custom ESXi input wanted

[Mackintire]

So we have a windows XP pro machine that runs as a very crappy file server. It has 4 different license server systems on it.

Specs are as follows:
Pentium 4 3.0Ghz 2MB cache 800mhz FSB
2GB of Ram, never even uses a gig of it.
Its I/O performance is terrible at 23MBps though its cheap Adaptec controller via RAID 1.
It does not run with any permissions or file management at the moment.
We slam into the 10 concurrent user limit multiple times daily.
It runs CVSNT for computer code compiling and sits a 100% CPU use for minutes at a time, at which all I/O in and out of the machine halts momentarily.
We moved most of the data out of that computer and over to our secured 2003 server (which IS a beastly fileserver)


So what I want to do is as follows:

purchase a HP proliant ML150 G6 starting out with a single 2Ghz Xeon quad core and 8GB of EEC Ram.

I want to add an Adaptec 3405 SAS card 4x 1TB SAS HD's and install ESXi.

The RAID controller on the ML150 motherboard is a softRAID controller that will not be recognized by ESXi as a RAID 5 controller, I 've been told its a really a re-badged ICH10 Intel controller.

I'm thinking about partitioning the RAID 5 array into several partitions.

• Partition 1 C:\ for Windows 2008 R2 (FileServer/ direct Connect/)
• Partition 2 D:\ Data Store for Employee use
• Partition 3 E:\ VMD storage
  
• Partition 4 C:\ for Windows 2008 SBS (AD, DHCP)
• Partition 5 D:\ Databases (very little use) small data sets
  
• Partition 6: C:\ Ubuntu or Windows XP (Tinkering)
• Partition 7 D:\ as needed

What do you all think?

 

[lopoetve]

I don't think you understand how VMFS works. You don't partition it, you create a VMFS filesystem (or filesystems, max size 2TB) and put virtual disks on it

 

[Mackintire]

I assumed that I was missing a piece of the puzzle.

But the concept should be sound.

I 'll have about three months to play with the setup before final deployment.

 

[sabregen]

Also,t hey don't make a 1TB SAS drive as of yet. Largest I have seen listed is 450GB. I think you mean SATA, which will still work on your SAS controller, but you will need to check the SAS cables that your listed controller uses to verify physical compatibility.

Additionally, as lopoetve stated, the way VMFS3 volumes work is not akin to traditional physical disks and partitions, per se. You make 2TB large volumes on your block storage device (ie you make a RAID-5 with your SATA drives, then create VMFS3 data stores up to 2TB in size, each), and then put .vmdk disk files onto that VMFS3 volume. the .vmdk extension denotes a VM guest hard drive, or drive pointer (in the case of RDM volumes).

Think of it like folders on NTFS. You create a volume on your physical array (with VMFS3, the limit is 2TB), and them put virtual machines on that volume. the virtual machines and all of their files by default go into folders for easy organization.

It's easier if you see it in action. It's not difficult once you see it, at all.

 

[fibroptikl]

Also,t hey don't make a 1TB SAS drive as of yet. Largest I have seen listed is 450GB. I think you mean SATA, which will still work on your SAS controller, but you will need to check the SAS cables that your listed controller uses to verify physical compatibility.

They do make 1TB SAS.

The Seagate Barracuda ES.2 is available in SAS in 500GB, 750GB and 1TB.

The new Seagate Constellation ES will also be available in SAS in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB.

 

[sabregen]

bah, it's bullshit SAS. it's a 7200RPM drive with a single port SAS controller on it. I guess it says SAS, so technically, you're correct. However unless it has two ports, and operates at at least 10kRPM, I call BS.

 

[lopoetve]

it's a sata drive with a sas adapter.

 

[sabregen]

it's a damned abomination

 

[infamus]

We have a SAS tray and a SATA tray. The SATA tray blows for I/O performance FYI, if you're worried about performance get actual SAS drives.