XenServer Hardware requirements

D

daviain11

n00b
Joined
Jun 21, 2012
Messages
5
Hi,

I want to buy a Server to be able to use XenServer with (~20-40) of VM-s running at the same time like XenApp, XenDesktop, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, etc. We would need a recommendation for the hardware specs for this server. Also it would be great to know the size of the server (how many U-s)!
We are not sure what is the number of NICs needed (we are not sure what is the speed impact of having multiple VM-s using the same NIC).
15 users will use this Server sometimes at the same time.

Thanks a lot.
 
daviain11 said:
Hi,

I want to buy a Server to be able to use XenServer with (~20-40) of VM-s running at the same time like XenApp, XenDesktop, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, etc. We would need a recommendation for the hardware specs for this server. Also it would be great to know the size of the server (how many U-s)!
We are not sure what is the number of NICs needed (we are not sure what is the speed impact of having multiple VM-s using the same NIC).
15 users will use this Server sometimes at the same time.

Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...

id say a 486mhz with the mathco-processor and about 8mb's ram. hdd's won't be a concern at all, id run it all of usb thumb drives..
 
A 486DX will be overkill for this server and cost a lot of monies. I think you want to look into an 8088.
 
Yes, the turbo switch should be installed. He will need it for BBS.
 
dashpuppy said:
I'm sick of giving free advice for repeat threads...
Click to expand...

I don't know what you are talking about...This is the first time in my 10 years of hardforum that this questions has come up.
 
klank said:
I don't know what you are talking about...This is the first time in my 10 years of hardforum that this questions has come up.
Click to expand...

Maybe we need to introduce new technology to him ?

Wait a second, he wants to run vm's I think he might need the dual 8088's
 
dashpuppy said:
Maybe we need to introduce new technology to him ?

Wait a second, he wants to run vm's I think he might need the dual 8088's
Click to expand...

Introduce? I thought this was a forum for techies that had masters degrees... I have been bamboozled!!
 
@Dash + Klank
I lol'd a bit. "Yes, the turbo switch should be installed. He will need it for BBS."

daviain11 said:
Hi,

I want to buy a Server to be able to use XenServer with (~20-40) of VM-s running at the same time like XenApp, XenDesktop, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, etc. We would need a recommendation for the hardware specs for this server. Also it would be great to know the size of the server (how many U-s)!
We are not sure what is the number of NICs needed (we are not sure what is the speed impact of having multiple VM-s using the same NIC).
15 users will use this Server sometimes at the same time.

Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...

Er... Vague much?

Go make yourself a functional specifications document and figure out what you really need. Also, if you find yourself questioning the superficial issue that is the size of the server (yes, the U-s) - please consider consulting an industry vendor/IT firm to guide you through your XenServer process.

FYI: People on this forum don't read minds - or at least, I don't think they do.
 
Ok- now that you are all dont uselessly ragging on the guy- You should look into a newer dell server. 20-40 vm's will require a lot of RAM. and most likely multiple quad core processors.

I would say you need 2-3 servers for this personally, I dont see much more than 10-15 vm's per physical box.

4 boxes with dual quad cores or better, and 32+ GB of ram each should do the job I think.
 
OP - you may get a better response by posting your question about XenServer in the Virtualization forum:

http://hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=122

While you mention the number of VMs, the number of users, the OSs, and at least an application (XenDesktop),
there are still many things that need addressing:

VM workload
Storage
Networking

Search both VMware and Citrix support sites/forums for general guidelines as they are similar..
See chapter 9 in the following guide:
XenServer 5.0 Admin Guide for an idea of what needs to be considered.

If this is for production, reach out to a Citrix Partner.
 
Thanks a lot to all of you included the Master degree guy ;-)
I have Master degree but I am not Citrix expert and we have to expend good money on that so I rather to ask for different opinions.

I already have Xenserver working on my test environment but my test machine "Server" is DELL dual quad core. it is the beginning. Now I have to expand all I have here to a real test environment.
I don't know if with only one big server I could run all these Vm's for 15 users. Maybe it is enough with dual 8 core with 64 RAM and 10 Tb Hard disk or to have 2 Physical machines with 2 XenServers to be able to work with all of this.

I read that this DELL PowerEdge R710 could be fine but I need two of them. Maybe there is better solution.
I only wanted to know what this forum thinks about it and if someone has a good idea about quality/price.

Thanks a lot!!!!!
 
daviain11 said:
Thanks a lot to all of you included the Master degree guy ;-)
I have Master degree but I am not Citrix expert and we have to expend good money on that so I rather to ask for different opinions.

I already have Xenserver working on my test environment but my test machine "Server" is DELL dual quad core. it is the beginning. Now I have to expand all I have here to a real test environment.
I don't know if with only one big server I could run all these Vm's for 15 users. Maybe it is enough with dual 8 core with 64 RAM and 10 Tb Hard disk or to have 2 Physical machines with 2 XenServers to be able to work with all of this.

I read that this DELL PowerEdge R710 could be fine but I need two of them. Maybe there is better solution.
I only wanted to know what this forum thinks about it and if someone has a good idea about quality/price.

Thanks a lot!!!!!
Click to expand...

dell = good

get loads of ram get sas drives and you should be set..
 
Depends on the applications you want to run under XenApp, and the type of users using XenDesktop.

The server you specified could handle 15 "normal users" on XenDesktop running Win7 IE/Microsoft Office. Plan on each user having 1 vCPU and 1.5-2GB ram. XenApp is great but for so few users unless you have a specialty app that likes to eat CPU cycles, GPU, or ram (Autocad) you may just want to consider running it in your XenDesktop image.

Here is a great FREE tool Citrix has to help you plan the process. You just have to register for a My Citrix account.

http://www.citrix.com/successaccelerator/
 
But what about NICs?

How many NIC do we need? or with only one is enough.
I though for Xennapp and XenDesktop is important a lot of NICs but it is only for 15 users.

Thanks
 
The biggest thing is ensure it has VT technology on the CPU. You can buy the most powerful CPU money can buy but if it does not have VT it wont work. Found that out the hard way.

You can get away with one nic, unless you think those 15 users will use more than 1gbps combined. If you go multiple nics for the intention of teaming you'll need a switch capable of it.
 
This whole thread should be moved to the Virtual Computing forum, then delete the re post that the OP created there.
 
We paid about $9000~ for this (over time, piece by piece, also including switches, UPS, cabinet, etc. So maybe $5500'ish for just the servers/san/iscsi switch, etc.) and it would probably do what you need it to do. However I recommend you buy something with SAS. Using shared storage gives you the ability to fail over. Local storage is fine if you don't need any sort of failover. However with 2 servers you need each to be loaded only 50% or less to be able to fully failover. With 3, you can load two at 100% or 3 at less 66%~ and still fully recover. Just do math's and s*** to get what you need. The weakest point is usually the disks and disk I/O, so SAS 10-15K RPM is always nice. :)

Of course all of this was used gear even when I bought it. :)

In short, spec it the same way you'd spec a physical server for normal use and all up all of your server requirements. i.e. this app needs this much IO/RAM/CPU/Storage, this other one needs XYZ amount here, this one here. Then add it all up, making sure your server or servers or servers plus SAN have that amount or preferably higher for growth.

I'm still not sure why people that can spec a single physical server for an application have so much trouble in the virtual world. The same rules apply these days, you just get better utilization and higher efficiency out of it.
 
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