[CALUG] Pi Cluster Hat and New Pi3 B+

[Ron Swift]

We have been discussing Docker swam cluster at our last few meetings.
The recommended test setup uses a Pi3, a cluster hat and 4 pi zero devices.
The cluster hat was difficult to get. I found a US based source and purchased one last week.
It is https://www.pishop.us and they are located in Newark, DE. Delivery is typically two days.
They also have the new Pi3 B+ boards in stock as a kit. Here is a detail description of the new board:

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ is the latest product in the Raspberry Pi 3 range,
boasting a 64-bit quad core processor running at 1.4GHz, dual-band 2.4GHz
and 5GHz wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.2/BLE, faster Ethernet, and PoE capability
via a separate PoE HAT.

The dual-band wireless LAN comes with modular compliance certification,
allowing the board to be designed into end products with significantly reduced
wireless LAN compliance testing, improving both cost and time to market.

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ maintains the same mechanical footprint as both
the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B and the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B.

Specifications:

    1.4GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU (BCM2837)
    1GB RAM (LPDDR2 SDRAM)
    On-board wireless LAN – dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac (CYW43455)
    On-board Bluetooth 4.1 HS low-energy (BLE) (CYW43455)
    4 x USB 2.0 ports
    300Mbit/s ethernet
    40 GPIO pins
    Full size HDMI 1.3a port
    Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
    Camera interface (CSI)
    Display interface (DSI)
    microSD slot
    VideoCore IV multimedia/3D graphics core @ 400MHz/300MHz

With the ARMv8 processor it can run the full range of ARM GNU/Linux distributions, including Snappy Ubuntu Core, as well as Microsoft Windows 10 IoT edition.

You will need the latest NOOBS image for the Wireless LAN and Bluetooth drivers to be installed.

Thanks

Ron Swift 
President 
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