Ideas for new server setup

TechMinerUK · 19 Feb 2016 at 10:00

Hi, I'll start off by saying I'm not sure if this is more appropriate for the networking section so please move me if it is

So, I have a Lenovo TS140 server configured with CentOS for home media streaming and file storage but it seems a waste of it's processing power just to have it sitting there storing movies. I was wondering what software/hardware I would need to set up a system where the server could run game servers as well or to have a dabble in some of the home monitoring/IoT server as and when it is released whilst still keeping the server up and running with the media streaming/storage side of things (Would VMware Hypervisor be a candidate for this setup?). Another idea is the possibility of setting up RAID in the future but I've heard it's better to use RAID cards incase the motherboard of the server fails so I can transplant it into a new system.

Also as for keeping the server secure what setup would be best for that as I want a web interface to manage the server but it needs to stay secure. I know many reccomend a VPN but how would I implement this and do I need any other stuff such as a new router etc.

Also feel free to add any of your own ideas as to how I could make the current setup better

ASE001 · 19 Feb 2016 at 13:55

Install VMworkstation (VMplayer) on your server, which is free for none commercial use.

Create a virtual machine in VMworksation to run ESX6, you then can create as many VMs as your system will allow running on the ESX server virtual machine. Also you don't have to rebuild your server. If you want fancy networking without upgrading VMworkstation to the full product, install openswitch on you server and bridge to one of your vmnet interfaces.

I know you have two virtualisation layers, but it doesn't add that much overhead. I use this config at home all the time. OpenSwitch allows me to pass multiple VLANS to my ESX virtual machine.

There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to, on all the above.

addylad · 19 Feb 2016 at 14:10

ASE001 said:
Install VMworkstation (VMplayer) on your server, which is free for none commercial use.

Create a virtual machine in VMworksation to run ESX6, you then can create as many VMs as your system will allow running on the ESX server virtual machine. Also you don't have to rebuild your server. If you want fancy networking without upgrading VMworkstation to the full product, install openswitch on you server and bridge to one of your vmnet interfaces.

I know you have two virtualisation layers, but it doesn't add that much overhead. I use this config at home all the time. OpenSwitch allows me to pass multiple VLANS to my ESX virtual machine.

There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to, on all the above.

Out of interest, does this get around the fact that some servers don't support ESXi? E.g. Dell T20, which I am very tempted by, but the Pentium model doesn't support it.

ASE001 · 19 Feb 2016 at 14:30

addylad said:
Out of interest, does this get around the fact that some servers don't support ESXi? E.g. Dell T20, which I am very tempted by, but the Pentium model doesn't support it.

Yes, you can use cheap TP-Link NICs instead of Intel ones, forexample. You still need a CPU that supports virtualisation.

TechMinerUK · 19 Feb 2016 at 14:37

ASE001 said:
Install VMworkstation (VMplayer) on your server, which is free for none commercial use.
Create a virtual machine in VMworksation to run ESX6, you then can create as many VMs as your system will allow running on the ESX server virtual machine. Also you don't have to rebuild your server. If you want fancy networking without upgrading VMworkstation to the full product, install openswitch on you server and bridge to one of your vmnet interfaces.
I know you have two virtualisation layers, but it doesn't add that much overhead. I use this config at home all the time. OpenSwitch allows me to pass multiple VLANS to my ESX virtual machine.
There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to, on all the above.

Would I install VMWorkstation to the current CentOS install as it currently has no GUI interface installed (Just command line)

ASE001 · 19 Feb 2016 at 16:14

TechMinerUK said:
Would I install VMWorkstation to the current CentOS install as it currently has no GUI interface installed (Just command line)

I think you need a GUI, but I'm not sure. You could use one of the opensource virtualisation environments, i.e. Xen. I know that is command line based.

It may be easier to go for an Opensource virtualisation Stack that installs everything you need (http://docs.cloudstack.apache.org/projects/cloudstack-installation/en/4.6/qig.html)?

TechMinerUK · 19 Feb 2016 at 16:45

ASE001 said:
I think you need a GUI, but I'm not sure. You could use one of the opensource virtualisation environments, i.e. Xen. I know that is command line based
It may be easier to go for an Opensource virtualisation Stack that installs everything you need

Do you have another link for the opensource virtualisation stack as that one is broken and I need to do research on it as I'm slightly confused

Edit: Nevermind, fixed the link as it was incorrect

El Pew · 19 Feb 2016 at 16:49

TechMinerUK said:
Would I install VMWorkstation to the current CentOS install as it currently has no GUI interface installed (Just command line)

Dunno why he was suggesting VMWare Workstation because a) it isn't free - only Workstation Player is free and it can't create VMs, only run them and b) VMWare just fired most of the Workstation development team so it's pretty much a dead product. Also, c) VMWare are a pain for not supporting new OSs as they are released, so you have to wait for the next version to come along and pay for a new license.

If you want the same capability then get VirtualBox, it's free for both personal and commercial use and it can be installed on a headless Linux box.

If you want something better, install ESXi or Hyper-V Server as your host OS.

TechMinerUK · 19 Feb 2016 at 16:56

El Pew said:
Dunno why he was suggesting VMWare Workstation because a) it isn't free - only Workstation Player is free and it can't create VMs, only run them and b) VMWare just fired most of the Workstation development team so it's pretty much a dead product. Also, c) VMWare are a pain for not supporting new OSs as they are released, so you have to wait for the next version to come along and pay for a new license.
If you want the same capability then get VirtualBox, it's free for both personal and commercial use and it can be installed on a headless Linux box.
If you want something better, install ESXi or Hyper-V Server as your host OS.

In that case I'm probably better going with ESXi as it will reduce overheads from other operating systems and allow better control over each individual virtual machine. Is there anyway I could setup ESXi to work with Putty or another remote control method so I can turn it off without having direct access to it?

ASE001 · 19 Feb 2016 at 17:00

El Pew said:
Dunno why he was suggesting VMWare Workstation because a) it isn't free - only Workstation Player is free and it can't create VMs, only run them and b) VMWare just fired most of the Workstation development team so it's pretty much a dead product. Also, c) VMWare are a pain for not supporting new OSs as they are released, so you have to wait for the next version to come along and pay for a new license.

If you want the same capability then get VirtualBox, it's free for both personal and commercial use and it can be installed on a headless Linux box.

If you want something better, install ESXi or Hyper-V Server as your host OS.

It's called 'VMware® Workstation 12 Player' found here http://www.vmware.com/uk/products/player/playerpro-evaluation.html

I tried Virtual box and I could not get it to run ESX.

TechMinerUK · 19 Feb 2016 at 17:16

ASE001 said:
It's called 'VMware® Workstation 12 Player' found here http://www.vmware.com/uk/products/player/playerpro-evaluation.html

I tried Virtual box and I could not get it to run ESX.

I think in my situation I'd install ESXi as the main OS and have everything else as VMs as I don't think you can run ESXi as a VM. Not sure yet as I still have more studying to do on it but I think thats how it is meant to be used

El Pew · 19 Feb 2016 at 18:05

ASE001 said:
It's called 'VMware® Workstation 12 Player' found here http://www.vmware.com/uk/products/player/playerpro-evaluation.html

It's not free, it's just an evaluation. And my other observations still apply.

ASE001 said:
I tried Virtual box and I could not get it to run ESX.

Why on Earth would you want to run a bare metal hypervisor in a desktop VM solution?

TechMinerUK said:
In that case I'm probably better going with ESXi as it will reduce overheads from other operating systems and allow better control over each individual virtual machine. Is there anyway I could setup ESXi to work with Putty or another remote control method so I can turn it off without having direct access to it?

I think ESXi is based on Linux, I seem to recall it has SSH capability so you can do maintenance actions on it. Otherwise you can download VMWare infrastructure client and manage it remotely using that.

Hyper-V Server is free and it's all Windows based if you're more comfortable with that.

TechMinerUK · 19 Feb 2016 at 18:38

El Pew said:
I think ESXi is based on Linux, I seem to recall it has SSH capability so you can do maintenance actions on it. Otherwise you can download VMWare infrastructure client and manage it remotely using that.
Hyper-V Server is free and it's all Windows based if you're more comfortable with that.

I've not used either of them so it will be a learning curve so I'm looking to start with the one seen as the "best"

El Pew · 19 Feb 2016 at 18:46

TechMinerUK said:
I've not used either of them so it will be a learning curve so I'm looking to start with the one seen as the "best"

To be honest for home use there's not much between them. I find the Hyper-V client (installed with the RSAT tools) to be easier to use than the VMWare ones, and Powershell integration is much better in Hyper-V obviously, but other than that it's a coin flip.

TechMinerUK · 19 Feb 2016 at 19:52

El Pew said:
To be honest for home use there's not much between them. I find the Hyper-V client (installed with the RSAT tools) to be easier to use than the VMWare ones, and Powershell integration is much better in Hyper-V obviously, but other than that it's a coin flip.

Excellent, I'll have a look this weekend and it will probably be decided by which downloads first

TechMinerUK · 21 Feb 2016 at 18:27

Another question, would I be best using the bare Hyper-V server package or the Windows Server 2012 R2 as a base for Hyper-V and if I were to use Windows Server 2012 would this increase the demand on hardware significantly or not much ?

Caged · 21 Feb 2016 at 19:55

When you install the Hyper-V role, the installer virtualises the existing Windows server install back on top as a VM, if that makes sense. So in terms of performance it doesn't really matter much. In terms of not filling your Hyper-V host up with crap my preference would be to deploy Server Core and the Hyper-V role and manage it from a separate workstation.

TechMinerUK · 21 Feb 2016 at 20:11

Caged said:
When you install the Hyper-V role, the installer virtualises the existing Windows server install back on top as a VM, if that makes sense. So in terms of performance it doesn't really matter much. In terms of not filling your Hyper-V host up with crap my preference would be to deploy Server Core and the Hyper-V role and manage it from a separate workstation.

Yep that makes sense, it's all a new learning curve for me so sorry for all the questions

El Pew · 21 Feb 2016 at 21:26

TechMinerUK said:
Yep that makes sense, it's all a new learning curve for me so sorry for all the questions

The other concern should be licensing. Hyper-V 2012 R2 is free, but you have to pay for any Windows licenses you run on it. If you buy Server 2012 R2 and install the Hyper-V role you can install 2 more Server 2012 VMs within it on the same license.

nutcase · 22 Feb 2016 at 08:14

El Pew said:
The other concern should be licensing. Hyper-V 2012 R2 is free, but you have to pay for any Windows licenses you run on it. If you buy Server 2012 R2 and install the Hyper-V role you can install 2 more Server 2012 VMs within it on the same license.

As long as the host has no other roles installed.