Server rental store

AI in Ipswich

# AI in Ipswich: Server Configuration

This article details the server configuration powering the "AI in Ipswich" project, a local initiative exploring applications of artificial intelligence in urban management. This guide is intended for new system administrators and developers contributing to the project. It covers hardware specifications, software stack, networking, and security considerations.

Overview

The “AI in Ipswich” project utilizes a cluster of servers located in a dedicated, climate-controlled server room at Ipswich Borough Council. The primary goal of the infrastructure is to provide sufficient computational power for training and deploying machine learning models focused on traffic flow optimization, predictive maintenance of public infrastructure, and enhanced citizen services. The system is designed for scalability and redundancy. See System Architecture for a high-level diagram.

Hardware Specifications

The server cluster consists of three primary server types: compute nodes, storage nodes, and a management node. Details are provided below.

Server Type Model CPU RAM Storage Network Interface
Compute Node Dell PowerEdge R750 2x Intel Xeon Gold 6338 256 GB DDR4 ECC REG 2x 1.92TB NVMe SSD (RAID 1) 100 Gbps Ethernet
Storage Node Supermicro Storage Server 846E16-R1200B 2x Intel Xeon Silver 4310 128 GB DDR4 ECC REG 16x 16TB SAS HDD (RAID 6) 40 Gbps InfiniBand
Management Node HP ProLiant DL380 Gen10 2x Intel Xeon Silver 4210 64 GB DDR4 ECC REG 2x 480 GB SSD (RAID 1) 1 Gbps Ethernet

These servers run on a dedicated power circuit with UPS backup. See Power Redundancy for more details on the UPS configuration. The server room maintains a constant temperature of 22°C with humidity control. Refer to Environmental Controls for specifics.

Software Stack

The software stack is built around a Linux foundation, providing a robust and flexible environment for AI development and deployment.

Component Version Purpose
Operating System Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS Provides the base operating system.
Containerization Docker 24.0.5 Enables application packaging and isolation. See Docker Configuration.
Orchestration Kubernetes 1.27 Manages container deployment, scaling, and networking. Refer to Kubernetes Cluster Setup.
Machine Learning Framework TensorFlow 2.12 Primary framework for model development and training.
Data Storage Ceph Octopus Distributed object storage for large datasets. See Ceph Storage Cluster.
Monitoring Prometheus 2.44 Collects and stores metrics for performance monitoring.

All software is regularly updated with security patches. See Security Patching Procedure for details. Version control is managed using Git, with all project code stored in a private Git repository.

Networking Configuration

The server cluster is connected to the Ipswich Borough Council network via a dedicated VLAN. A firewall protects the cluster from external access.

Network Segment IP Range Subnet Mask Gateway
Management Network 192.168.10.0/24 255.255.255.0 192.168.10.1
Compute Network 10.0.0.0/16 255.255.0.0 10.0.0.1
Storage Network 172.16.0.0/24 255.255.0.0 172.16.0.1

Internal communication between servers utilizes private network addresses. External access is limited to the management node via SSH and a web-based monitoring interface. See Network Security Policy for complete details. The DNS server is configured to resolve both internal and external domain names. Refer to DNS Configuration.

Security Considerations

Security is a paramount concern. The following measures are in place:

⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️

View full article | Back to Server rental store