The Raspberry Pi 4 was tested by Uptime Lab as an economical blade server and hardware encryption was made possible by Zymkey modules. However, the initial installation can be quite complicated. Despite its lack of performance, redundant components and remote management, the Raspberry Pi continues to be used as a server for some companies.
The Compute Blade is based on the Compute Module 4 (CM4) from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a small compact board measuring 55 × 40 mm² with a powerful 64-bit quad-core SoC of the type Broadcom BCM2711 of the Cortex-A72 generation, as well as a GE interface. With up to 8 GB LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM, it also has two 4K DP, one USB, and one PCIe 2.0 x1 interface.
Customers can choose between different versions of the CM4, with or without WLAN, Bluetooth and eMMC. It should be noted that the number of I/O channels is limited, and if you opt for the 8, 16, or 32 GB eMMC, you can no longer boot from the SD card.
All signal lines are brought out via two 100-pin Hirose DF40 series high-density connectors with a pitch of 0.4 mm, and the CM4 is designed for integration into your own hardware, such as industrial controls. A separate I/O board is also needed, and both together form the compute blade.
The installation process is complicated but can be simplified. Uptime Lab has developed a slide-in housing from the 3D printer, which makes the installation easier. Despite the limitations of the Raspberry Pi, it has relatively low power consumption, making it an economical choice for some companies.
In conclusion, while the Raspberry Pi may not be suitable for data center racks due to its lack of performance, redundant components, and remote management, it can still be used as an economical blade server.
