Dedicated Study server

Hi Guys,

Just looking for some input for a dedicated build for server training that will only have Server 2012 on it with Hyper-V running like 4 vms.

Not a massive builder so any help would be awesome.

I live in the UK so I am looking to spend max £400

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pjd007

I know plenty on here have bought dedicated servers but as yet I don't see the need, I have a Win 8.1 PC with an i5 processor, 16GB memory, 2xSSD's (with additional HDD for larger storage) and dual screen.

I've run 4 VM's at a time and had no issues, I'm currently studying for 411 and as yet I don't see the need for anything more powerful but if I do need more capacity at a later date then I would probably look to use Azure temporarily (if it's cost effective) until my studies were finished.

So I'd say if you already have a fairly new machine start by using that and see how you go, hard drives are the bottleneck on most systems so if you're running 1xHDD upgrade to SSD (preferably 2xSSD with your host OS on one then run another VM on the same SSD with the others on the 2nd SSD) as that is a fairly cheap option these days and £400 would easily cover that plus the cost of some additional memory if required.

knownhero

Yeah I have the same currently with my PC. Which I use mainly for gaming at the moment. The reason why I want to not really use it (which I do now) is that I want to actually have a small server that I can leave on.

Do you just use the Hyper-V that comes with 8.1 pro? I used it and had issues with it not creating the virtual switches to connect the machines together.

pjd007

knownhero wrote: »

Yeah I have the same currently with my PC. Which I use mainly for gaming at the moment. The reason why I want to not really use it (which I do now) is that I want to actually have a small server that I can leave on.

Do you just use the Hyper-V that comes with 8.1 pro? I used it and had issues with it not creating the virtual switches to connect the machines together.

Yeah just use hyper v and you have to create the switches manually.

Why do you want/need the server running 24/7 ?

knownhero

Its more for convenience for myself when it comes to my testing for SharePoint. I bring my work home with me and I use it to test scripts and workflows etc when I am working from home, and its annoying to have to boot up my PC then the VMs. Its a real stupid reason but its annoying

pjd007

knownhero wrote: »

Its more for convenience for myself when it comes to my testing for SharePoint. I bring my work home with me and I use it to test scripts and workflows etc when I am working from home, and its annoying to have to boot up my PC then the VMs. Its a real stupid reason but its annoying

Sounds like you've got £400 to burn !!!

Honestly I'd save the money for the exams as in case you fail a couple or study materials.

Jon_Cisco

pjd007 wrote: »

Why do you want/need the server running 24/7 ?

Since I don't have much Microsoft exposure I run several virtual servers running at home 24/7. I don't need to use them but it allows me to have my own domain running and different file shares. Playing around with stuff is how I like to become familiar with things. So I can agree that it's overkill but I get enough value from it to justify the expense.

Chev Chellios

As others have said it might be worth updating a few components on your PC?

If you want a dedicated machine and have some cash to spash what do you think to this? I priced one up for my MS Server training with 2 decent HDDs and extra RAM for just under 400 quid
HP ProLiant Gen8 G1610T MicroServer - Ebuyer
Could always leave it on and use as network storage as well as a dedicated study server

pjd007

Chev Chellios wrote: »

As others have said it might be worth updating a few components on your PC?

If you want a dedicated machine and have some cash to spash what do you think to this? I priced one up for my MS Server training with 2 decent HDDs and extra RAM for just under 400 quid
HP ProLiant Gen8 G1610T MicroServer - Ebuyer
Could always leave it on and use as network storage as well as a dedicated study server

You'll really want SSD's over HDD's otherwise you'll probably see some performance issues when you fire up 3+ VM's.

I got a 128GB SSD about a year ago and the prices have dropped quite a bit, I store 5 VM's on that (4 server and 1 workstation) but if you need more storage then also look into a hybrid drive.

Remember you can use differencing disks to save space, I didn't do this for my setup and it uses around 86GB so if you got a two 128GB SSD's or one 256GB like below you'd be fine.

Crucial M550 128GB SATAIII 2.5inch SSD - Ebuyer

Crucial M550 256GB SATAIII 2.5inch SSD - Ebuyer

Also you'll obviously be adding more RAM to that, I'd go for about 16GB.

knownhero

pjd007 wrote: »

You'll really want SSD's over HDD's otherwise you'll probably see some performance issues when you fire up 3+ VM's.

I got a 128GB SSD about a year ago and the prices have dropped quite a bit, I store 5 VM's on that (4 server and 1 workstation) but if you need more storage then also look into a hybrid drive.

Remember you can use differencing disks to save space, I didn't do this for my setup and it uses around 86GB so if you got a two 128GB SSD's or one 256GB like below you'd be fine.

Crucial M550 128GB SATAIII 2.5inch SSD - Ebuyer

Crucial M550 256GB SATAIII 2.5inch SSD - Ebuyer

Also you'll obviously be adding more RAM to that, I'd go for about 16GB.

Yeah I have 16GB. I went with just using Hyper V on my main machine for now. I will look at alternative options later. Getting another 500GB soon for my games so I will use that and move the VMs there. Thanks for the help.

alan2308

knownhero wrote: »

Its more for convenience for myself when it comes to my testing for SharePoint. I bring my work home with me and I use it to test scripts and workflows etc when I am working from home, and its annoying to have to boot up my PC then the VMs. Its a real stupid reason but its annoying

Sounds like you need a development server at work.

knownhero

alan2308 wrote: »

Sounds like you need a development server at work.

I have one. I just like to continue it here at home.

slinuxuzer

I use HP Probook 6470B, takes 16GB of ram with 8GB modules, and go with a 4-500 GB SSD, then run VMware workstation. Not sure what the exchange rate is, but I built it for under 800$