HP Microserver running vmware (freenas+joomla/word press). How much RAM?

dubcat

dubcat

dubcat

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I have never done anything like this so please excuse the ignorance. I was thinking of buying one of these HP Proliant Microservers due to the cashback offer. I was going to stack it up with 4 drives. I was wondering if it can be used with vmware to run freenas and a couple of web servers (all linux). How much ram would I need to do this? The web servers will be a personal blog and a personal photography site so nothing intensive or mission critical. How much ram will I need?

Also wondering what else you guys are running on your micro servers from an app/workload perspective.

Cheers,
Dub
 
VMware esxi uses about 600-700mb, so if you just bought another 1GB, you could possibly squeeze 3 virtual machines on there if you strip down linux, but best buy a single 4GB stick, use it with the existing one giving you 5GB, them buy another if you're system needs it.
 
If you're virtualising go for as much RAM as budget permits. RAM is by far the resource you'll always run out of first with a virtual infrastructure.
Once it's in and it's got loads of RAM you can add more machines at will, you don't really want it running 90% capacity and later wanting to add another guest machine and again have to rejig the memory configuration. Memory isn't exactly expensive at the moment so I'd deffo plump for 4GB+
 
Tbh the microserver will underpowered in the CPU department if you want to run esxi. Buy something with a fast proc like an ml115 or similar.

(as an owner of both an ml115 and microserver.... My ml runs esxi and my micro server will run open filer pretty soon.)
 
Virtulation is hdd access sensitive, I have checked the spec of hp microserver, they use small form factor hdds. Normally this type of hdds are used for notebooks. IMO, this server a bit slow for your requirement. Also, If you virtualize the linux os, recommend you to use xen or kvm or virtuozzo. They are not bloated and free.
 
excalibur2 said:
Virtulation is hdd access sensitive, I have checked the spec of hp microserver, they use small form factor hdds. Normally this type of hdds are used for notebooks. IMO, this server a bit slow for your requirement. Also, If you virtualize the linux os, recommend you to use xen or kvm or virtuozzo. They are not bloated and free.
Click to expand...

Dont know where your getting your info.... but the microserver uses normal 3.5" desktop sata drives not laptop ones. These will be fine running some VM's as long as you dont expect the earth/magic.

Are also really saying that ESXi is bloated? care to substantiate that? IIRC the whole thing is only 700mb on disk/usb stick.
 
The reason I am going for microserver is that it has a 100 pound cashback offer. My uses for the server will not be particularly intensive.

I am thinking of running

an SSL VPN server on it - just for me, no one else
one web server for my photography
one web server for my blog
FreeNAS (serving to my LAN for backup and for streaming divx/mp3)

If I had the cpu power left i would like to run pfSense on it - but if not then i will put that on another platform.

Assuming that will all run with 5GB ram can you guide me as to the 4gb stick i should buy that will work with the 1gb stick in there already? I always bought matching ram in the past so this is new to me too...

It does definitely take normal 3.5" drives by the way.
 
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