So this is the iLO2 BMC of my server.
That debug port is cleverly positioned so that it's inaccessible with the power supplies installed, presumably to prevent REing of "licensed" features that the firmware is responsible for locking out.
Not sure what that Altera chip (FPGA?) is for.
there are at least five crystal oscillators in three different package shapes in this image, which Wow
@diodelass
IDK what a crystal oscillator is but it sounds cool.
@tastytentacles So when you want to generate an electrical signal with a precisely-defined frequency, one of the best ways to do that is to use a mechanical oscillator, like a literal tiny tuning fork. Quartz bends slightly when electricity is applied to it (and also generates a voltage when bent) so you can make it ring with an oscillating voltage. Amplify its output and feed it back into it, and you have an oscillator.
@diodelass if i remember my altera product lines, the Altera Max is just a cpld, not a full on fpga
That ATI chip in the bottom of the image is apparently in charge of the rear VGA port, which explains why I can only get 1024x768 resolution out the back (the CPUs' integrated GPUs can manage a bit more using the front VGA port). Not quite sure why that chip exists.