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Help me build a virtualization box v. VMWare / ESXi

T

trueimage

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Messages
239
I want to build a machine to recreate our work servers as a "sandbox" / training for myself environment, where I just fuck around consequence free.

I want to get the most cores/cpus and the most ram possible (ESXi max is 32GB I think anyway) for the least amount of cash. Open to intel and amd, either way.

Also, I want it to be smallish - mini ITX or micro ATX only.

Suggest:
Motherboard
CPU
RAM
Case (and PSU requirements maybe)

Must be compatible with ESXi 5

Going to be running probably 4 servers or maybe 3 minimum, ideally 5 (but one would be a "client" and not require that much cpu/ram
 
"least amount of cash" is kinda vague, though. with a specific budget, people can make specific suggestions.
 
What I did:

mobo: x9scl-f
cpu xeon e3-1230
16gb ecc crucial ram
zalman case

only bad thing is the mobo only has two slots and ram > 8gb each is pricy now (only recently available for that matter.) then again, I run 8-9 VMs (light usage) in production on 16gb and esxi does fine. cost me about $600. add in your sdd and you are in decent shape. installed esxi on a usb stick with datastore on a random HD. the datastore is on a SAN on the same box (it is a VM in other words - an all in one.) you sound like you could put the datastore on the ssd?
 
danswartz said:
What I did:

mobo: x9scl-f
cpu xeon e3-1230
16gb ecc crucial ram
zalman case

only bad thing is the mobo only has two slots and ram > 8gb each is pricy now (only recently available for that matter.) then again, I run 8-9 VMs (light usage) in production on 16gb and esxi does fine. cost me about $600. add in your sdd and you are in decent shape. installed esxi on a usb stick with datastore on a random HD. the datastore is on a SAN on the same box (it is a VM in other words - an all in one.) you sound like you could put the datastore on the ssd?
Click to expand...

thanks for the info. I'm not sure how the datastores work - can each VM have a seperate one, and therefore on different drives? a couple of the machines would be more than fine on a spindle disk, but I want to put the DB on SSD just because. (I like things to be quick)

I could probably get away with everything on a smallish ssd but it would be tight.

Can you have things like inside the VM c:\ maps to spindle drive and d:\ maps to ssd? ?I've never used ESX so please forgive my dumb questions ;)
 
Last edited:
trueimage said:
thanks for the info. I'm not sure how the datastores work - can each VM have a seperate one, and therefore on different drives? a couple of the machines would be more than fine on a spindle disk, but I want to put the DB of SSD just because.

I could probably get away with everything on a smallish ssd but it would be tight.

Can you have things like inside the VM c:\ maps to spindle drive and d:\ maps to ssd? ?I've never used ESX so please forgive my dumb questions ;)
Click to expand...

the datastore is basically a filesystem, and you tell esxi to create virtual machines on them, and that is where the virtual disks live. so, frex, you could create a datastore on the small ssd and another on the spindled disk. when you create a VM, by default any VHD goes with the VM, but you can override that. so for most of them, you create the VM on the spindled disk's datastore, except for (example) the server that needs to play with the SSD. for that one, you create the VHD on the datastore on the ssd. does this make sense? you can even have the system disk VHD be with the VM, and a 2nd "DB" vhd that you put on the ssd for speed...
 
Do you need ECC RAM or not? If you don't need ECC, you can easily do an 8-core Bulldozer build with 32GB of DDR3 on that budget.
 
danswartz said:
the datastore is basically a filesystem, and you tell esxi to create virtual machines on them, and that is where the virtual disks live. so, frex, you could create a datastore on the small ssd and another on the spindled disk. when you create a VM, by default any VHD goes with the VM, but you can override that. so for most of them, you create the VM on the spindled disk's datastore, except for (example) the server that needs to play with the SSD. for that one, you create the VHD on the datastore on the ssd. does this make sense? you can even have the system disk VHD be with the VM, and a 2nd "DB" vhd that you put on the ssd for speed...
Click to expand...

That makes sense, thanks. I think I'm going to go with the mb/cpu/etc you listed, thanks, i didn't even think to look at "server" boards.

CEpeep said:
Do you need ECC RAM or not? If you don't need ECC, you can easily do an 8-core Bulldozer build with 32GB of DDR3 on that budget.
Click to expand...

Well I think I need the ECC because of the Xeon CPU - which I want because of the VT-d support, right?
 
danswartz said:
What I did:

mobo: x9scl-f
cpu xeon e3-1230
16gb ecc crucial ram
zalman case

only bad thing is the mobo only has two slots and ram > 8gb each is pricy now (only recently available for that matter.) then again, I run 8-9 VMs (light usage) in production on 16gb and esxi does fine. cost me about $600. add in your sdd and you are in decent shape. installed esxi on a usb stick with datastore on a random HD. the datastore is on a SAN on the same box (it is a VM in other words - an all in one.) you sound like you could put the datastore on the ssd?
Click to expand...

can you link me to the exact ram you bought? I can't seem to find it?
 
CEpeep said:
Do you need ECC RAM or not? If you don't need ECC, you can easily do an 8-core Bulldozer build with 32GB of DDR3 on that budget.
Click to expand...

CEpeep said:
Bulldozer would be an AMD build, not an Intel build, but would not require ECC RAM.
Click to expand...

well, I haven't bought anything yet - I'm open to suggestions if you have a motherboard/cpu/ram that you'd recommend
 
Thanks for the tips. I just ordered:

SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCL+-F Micro ATX Server Motherboard LGA 1155 Intel C202 DDR3 1333

(two, for 16GB) Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) ECC Unbuffered Server Memory Model KVR1333D3E9SK2/8G

Intel Xeon E3-1240 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 80W Quad-Core Server Processor BX80623E31240

$678 (canadian) with tax and express shipping

I know it is probably overkill, but maybe I will be able to accurately duplicate our prod environment which has 9 servers + a client machine.

Any idea what the power requirements for this setup would be with a couple spindle hard drives and an optical? I have an old mATX case laying around and I think it might have a 300w PSU.
 
Uh oh, unless I am misreading, it looks like you have 4 memory sticks? The mobo only has two slots!
 
mayhem87 said:
Number of DDR3 Slots:
4 x 240pin
taken from newegg...
Click to expand...

zoom_2.jpg
 
yeah the board has 4 slots, that's why I got 4x4GB, so much cheaper than the 8GB sticks right now.

Looks like my mATX case PSU is only 220w... how much do I need?
 
Oh crap. Sorry, brain-fart on my part. I was thinking 8gb sticks not 4gb, but I have 4 4gb sticks for 16gb :) Somehow when I read the OP, I got everything divided by 2 :)
 
Last edited:
trueimage said:
yeah the board has 4 slots, that's why I got 4x4GB, so much cheaper than the 8GB sticks right now.

Looks like my mATX case PSU is only 220w... how much do I need?
Click to expand...

Alot more than that. Look for a 500watt.
 
The case is an Antec Minuet II
The PSU is an Antec SL220, 220W

+5V -- 20A
+12V -- 12A
+3.3V -- 17A
-5V -- 0.2A
-12V -- 0.3A
+5V SB -- 1.5A

"+5V and +3.3V combined output 125W"
 
I grabbed that one, and a 16GB USB stick (on sale, cheaper than an 8GB)

now to somewhat patiently for newegg.ca
 
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