Cheap server to run ESXi

Discussion in 'VMware Certifications' started by Beerbaron, Jun 22, 2012.

  1. Beerbaron

    Beerbaron Megabyte Poster

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    I'm looking to get another cheap server to go with my existing Dell 2950. I'm currently studying for the VCP so trying get more hands on at home.

    Currently looking at the HP ProLiant ML110 G7 E3-1220 Tower Server. These look good for the price, with cash back as well. What would you guys recommend?

    HP ProLiant ML110 G7 E3-1220 Tower Server | Ebuyer.com



    Thanks.
     
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  2. SimonD
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    SimonD Terabyte Poster

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    It really depends on how many VM's you're wanting to run on each box, as a cost saving exercise I would probably have a look at the HP Microserver instead, it's capable of running with 8gb of ram, has an internal USB slot to install ESXi to and also has 4 SATA drives (actually 5 if you include the additional CD\DVD port). Yes it's not going to be as good as the server you're looking at but you can buy 2 of them for that price and having a larger cluster to play with is always fun :)

    Failing that have a look on ebay for an additional 2950 (that way you're not going to have issues with vmotion hardware incompatability.
     
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  3. Beerbaron

    Beerbaron Megabyte Poster

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    I did look at the micro servers but thought they lacked power.

    HP ProLiant Turion II N40L MicroServer - £110.. | Ebuyer.com

    I also looked into getting another Dell 2950 but they still sell for quite a bit. I was lucky I acquired my first one from work. They only have 2850's left and they don't support virtualization.

    I'm tempted to get 2 ProLiant Servers due to the better CPU and selling the Dell 2950. I can then mess around with vMotion.
     
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  4. dales

    dales Terabyte Poster

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    2 proliants is a good choice but dont underestimate the micros, yes the cpu is a little weedy in this day and age but you do run generally run out of ram and storage before the cpu becomes a bottleneck.
     
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  5. JK2447
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    JK2447 Petabyte Poster Administrator Premium Member

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    My 2 cents, the Micro is a cracking server, my friends have them and recommend them what with the cash back deal that is about to end every month that never ends. I have a HP ML115 G5 and what I would say is that if you're studying for your VCP5 so ESXi5, and you like getting your hands a bit dirty, buying a larger ML110 or ML115 you should have enough power to nest ESXi5 as I have. I doubt the Micro would have the power to do this although I'm sure it could, at 1.5GHz dual I'm not sure you'd want to.

    I'm getting an older DL360 G4 free off one of the lads next week so will let you know how I get on with that but if you check eBay they are buttons and I'm pretty sure support all of the features you'll need and have an iLO which is always nice. Mine's got 8GB Ram in it, 2 Xenons capable of HT, just the two drive bays with it being a slim rack mount server (1U).
     
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  6. Beerbaron

    Beerbaron Megabyte Poster

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    I had just been researching the HP Micro Servers a little more and was coming round to the idea.

    2x HP ProLiant Turion II N40L MicroServer - £110 CASHBACK
    2x Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz i5 Memory Kit Non-ECC CL9 1.5V

    Total: £611.96 after CASHBACK £391.96 :biggrin .....oh wait and 6% cash back via quidco :eek:

    At that price it seems silly not to do it this way.

    If i opt for this then i will keep the Dell 2950 so if i decide to nest ESXi 5 in the future this should have the resources.
     
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  7. Beerbaron

    Beerbaron Megabyte Poster

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    Just bought the above with the extra 8Gb memory and an extra 1Tb hard drive.

    Thanks for your help. I will let you know how i get on.
     
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  8. BB88

    BB88 Kilobyte Poster Gold Member

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    Oooh sounds like fun, good luck with your studying!
     
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  9. Beerbaron

    Beerbaron Megabyte Poster

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    I want to be able to go down the shared storage route, again it will be governed by cost...damn you mortgage :(

    Can I simply buy a NAS, add some hard disks and use that? What problems am I likely to come across?


    Thanks.
     
    Certifications: BSc (Hons), MSc, ITIL v3F, MCP, MCDST, MCITP: edst7, MCTS, MCSA: Server 2003, MCSA: Windows 7, N+, NVQ IT lvl 3, MCSA Windows 7, VCP5, CCENT, CEH
    WIP: CISSP
  10. dales

    dales Terabyte Poster

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    To keep costs down to start with you could have an openfiler vm on one of the servers I'd you set it to automatically start when the host comes up the hosts should see the shared storage upon rescan. Alternatively there's nothing to stop you using starwind it similar on your laptop or desktop computer and use that as a target . Doing that won't negitively affect the desktop or laptop and to study for a vcp you don't really need anything other than the nostalgia vm or maybe an xp vm or two so actual shared storage requirements are pretty low.



    Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
     
    Certifications: vExpert 2014+2015+2016,VCP-DT,CCE-V, CCE-AD, CCP-AD, CCEE, CCAA XenApp, CCA Netscaler, XenApp 6.5, XenDesktop 5 & Xenserver 6,VCP3+5,VTSP,MCSA MCDST MCP A+ ITIL F
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  11. Beerbaron

    Beerbaron Megabyte Poster

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    I have a 250Gb that comes with each Micro Server and an extra 1Tb hard disk. So it makes sense to just add the extra disk to one of the Micro Servers and create an openfiler vm.

    What is the nostalgia vm?
     
    Certifications: BSc (Hons), MSc, ITIL v3F, MCP, MCDST, MCITP: edst7, MCTS, MCSA: Server 2003, MCSA: Windows 7, N+, NVQ IT lvl 3, MCSA Windows 7, VCP5, CCENT, CEH
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  12. dales

    dales Terabyte Poster

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    It's in the VMware appliance marketplace you can download it from VMware.com. its essentially a dos vm with a few old games installed. So it doesn't need a lot of storage or resources and is generally good enough to study with, most of the vcp training doesn't give a monkey's as to what is running in the vm.

    Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
     
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  13. Beerbaron

    Beerbaron Megabyte Poster

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    I have installed OpenFiler on my 2950 and just waiting for my HP servers to arrive tomorrow. I have acquired some cat6 from work only as I was after the shorter lengths which happen to be that grade cable. They are going to be plugged into a cheapo 10/100 switch which is my concern. Is it worth investing in a gigabit switch?
     
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  14. SimonD
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    SimonD Terabyte Poster

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    Beerbaron likes this.
  15. trebor_88

    trebor_88 Byte Poster

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    I'v just brought a ML110 G7 with 16GB ram (although I think 32GB may work), going to run a nested environment.

    Think I'll run NetApp's Data ONTAP Simulator with as well!

    Should all be setup in a week or so.
     
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  16. Beerbaron

    Beerbaron Megabyte Poster

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    Your post is unclear :blink:p

    I was looking to go down the unmanaged switch route to start with and was looking at these:

    Cisco Linksys SE2800 8-port Gigabit Switch | Ebuyer.com

    I would have preferred to get the ML110 G7 if i had a bigger budget.
     
    Certifications: BSc (Hons), MSc, ITIL v3F, MCP, MCDST, MCITP: edst7, MCTS, MCSA: Server 2003, MCSA: Windows 7, N+, NVQ IT lvl 3, MCSA Windows 7, VCP5, CCENT, CEH
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  17. SimonD
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    SimonD Terabyte Poster

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  18. Beerbaron

    Beerbaron Megabyte Poster

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    My servers have just been delivered :D

    I have a budget of ~£50 for a switch
     
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  19. dmarsh
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    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    What is the deal with ESXi compatibility, what are the options for just sticking it on a cheap desktop and booting off USB key ?

    I wouldn't think most people would need Xeon processors or ECC for a home lab ?
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2012
  20. Beerbaron

    Beerbaron Megabyte Poster

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    The PC/server needs to support virtualization to start with. You can install esxi on some hardware that's not on the supported list but you will only find out if it works when you actually install it. Even then you might have some issues later on down the line. As mentioned it depends on what you are going to be doing with it. I wasn't intending to have a nested installation so opted for the lower spec HP ProLiant Turion II N40L MicroServer.
     
    Certifications: BSc (Hons), MSc, ITIL v3F, MCP, MCDST, MCITP: edst7, MCTS, MCSA: Server 2003, MCSA: Windows 7, N+, NVQ IT lvl 3, MCSA Windows 7, VCP5, CCENT, CEH
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