Q: How do I upgrade a deployed OpenMetal Large v5 to enable Intel TDX?
Schedule the upgrade with OpenMetal: 8 additional DDR5-6400 DIMMs are added to populate all 16 slots, taking the server from 512 GB to 1 TB, after which TDX is enabled in firmware and the OS is reconfigured for TDX-aware operation.
The upgrade path follows OpenMetal’s standard memory-expansion workflow for Large-tier servers and does not require replacing existing modules. The 8 DIMMs already installed remain in place; 8 additional DIMMs of the same DDR5-6400 64 GB module are added to the unpopulated slots. This maintains one DIMM per channel for optimal bandwidth utilization across both Xeon 6517P sockets. The upgrade is a planned-downtime operation since the chassis is opened, but most customers complete the cycle within a single maintenance window.
Once memory is in place, TDX activation has two parts. First, firmware: OpenMetal enables the TDX module in BIOS, which is a one-time configuration change applied during the upgrade window. Second, software: the host OS kernel and hypervisor must be TDX-aware. OpenMetal’s standard TDX images include a recent Linux kernel with TDX guest support and a configured KVM stack that can launch Trust Domains. Customers running their own OS image should align with the requirements in the Enabling Intel SGX and TDX guide page before the upgrade.
After the upgrade, the Large v5 operates as a Large v5 TDX Edition — same compute footprint, same network configuration, same data drives. Confidential workloads can be migrated from non-TDX hosts using standard VM migration tools, and existing non-confidential workloads continue to run alongside TDX guests on the same server. To schedule the upgrade, contact OpenMetal Support with the target server’s deployment ID; the upgrade is fixed monthly cost going forward at the TDX-Edition rate. Ramp pricing is available for customers migrating confidential workloads from other providers during the transition.
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