32GB DDR4-3200 2Rx4 ECC REG DIMM |
| 5 | Samsung PM983 3.2TB NVMe PCIE/SATA Hybrid M.2 & 1 PCIE |
| 2 | 800W Power Supply |
| 1 | Std LP 2-port 10G RJ45, Intel x540 |
| 5 | Micron 5300 PRO 7.4TB, SATA, 2.5", 3D TLC, .6DWPD (with caddie) |
| 1 | C13/C14 13A Power Cord |
Dell — Gen-1.1
| Quantity | Item description |
|---|---|
| 1 | R6525 |
| 1 | Chassis — supports up to 10 NVMe drives, 12 drives total |
| 1 | Dual 1 GB on motherboard |
| 3 | Low-profile PCIe slots |
| — | 3 Year Basic NBD Support |
| — | iDrac Enterprise |
| 1 | Dual port 10GbE Base-T Adapter Broadcom, PCIe Low Profile |
| 10 | 3.2TB NVMe, Mixed Use, 2.5" with carrier |
| 16 | 32GB RDIMM (3200MT/s) |
| 2 | AMD 7302 3GHz, 16C/32T, 128M, 155W, 3200 |
| 1 | Single Power Supply (800W) |
| 1 | C13-C14, 3M, 125V 15A Power Cord |
Dell — Gen-1.2
| Quantity | Item description |
|---|---|
| 1 | R6515 |
| 1 | 3.5" Chassis with up to 4 Hot-Plug Hard Drives and OS RAID |
| 1 | Dual 1 Gb on motherboard |
| 3 | Low-profile PCIe slots |
| 1 | Standard Fan |
| — | 3 Year Basic NBD Support |
| — | iDrac Enterprise |
| 2 | Dual Port 10GbE Base-T Adapter Broadcom, PCIe Low Profile |
| 2 | 480GB SSD SATA Mix Use 6Gbps 512 2.5in Hot-Plug AG Drive, 3.5in |
| 4 | 8GB RDIMM, 3200 MT/s, Single Rank |
| 1 | AMD EPYC 7232P 3.10GHz, 8C/16T, 64M Cache (120W) DDR4-3200 |
| 1 | Dual Hot-Plug Redundant Power Supply (1+1), 550W |
| 2 | Jumper Cord — C13/C14, .6M, 250V, 13A |
Purchasing hardware
- Choose your node machine configuration.
- Stick with the configurations above. Anything else is unsupported.
- Use local and trusted supply chains.
- If possible, purchase hardware locally from a trusted vendor to avoid global single points of failure and to reduce the risk that somebody tampers with your hardware during delivery.
- Where to buy?
- Place your order.
- Double-check the components meet the generic specs above.
Lead times can be weeks to months. Plan accordingly with respect to onboarding.
[!NOTE] Ordering the hardware directly after the acceptance of your node provider and data center registration by the NNS is the safest option. However, in practice, if you are fully aware of the associated risks, ordering the hardware at an earlier stage can be done as well.
Related
- Node Provider Documentation — the parent index for the role.
- Node Deployment Guide (Gen-2) — installing IC-OS on Gen-2 hardware.
- Node Deployment Guide (Gen-1, with HSM) — the legacy HSM deployment path.
- Gen-1 onboarding Gen-2 machines — moving an existing Gen-1 provider onto Gen-2 nodes.