VMWare Home Lab for MCITP, testing

EruMais

Hey guys,

I am trying to build a relatively cheap server that I wish to eventually use to install VMWare ESXi in order to practice for MCITP:SA. I am a complete noob to virtualization, though I've been reading up on it. I suppose I could use VMWare Workstation for this, but I would like to have a physical machine as a dedicated file/media server. I would like to "future-proof" it to some extent so that after completing MCITP:SA, I could use it to test VMWare if I wish to go down the virtualization route, or to test out other software.

This is what I've come up with so far. I'm contemplating getting some sort of NAS, but I'm on a budget and was wondering if I could get away with just using local drives on the machine. I don't want to just get something that's "entry level" and then have to buy more equipment a year or so from now. I'm going to WGU and would like to get something now to have until I graduate which hopefully will be in a year and a half.

Newegg.com - ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9Q-16GBRL

Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

Newegg.com - Intel PWLA8391GT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter 1 x RJ45 - Network Interface Cards

Newegg.com - CISCO SLM2008T-NA 10/100/1000Mbps SG200-08 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch 8 x RJ45

Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

I don't know if I'm going to run into any issues with the mobo, but the white box websites seem to be pretty outdated as far as motherboards go (ultimatewhitebox, vmhelp) and I can't find anything up to date on the motherboards I've looked at. I don't want to take a risk, but I also don't want to have to hunt down an out of production motherboard. I added an Intel PRO 1000 since I've read that the on board NIC's aren't generally compatible.

Does anyone know of any AMD motherboards that are current which are compatible with ESXi?

Also, is a switch something that is necessary? I have an old laptop, a new laptop (Core i5, 8 GB ram); and a desktop machine. The desktop machine is mostly a gaming box. If I don't need a physical NAS, then I'm assuming that a switch isn't necessary at this point. The rest of my home equipment is connected via a linksys wireless router.

I know I have a lot of questions because I'm relatively new to this so I appreciate your patience and help.

Pishof

EruMais wrote: »

Hey guys,

I am trying to build a relatively cheap server that I wish to eventually use to install VMWare ESXi in order to practice for MCITP:SA. I am a complete noob to virtualization, though I've been reading up on it. I suppose I could use VMWare Workstation for this, but I would like to have a physical machine as a dedicated file/media server. I would like to "future-proof" it to some extent so that after completing MCITP:SA, I could use it to test VMWare if I wish to go down the virtualization route, or to test out other software.

This is what I've come up with so far. I'm contemplating getting some sort of NAS, but I'm on a budget and was wondering if I could get away with just using local drives on the machine. I don't want to just get something that's "entry level" and then have to buy more equipment a year or so from now. I'm going to WGU and would like to get something now to have until I graduate which hopefully will be in a year and a half.

Newegg.com - ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9Q-16GBRL

Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

Newegg.com - Intel PWLA8391GT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter 1 x RJ45 - Network Interface Cards

Newegg.com - CISCO SLM2008T-NA 10/100/1000Mbps SG200-08 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch 8 x RJ45

Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

I don't know if I'm going to run into any issues with the mobo, but the white box websites seem to be pretty outdated as far as motherboards go (ultimatewhitebox, vmhelp) and I can't find anything up to date on the motherboards I've looked at. I don't want to take a risk, but I also don't want to have to hunt down an out of production motherboard. I added an Intel PRO 1000 since I've read that the on board NIC's aren't generally compatible.

Does anyone know of any AMD motherboards that are current which are compatible with ESXi?

Also, is a switch something that is necessary? I have an old laptop, a new laptop (Core i5, 8 GB ram); and a desktop machine. The desktop machine is mostly a gaming box. If I don't need a physical NAS, then I'm assuming that a switch isn't necessary at this point. The rest of my home equipment is connected via a linksys wireless router.

I know I have a lot of questions because I'm relatively new to this so I appreciate your patience and help.

I'm also interested in building a similar home server for MCITP labbing and home NAS using ESXi. I've specced Dell servers for work but obviously I'd like to build my own and business class equipment is out of budget.

I haven't had time to spec equipment yet but I will be using newegg for ordering parts and building something that has useful function and value when I'm done with MCITP.

Asif Dasl

EruMais wrote: »

Does anyone know of any AMD motherboards that are current which are compatible with ESXi?

I can confirm an Asus M4A785-M work with ESXi. I've two systems built using that motherboard, I think it's listed on the whitebox compatability list. It uses DDR2, but that was because I wanted to reuse some old DDR2 that I had, so that's why I went with that board. 8Gb per machine should be enough for most labbing I have though.

I don't think you will have any problems with your setup listed. I went with a Gig switch myself, just in case I got a ReadyNAS or something. And went with an Intel PRO/1000 for ESXi compatability too. Have fun with your new setup.

vCole

Check out VMware Compatibility Guide for configurations that work with VMware . That is the most up to date and concise information.
Also, if you have Workstation you can run ESXi inside of workstation as well. You do not need an ESXi box to create a homelab.

Asif Dasl

vCole wrote: »

Also, if you have Workstation you can run ESXi inside of workstation as well. You do not need an ESXi box to create a homelab.

Are you restricted to 32-Bit OS's?

earweed

The system you'rebuilding should do you just fine for your labbing. I built a server myself for my MCITP studies but just stuck with MS technology in doing everything (for the practice more than anything else). I just used Hyper V instead of ESXi.
Since I finished my MCITP:EA I'm preparing to reimage my server and install ESXi just to get more familiar with it as so many places use it now. I'm still keeping all my old VMs stored on one of my big HDDs though just in case I want to go back to Hyper V later.

vCole

Asif Dasl wrote: »

Are you restricted to 32-Bit OS's?

That's the only downside. The nested VMs can only be 32bit. However, you can still build a lab using Workstation only without installing ESXi.

Pishof

EruMais wrote: »

Hey guys,
Newegg.com - ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9Q-16GBRL

Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

Newegg.com - Intel PWLA8391GT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter 1 x RJ45 - Network Interface Cards

Newegg.com - CISCO SLM2008T-NA 10/100/1000Mbps SG200-08 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch 8 x RJ45

Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

I don't know if I'm going to run into any issues with the mobo, but the white box websites seem to be pretty outdated as far as motherboards go (ultimatewhitebox, vmhelp) and I can't find anything up to date on the motherboards I've looked at. I don't want to take a risk, but I also don't want to have to hunt down an out of production motherboard. I added an Intel PRO 1000 since I've read that the on board NIC's aren't generally compatible.

It's turning out a bit more complicated than I thought specced a home server vsphere(esxi) box while staying budget efficient.

Looking at your motherboard, won't you need a board with onboard video? I don't see the option on that one and I doubt you'd add a videocard to a server box.

Asif Dasl

Pishof wrote: »

Looking at your motherboard, won't you need a board with onboard video? I don't see the option on that one and I doubt you'd add a videocard to a server box.

I'm not aware that there is an issue with addon video motherboards unless you can point in in the right direction? I have 2 machines using an Asus M4A785-M, 1 with onboard video where I have installed ESXi, and another machine with the same board using a NVidia GTX 460 however I have not installed ESXi on that yet. I could tell you for certain but I'd have to wipe my machine.

Pishof

Asif Dasl wrote: »

I'm not aware that there is an issue with addon video motherboards unless you can point in in the right direction? I have 2 machines using an Asus M4A785-M, 1 with onboard video where I have installed ESXi, and another machine with the same board using a NVidia GTX 460 however I have not installed ESXi on that yet. I could tell you for certain but I'd have to wipe my machine.

I was referring to the ASUS M4A79XTD he linked above because it does not have onboard video. He didn't specify a discrete video card in his build list and the onboard doesn't support any video output as-is.

Asif Dasl

Pishof wrote: »

I was referring to the ASUS M4A79XTD he linked above because it does not have onboard video. He didn't specify a discrete video card in his build list and the onboard doesn't support any video output as-is.

Ah I see, he might have one already Why wouldn't you add a video card to a server?

Pishof

Asif Dasl wrote: »

Ah I see, he might have one already Why wouldn't you add a video card to a server?

Good point, that may have been a silly statement I made. I see potential drawbacks being higher power consumption and the cost of an additional videocard but he may plan on installing a win7 VM on the box and use it for normal computing if it's just a home lab.

You appear knowledgeable, how does this motherboard sound like it may work for running a vsphere(esxi) hypervisor on? Seems like a good deal with decent onboard video with USB 3.0 and plenty of SATA ports at only $105.00

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

I'd add the same NIC he linked above along with 2x4GB ram to start with and maybe even run the hypervisor on a USB 3.0 flash drive to keep it from running on the same disks as my VMs.

Asif Dasl

Pishof wrote: »

how does this motherboard sound like it may work for running a vsphere(esxi) hypervisor on? Seems like a good deal with decent onboard video with USB 3.0 and plenty of SATA ports at only $105.00

One word of warning is you might not be able to use the USB ports depending on the board, some people have reported that they had to turn off the USB ports in the BIOS before they could boot in to ESXi. But the only thing about that board you choose is that it's not on the whitebox compatibility list (ultimatewhitebox or vmhelp).

I haven't looked recently so don't hold me to it but I don't think there is a USB 3.0 / SATA 6Gb board out there that is compatible with ESXi - maybe you will find one on the list but when I looked the board I went for was the best I could find. You may have to go for a USB 2.0 board.

Pishof

Asif Dasl wrote: »

One word of warning is you might not be able to use the USB ports depending on the board, some people have reported that they had to turn off the USB ports in the BIOS before they could boot in to ESXi. But the only thing about that board you choose is that it's not on the whitebox compatibility list (ultimatewhitebox or vmhelp).

I haven't looked recently so don't hold me to it but I don't think there is a USB 3.0 / SATA 6Gb board out there that is compatible with ESXi - maybe you will find one on the list but when I looked the board I went for was the best I could find. You may have to go for a USB 2.0 board.

I did some checking and you are correct, there is no USB 3.0 support yet although it is slated to be supported in a new release later this year.

I just checked the vm-help.com forums and found that the Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-870A-USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard board is supported and checked the forum thread where it's working well for someone. However, it has no onboard video!

It's quite similar to my board so I'm thinking there is a chance mine may work just as well but it's a gamble. I'll have to do some more research.

EruMais

Pishof wrote: »

I was referring to the ASUS M4A79XTD he linked above because it does not have onboard video. He didn't specify a discrete video card in his build list and the onboard doesn't support any video output as-is.

You are correct... I didn't even think about it. I'm leaning away from an AMD build and more towards a Xeon build; specifically like the Baby Dragon... (Meet My ESX(i) Server, the BabyDragon. | Error404 – It's A Blog) except I will go for the x3440 and cheaper Kingston RAM that's compatible.

I was going to use my Gigabyte EP45-UD3P q9550 and 4 GB DDR2 which is my current gaming system, but DDR2 is butt expensive now and probably not worth it since I want 16.

Here's another build list if anyone's interested... this should be fully compatible from what I read.

Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

Here's the AMD build I revised. I'm fighting between these two builds now. I pretty much included everything but the case.

Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

Asif Dasl

I would go with the AMD setup and a Phenom II X6 1100T. Not only is it 6 core, it would also out perform the Xeon. And it's cheaper. The main downside is the heatsink and fan on the AMD processors are a pile a crap which is why I went with Corsair H50 water cooling but if that blog says the Xeon is silent then I'll take their word for it.

But it's up to you, it's your money and setup.

Pishof

EruMais wrote: »

You are correct... I didn't even think about it. I'm leaning away from an AMD build and more towards a Xeon build; specifically like the Baby Dragon... (Meet My ESX(i) Server, the BabyDragon. | Error404 – It's A Blog) except I will go for the x3440 and cheaper Kingston RAM that's compatible.

I was going to use my Gigabyte EP45-UD3P q9550 and 4 GB DDR2 which is my current gaming system, but DDR2 is butt expensive now and probably not worth it since I want 16.

Here's another build list if anyone's interested... this should be fully compatible from what I read.

Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

Here's the AMD build I revised. I'm fighting between these two builds now. I pretty much included everything but the case.

Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

The Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-880GM-D2H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard in your second build has a max supported ram of 8GB.

But that's all I plan on using so if that's known compatible I may go ahead and add that board that my list.

EruMais

Pishof wrote: »

The Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-880GM-D2H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard in your second build has a max supported ram of 8GB.

But that's all I plan on using so if that's known compatible I may go ahead and add that board that my list.

Ah, nuts. I read a review that said it booted up ESXi 4.1 without a hitch.

Figures that it's only max at 8 GB. Ah well.

Asif, do you know of any AMD boards that support x6 and play nice with ESXi? I'm looking for one now. That chip is pretty enticing.

Asif Dasl

EruMais wrote: »

Asif, do you know of any AMD boards that support x6 and play nice with ESXi? I'm looking for one now. That chip is pretty enticing.

ASUS M4A78LT-M ?

or

ASUS M4A88T-M

EruMais

Asif Dasl wrote: »

ASUS M4A78LT-M ?

or

ASUS M4A88T-M

The M4A78LT looks pretty good for the price. The M4A88T has a good review saying it works good with ESXi and is pretty similar what I'm shooting for. Thanks for your help.

QHalo

I just built two of the following for VCP study and beyond. I plan on going through MCITP as well.

Lian Li P351v
Rosewill 430w Green
8GB of Kingston ECC
x3430
Supermicro X8SIL-F
16GB USB Flash Drives

HP 1810G-24

QNAP 459 Pro+ II for NAS and iSCSI testing
4x WD Black 1TB drives.

It's overkill for most things but I wanted to be able to do anything and everything with ESXi. This allows me to do 64bit VM's as well. You could build a similar single system with local storage and be just fine. Here's a crappy pic. And yes, that's a shamwow underneath my switch. I'm using it to keep from scratching my cases until I get some rubber feet for it. The power levels are very low, I DPM one box and the switch has no fan so my setup is pretty quiet.

Hypntick

What type of budget are you looking to keep in? I actually purchased a power-edge 1950 on eBay and put another 8 GB of RAM into it with an additional HDD. Spent about $450 total for this one box. It'll allow me to run at least 4-8 server VMs and on my standard PC setting up 4-6 standard Windows installs as clients.

I priced out an ESXi build but it ran closer to $800+ for similar gear. So if I do find myself needing to expand I can spend another $450 or so and pick up another power-edge and i'll be good to go for around the same price but with double the resources. Plus it is kinda cool to have my own rackmount server.

nhan.ng

Check around to see if your mobo support direct passthrough. I have 2 AMD systems with Phenom II quads and none of them support it

For my next ESXi server, I'll def go with a server board.

Oh add a cheap video card to your system if you can, or reduce the onboard video ram usage setting in the bios, mine took away 512mb from my total system of 8gig....I've gotta go in the bios to change it, once i stop being lazy and hook it back up to the monitor

Asif Dasl

One other thing is you need to check the motherboards manual and make sure the RAM you are using is compatible with the board. Motherboards get very picky when you go right up to the total capacity of the board.

Pishof

Hypntick wrote: »

What type of budget are you looking to keep in? I actually purchased a power-edge 1950 on eBay and put another 8 GB of RAM into it with an additional HDD. Spent about $450 total for this one box. It'll allow me to run at least 4-8 server VMs and on my standard PC setting up 4-6 standard Windows installs as clients.

I priced out an ESXi build but it ran closer to $800+ for similar gear. So if I do find myself needing to expand I can spend another $450 or so and pick up another power-edge and i'll be good to go for around the same price but with double the resources. Plus it is kinda cool to have my own rackmount server.

Sounds like a good idea. At work we have many PowerEdge 2950 and the problem with them is similar to most prebuilt servers though. They are bloody loud! How do yours sound?

Where did you get your rack itself from?

Hypntick

Pishof wrote: »

Sounds like a good idea. At work we have many PowerEdge 2950 and the problem with them is similar to most prebuilt servers though. They are bloody loud! How do yours sound?

Where did you get your rack itself from?

It is quite loud initially, however after it loads up fully it's no louder than my Cisco switches. And I actually don't have a rack currently, it's sitting my desk right now

nhan.ng

OP, any update on your build?

djfunz

I'm curious as well. What did you decide on?