hardware for Hyper-V host and ESXi 5

[Mr.Pernod]

the Plan is as following:
Get a new board and CPU for my ESXi system due to wanting to virtualize my old WHS but not wanting to invest in new HBA's, which means I will need a board which supports vT-D and has (at least) 2 PCI or PCI-X slots (reusing old PCI-X SuperMicro SATA HBA's)
As the WHS storage performance is basicaly single disk anyway, I am not too worried about using PCI slots.
Get some new memory for the old ESXi host and use that system for a 2K8 R2 install with the Hyper-V role. (kind of an all-in-one box we sell to small accounts, so I can play with it a bit)

my ideas:
New ESXi host:
- ASUS P8B-X at € 170
- Xeon E3-1230 at € 215
- reuse the 4x4GB from the current ESXi host
- reuse the USB stick from the current ESXi host
- reuse SM SATA HBA's from current WHS as pass-thorugh to the WHS guest

ReNew Hyper-V host
- reuse ASUS P8B-WS
- reuse Xeon E3-1235
- Kingston 2x8GB ECC at € 185
- pull some disks and a controller from the shelve for local storage

total cost (ex. shipping) € 570

cases, powersupllies etcetera I already have.

I chose the 2x8GB so I have room the expand the memory on the Hyper-V host at a later date if that turns out to be needed, but I don't expect that on the short term.

ideas? suggestions?

 

[Eickst]

Hyper-V will not allow you to pass through the controllers. You can pass through disks/raid sets but not HBA's or raid controllers.

Just in case that's what you were planning.

 

[Mr.Pernod]

I know, that's why I am looking at replacing the board in the ESXi host with the P8B-X (2 PCI slots) to virtualize the WHS on ESXi.

 

[Eickst]

OK I think I misread what you wanted...i thought you had those two as options, didn't fully realize that you are doing both.

 

[Mr.Pernod]

no problem, I even confuse myself at times
thanks for the heads up anyway