The Rock PI-X have arrived: it is time to build the minicluster! First, let’s assemble a proof-of-concept:

Before buying all the nodes of the cluster, it is worth testing a unit. The short list of candidates was quickly drawn:

Chinese manufacturers offer a large choice of low-cost, fanless, servers. I chose one with more than enough power and four Ethernet plugs. Only two RJ45 connectors were needed but additional ones allow me to split the cluster in two sub-nodes and test consequences of inter-networks communication. For example, a kubernete-to-kubernetes cluster connection might be tested.