Which order is correct for bringing up a new GPU server?
Why C is the answer
Power and BMC, firmware, OS and drivers, then tests
Each layer depends on the one below it.
In detail
- Each layer depends on the one below it.
- Skipping ahead wastes time.
Use case
An illustrative scenario, not a real incident.
A team brings up each layer in order, because each depends on the layer below.
See it in different ways
flowchart LR A["Rack, power, cooling"] --> B["BMC and OOB"] B --> C["Firmware"] C --> D["OS and drivers"] D --> E["Single-node tests"] E --> F["Multi-node tests"]
sequenceDiagram participant F as Facility participant B as BMC participant W as Firmware participant O as OS and drivers F->>B: Power and network B->>W: Update through out-of-band access W->>O: Install the OS and drivers O->>O: Confirm GPUs, then run diagnostics
flowchart LR S0["Power and BMC"] --> S1["Firmware"] --> S2["OS and drivers"] --> S3["Tests"]
Key point: Bring up layers in order.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Tests first, then firmware, OS, and BMC last
- Tests need everything else.
- B. OS first, then rack it, then power and network
- A server must be racked first.
- D. Drivers first, then OS, firmware, and power last
- Power must come first.