Supermicro BigTwin SYS-2029BT-HNR
The Supermicro SYS-2029BT-HNR is a 2U 4-node high-density BigTwin server system. Each of the four independent nodes accommodates two Intel Xeon Scalable processors, up to 24 DDR4 DIMM slots, and six hot-swap 2.5-inch all-flash NVMe drive bays, making it an established benchmark platform for VMware vSAN and Nutanix HCI clusters.
Specifications
| Brand | Supermicro |
|---|---|
| Family | BigTwin |
| Form factor | 2U 4-node |
| Released | Aug 2017 |
| End of sale | Dec 2022 |
| End of support | Dec 2027 |
| Form factor | 2U 4-node |
| Sockets | 8 |
| Processor family | Intel Xeon Scalable (1st/2nd Gen) |
| Memory slots | 96 |
| Max memory | 24TB DDR4-2933 |
| Drive bays | 24x 2.5-inch hot-swap NVMe U.2 (6 per node) |
| Power supplies | 2x 2200W Redundant Titanium |
Generations
- Next generation: Supermicro BigTwin SYS-220BT-HNTR
Compatible parts
Network adapters
AOC-S40G-I2Q Supermicro AOC-S40G-i2Q: Standard LP 2-port 40GbE controller, Intel Fortville XL710
AOC-SGP-I2 Supermicro AOC-SGP-i2: Standard LP, 2x GbE RJ45, PCI-E x4, Intel i350-AM2
AOC-SGP-I4 Supermicro AOC-SGP-i4: Standard LP, 4x GbE RJ45, PCI-E x4, Intel i350
AOC-STG-B4S Supermicro AOC-STG-B4S: Standard LP, 4x 10GbE SFP+, PCI-E x8, Broadcom BCM57840S
AOC-STG-I2T Supermicro AOC-STG-i2T: Standard LP, 2x 10GbE RJ45, PCI-E x8, Intel X540
AOC-STGN-I1S Supermicro AOC-STGN-i1S: Standard LP, 1x 10GbE SFP+, PCI-E x8, Intel 82599EN
AOC-STGN-I2S Supermicro AOC-STGN-i2S: Standard LP, 2x 10GbE SFP+, PCI-E x8, Intel 82599ES
RAID controllers
AOC-SMG2-2TM2 Supermicro AOC-SMG2-2TM2: 2x SATA M.2 RAID 1 adapter for BigTwin
Other parts
AOC-SMG3-2H8M2-B Supermicro AOC-SMG3-2H8M2-B: 2x Hybrid NVMe/SATA M.2 carrier for BigTwin
AOC-VROCINTMOD Supermicro AOC-VROCINTMOD: Intel VROC, RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 (Intel SSD Only)
AOC-VROCPREMOD Supermicro AOC-VROCPREMOD: Intel VROC Premium, RAID 0, 1, 5, 10
AOC-VROCSTNMOD Supermicro AOC-VROCSTNMOD: Intel VROC Standard, RAID 0, 1, 10
SNK-P0067PS Supermicro SNK-P0067PS: 1U Passive CPU Heat Sink for X11 Purley Platform Equipped with a Narrow Retention Mechanism
SNK-P0067PSM Supermicro SNK-P0067PSM: 1U Passive CPU Heat Sink with a 26-mm Wide Middle Air Channel for X11 Purley Platform
TPM modules
AOM-TPM-9670H-S Supermicro AOM-TPM-9670H-S: SPI Capable TPM 2.0 Provisioned for Server, Horizontal Form Factor
AOM-TPM-9671H-S Supermicro AOM-TPM-9671H-S: SPI Capable TPM 1.2 Provisioned for Server, Horizontal Form Factor
Backplanes
BPN-ADP-6NVME3-1UB Supermicro BPN-ADP-6NVME3-1UB: 6x NVMe ports and 50A power sourcing daughter card for BigTwin
BPN-NVME3-217BHQ Supermicro BPN-NVME3-217BHQ: 2U 24-Port 4-Node NVMe Backplane Support 6x2.5
Drive caddies
MCP-220-00127-0B-BULK Supermicro MCP-220-00127-0B-BULK: Black gen3 Hotswap 2.5 NVMe drive tray, Orange tab/Lock/Bulk
Power supplies
PWS-2K22A-1R Supermicro PWS-2K22A-1R: 1U 2200W Redundant Power Supply Titanium
Risers
RSC-P-6 Supermicro RSC-P-6: 1U LHS TwinPro RSC with 1 PCI-Ex16
RSC-R1UTP-E16R Supermicro RSC-R1UTP-E16R: 1U RHS TwinPro Riser card with one PCI-E x16 slot
Works together
How the Supermicro BigTwin SYS-2029BT-HNR connects to servers, storage and the network: 4 ways, with the parts and products on each path.
Fibre Channel SAN
Match the speed: 16Gb and 32Gb FC HBAs, switches and array ports work together, and each generation also runs one or two speeds below its own (a 32Gb port runs at 16Gb and 8Gb).
Switches
Brocade G-Series G610 1U
Cisco MDS 9132T 1U
Dell Connectrix DS-6620B 1U rack
Dell PowerSwitch S4148U-ON 1U switch
Storage
Lenovo ThinkSystem TS4300 Tape Library 3U rack
NetApp E-Series E5700 2U/4U rack
Dell Unity 350F 2U rack
Dell Unity 450F 2U rack
Dell Unity 550F 2U rack
Dell Unity 650F 2U rack
Optics
57-1000262-01 Brocade 16G FC SFP+ ELWL 25 km
57-1000333-01 Brocade 32G FC SFP+ SWL
57-1000487-01 Brocade 16G FC SFP+ SWL
iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet
Keep the speed the same at all three points: a 25GbE server, a 25GbE switch port and a 25GbE array port. Mixed speeds work but the slowest link sets the pace.
Adapters for the server
- AOC-S40G-I2Q Supermicro AOC-S40G-i2Q: Standard LP 2-port 40GbE controller, Intel Fortville XL710
- AOC-STG-B4S Supermicro AOC-STG-B4S: Standard LP, 4x 10GbE SFP+, PCI-E x8, Broadcom BCM57840S
- AOC-STG-I2T Supermicro AOC-STG-i2T: Standard LP, 2x 10GbE RJ45, PCI-E x8, Intel X540
- AOC-STGN-I1S Supermicro AOC-STGN-i1S: Standard LP, 1x 10GbE SFP+, PCI-E x8, Intel 82599EN
Switches
Arista 7020R 7020TR-48 1U fixed switch
Arista 7060X 7060CX2-32S 1U fixed switch
Arista 7280R 7280CR2-60 2U fixed switch
Arista 7280R 7280SR2K-48C6 1U fixed switch
Storage
- NetApp E-Series E5700 2U/4U rack
Dell Isilon A2000 4U 4-node chassis
Dell Isilon F800 4U 4-node chassis
Dell Isilon H400 4U 4-node chassis
Dell Isilon H500 4U 4-node chassis
Dell Isilon H600 4U 4-node chassis
Optics
QSFP-100G-CWDM4-AR Arista 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
QSFP-100G-LR4-AR Arista 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
Direct-attached SAS
12Gb SAS uses Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8644) connectors; older 6Gb gear uses Mini-SAS (SFF-8088). Adapter cables exist, but the link runs at the slower speed.
Adapters for the server (check the fit list)
AOC-S3008L-L8E Supermicro AOC-S3008L-L8E: Standard LP, 8 internal ports (12Gb/s) Gen-3; HBA
Storage
Lenovo Lenovo Storage DS2200 2U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DS4200 2U rack
Dell PowerEdge MX5016s blade
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE2000H 2U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE4000F 2U rack
Dell PowerVault ME4012 2U rack
File storage (NFS and SMB)
Front-end ports face the clients; back-end ports (on scale-out systems) connect the nodes to each other and need their own switch pair.
Adapters for the server
- AOC-S40G-I2Q Supermicro AOC-S40G-i2Q: Standard LP 2-port 40GbE controller, Intel Fortville XL710
- AOC-STG-B4S Supermicro AOC-STG-B4S: Standard LP, 4x 10GbE SFP+, PCI-E x8, Broadcom BCM57840S
- AOC-STG-I2T Supermicro AOC-STG-i2T: Standard LP, 2x 10GbE RJ45, PCI-E x8, Intel X540
- AOC-STGN-I1S Supermicro AOC-STGN-i1S: Standard LP, 1x 10GbE SFP+, PCI-E x8, Intel 82599EN
Switches
- Arista 7020R 7020TR-48 1U fixed switch
- Arista 7060X 7060CX2-32S 1U fixed switch
- Arista 7280R 7280CR2-60 2U fixed switch
- Arista 7280R 7280SR2K-48C6 1U fixed switch
Storage
Dell Isilon A200 4U 4-node chassis- Dell Isilon F800 4U 4-node chassis
- Dell Isilon H400 4U 4-node chassis
- Dell Isilon H500 4U 4-node chassis
- Dell Unity 350F 2U rack
- Dell Unity 450F 2U rack
Optics
- QSFP-100G-CWDM4-AR Arista 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
- QSFP-100G-LR4-AR Arista 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
- QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- Virtualization storage Ledger: scored storage platforms mrplanb.com
- SAN transport and NVMe over FC for backup mrplanb.com
Check compatibility with Supermicro
Before you buy, confirm the exact configuration against the vendor's own lists: firmware levels, operating systems, adapters and optics that Supermicro has tested with the Supermicro BigTwin SYS-2029BT-HNR.
- Compatibility Supermicro tested memory, drives and add-on cards (per system page)
- Support Supermicro Support
Equivalent models from other brands
FAQ
What is the per-node storage capacity of the SYS-2029BT-HNR?
Each node features six dedicated 2.5-inch hot-swap U.2 NVMe drive bays connected over high-speed PCIe lanes.
How is power distributed across the four nodes?
The chassis uses dual shared 2200W Titanium power supplies with a central power bus bar supplying all four hot-pluggable node trays.
Buying or selling SYS-2029BT-HNR?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- Supermicro SYS-2029BT-HNR Specification, checked 2026-10-28