multi-purpose system for virtual machines

[bigdix]

I need to build a multipurpose machine, that i would like to start learning virtualization on. I know next to nothing about it now, but am trying to learn all i can. Unfortunatly at this point, i cant build a dedicated box. I was wondering if this would work for learning vmware/hyper-v.

Is there a better way to go about this? I am looking to stay under 1000. What would be the best recommendation for a starter system to learn on? What is the best book/learning tools that has helped everyone the most? Sorry for the extreme noob post, but will not learn without asking.

ASRock Z68 PROFESSIONAL GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800
HIS H467QR1GH Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3
OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply
3- Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s

 

[NetJunkie]

Be more specific about "learning virtualization". Could always add a lot of RAM to an existing desktop and just run vSphere or Windows or whatever inside VMware Workstation.

 

[bigdix]

Thanks for the response. I didn't mean to be vague. Basically I am trying to build a machine to learn on. I am Working on some certifications, and I would like to build a system to get me started. I would like to learn as much as possible about vm's and their uses. I just want to make sure that the new hardware wouldn't stop me from trying to use hyper-v and esx, as I have read they are both hardware sensitive.

 

[Dangman]

From a regular consumer standpoint, that setup isn't too great:

ASRock Z68 PROFESSIONAL GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX

Reaaly overpriced considering that it only has a 1-2 year warranty. That's pretty bad considering that the similar feature having Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard costs $65 less. The Asus comes with a three year warranty.

HIS H467QR1GH Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3

Why this card?

OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply

Not that great of a PSU considering that the significantly higher quality and longer warrantied (5 years vs 3 years for that OCZ) Corsair 650TX cost $5 less:
$85 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU

In addition, the above Corsair actually offers more power for additional PC parts since it has 53A on the +12V rail. That OCZ PSU only has 46A on the +12V rail. So for $5 less, you're getting a longer warranty, significantly better quality, better performance, and a greater amount of power. Well worth the loss of modular cables IMO.

3- Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s

A tad overpriced considering that the similarily performing Samsung F3 costs $20 less:
$60 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

The savings from the hard drive switch is enough to get you a 4th Samsung if you want.

However, considering that this is meant for a ESXi or Hyper-V setup, I recommend actual server grade hardware for this for better compatibility, higher quality, and less issues:
$240 - Intel Xeon E3-2130 CPU
$200 - Supermicro MBD-X9SCM-F-O Intel C204 mATX Motherboard
$160 - 2 x Kingston 2 x 4GB KVR1333D3E9SK2/8G ECC Unbuffered DDR3 1333 RAM
---
Total: $600 shipped plus tax

The above setup is actually $50 cheaper than your proposed setup but offers virtually the same performance but with higher quality, lesser chance of data corruption due to the ECC RAM, better features, and better support for ESXi.

 

[Netwerkz101]

- Need to build a multipurpose machine to start learning virtualization on.
- Can't build a dedicated box.
- Looking to stay under 1000.
----- ----- ----- -----

Without knowing what the multiple purposes are, it's hard to say.
But if I could only have one system to do all things, it would be a desktop class system
(more likely a high end gaming laptop) running vmWare Workstation as NetJunkie mentioned.
This should mask hardware dependencies/limits the physical desktop system may have.

Danny Bui already covered a desktop system config for you ....
here is an example for a server class system that you could add a mid range PCIe x8 video card and a sound card into:

PowerEdge T110 II ($459 base)
+ Intel® Xeon® E3-1230 3.20 GHz, 4 Core / 8 Threads ($60 upgrade)
= $520 + S/H + Tax
+ ~$180 for 16GB Memory (4x4GB)

~$750 for a complete server class system ready for ESXi, XenServer, or Hyper-V
You can substitute the $60 processor upgrade for the 1TB F3 Hard Drive Danny Bui listed
(server only comes with a single 250GB drive in base config)

 

[bigdix]

thanks for the help guys. just ordered a t110, 16gbs ram, and a new monitor. now i am looking to get some reference material. what are considered some of the better books on virtualization, or just favorite books on the topic?

 

[NetJunkie]

If you want to learn VMware and have very little virtualization experience then vSphere for Dummies, and no I'm not kidding. I was the tech reviewer for it and it's a great intro to mid-level book. For more I suggest Mastering vSphere by Scott Lowe. The new revision for vSphere 5 comes next month.