I would like to know this too as I am about to buy a ML115 G5 for a home study lab box, I would have got the ML110 if the quad xeons didnt cost so much more.
Opinions on HP ProLiant ML115 G5
- Thread starter RomeoS
- Start date
I would like to know this too as I am about to buy a ML115 G5 for a home study lab box, I would have got the ML110 if the quad xeons didnt cost so much more.
Indeed - I'm very happy with my ML115, but I'd like to now what potential issues there are I may not have struck yet, if any
No issues with mine yet
Copes admirably with everything i'm throwing at it. At the mo, i've got Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server R2, Winows Server 2008 R2, OpenFiler, Ubuntu and FreeNas running on it..... at the same time lol No issues with mine yet
What is you disk configuration and what are you using, ESXi 4, Hyper-V?
using the onboard controller or a dedicated PCI-E raid card?
Using ESXi4 running off of USB stick. Disks are 4xWDBlack500gb in JBOD config. I have split my images across the disks to give each image its own IO. I wouldnt touch the internal RAID controller for anything more than JBOD, as its probably crap. Got 8gb of RAM too which helps.
Just to follow up on the above. I thought it would be good to put a post on which explains what i've got (which works) and how its setup. Maybe help someone who doesnt want to trawl through so many posts.
What I purchased.
HP ML115 (1gb RAM,160GB WD HDD,[email protected])
4 x WD Caviar Black 7200rpm 500gb Disks
2 x Crucial DDR2 6400 4gb kit (2x2gb) ECC Unbuffered
1 x Kingston 4gb USB2 DataTraveller
(For info, the ML115 does not contain enough SATA data cables to feed all the extra drives, you will need 3 extra ones. I had a few handy.)
I can confirm that all the above works flawlesly. I've had a couple of kernel panics on reboot so far but I think this may be down to the USB install of ESX. In terms of disk configuration I did nothing fancy, just slammed the disks in and connected them to the board. I did not setup any kind of RAID, as I believe it would probably be slower.
Next I installed VMWare ESXi Version 4. I used this guide Techhead. You will need to use a Windows XP PC, and a copy of winimage to make it work. In all it took about 1/2 hour. I did make a mistake first time around by imaging the bz2 files instead of the DD file which is actually inside the bz2 file, make sure you get the right one
I then plugged the now bootable USB stick into the board (goes inside the case, cool ). (Dont forgot to set your BIOS to boot from USB, which can only be done once its plugged in)
Started up the machine, the ESXi booted and picked up a DHCP address from my router, and its done!
I then cranked up the VMWare vSphere client on my PC to start to administrate the ESXi box and start to deploy ISO images of the OS's I want to install onto the datastore.
All done, very happy.
What I purchased.
HP ML115 (1gb RAM,160GB WD HDD,[email protected])
4 x WD Caviar Black 7200rpm 500gb Disks
2 x Crucial DDR2 6400 4gb kit (2x2gb) ECC Unbuffered
1 x Kingston 4gb USB2 DataTraveller
(For info, the ML115 does not contain enough SATA data cables to feed all the extra drives, you will need 3 extra ones. I had a few handy.)
I can confirm that all the above works flawlesly. I've had a couple of kernel panics on reboot so far but I think this may be down to the USB install of ESX. In terms of disk configuration I did nothing fancy, just slammed the disks in and connected them to the board. I did not setup any kind of RAID, as I believe it would probably be slower.
Next I installed VMWare ESXi Version 4. I used this guide Techhead. You will need to use a Windows XP PC, and a copy of winimage to make it work. In all it took about 1/2 hour. I did make a mistake first time around by imaging the bz2 files instead of the DD file which is actually inside the bz2 file, make sure you get the right one
I then plugged the now bootable USB stick into the board (goes inside the case, cool
). (Dont forgot to set your BIOS to boot from USB, which can only be done once its plugged in)Started up the machine, the ESXi booted and picked up a DHCP address from my router, and its done!
I then cranked up the VMWare vSphere client on my PC to start to administrate the ESXi box and start to deploy ISO images of the OS's I want to install onto the datastore.
All done, very happy.
Worth noting that ESX/ESXi won't work with the onboard controller if you've got a RAID configuration- ESX simply won't see the storage. RAID0/JBOD works fine.
If you want RAID you'll need a dedicated controller, I use an HP E200 on mine. Not dirt cheap but works and performs nicely. I've got a dual core ML running ESXi with two Windows servers, exchange etc running fine on two RAID1 SATA arrays and 8Gb RAM.
Also I've got a quad core ML115 running as a Pro Tools DAW host (XP32 with 4Gb RAM), with audio handled via Firewire to an M-Audio ProjectMix I/O. Works great, nice and responsive, a bargain system.
If you want RAID you'll need a dedicated controller, I use an HP E200 on mine. Not dirt cheap but works and performs nicely. I've got a dual core ML running ESXi with two Windows servers, exchange etc running fine on two RAID1 SATA arrays and 8Gb RAM.
Also I've got a quad core ML115 running as a Pro Tools DAW host (XP32 with 4Gb RAM), with audio handled via Firewire to an M-Audio ProjectMix I/O. Works great, nice and responsive, a bargain system.
Associate
- Joined
- 7 Aug 2005
- Posts
- 358
Im looking to purchase a ML115, just need to confirm the RAM, I want 8GB as I intend to run ESXi and a few VMS, would this - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-117-CR - be suitable for the server?
I would get the unbuffered version. Just get the same as ive got and it will work.
im gonna be following this,
thanks!
Just to follow up on the above. I thought it would be good to put a post on which explains what i've got (which works) and how its setup. Maybe help someone who doesnt want to trawl through so many posts.
What I purchased.
HP ML115 (1gb RAM,160GB WD HDD,[email protected])
4 x WD Caviar Black 7200rpm 500gb Disks
2 x Crucial DDR2 6400 4gb kit (2x2gb) ECC Unbuffered
1 x Kingston 4gb USB2 DataTraveller
(For info, the ML115 does not contain enough SATA data cables to feed all the extra drives, you will need 3 extra ones. I had a few handy.)
I can confirm that all the above works flawlesly. I've had a couple of kernel panics on reboot so far but I think this may be down to the USB install of ESX. In terms of disk configuration I did nothing fancy, just slammed the disks in and connected them to the board. I did not setup any kind of RAID, as I believe it would probably be slower.
Next I installed VMWare ESXi Version 4. I used this guide Techhead. You will need to use a Windows XP PC, and a copy of winimage to make it work. In all it took about 1/2 hour. I did make a mistake first time around by imaging the bz2 files instead of the DD file which is actually inside the bz2 file, make sure you get the right one
I then plugged the now bootable USB stick into the board (goes inside the case, cool
Started up the machine, the ESXi booted and picked up a DHCP address from my router, and its done!
I then cranked up the VMWare vSphere client on my PC to start to administrate the ESXi box and start to deploy ISO images of the OS's I want to install onto the datastore.
All done, very happy.
Lol, this just shouldnt work, and maybe it wont after a reboot....
I've got an openfiler host running inside esxi which is exposing a 100gb iscsi target. That target has been configured in esxi as a datastore. i've then moved a ubuntu host onto that datastore and it runs lol.
I've got an openfiler host running inside esxi which is exposing a 100gb iscsi target. That target has been configured in esxi as a datastore. i've then moved a ubuntu host onto that datastore and it runs lol.
I've been eyeing the ML115 G5 (quad core Opteron) up for a while now, however I have a slightly different use planned to what most people seem to be using them for or indeed to what it was designed to do. So allow me to outline what I am doing now and then what I am looking to do.
Right now, I have my storage/file server and HTPC rolled into one, I have shoe-horned 2 1TB 3.5" drives and a 320GB 2.5" (boot and scratch drive) drive into a Silverstone Sugo SG05 (I know it can technically only take 1 x 3.5" drive but with some ingenuity you can fit another). This is all based around a Zotac Geforce 9300 mini ITX motherboard. I am actually running the 3rd hard drive by using an esata bracket to loop the sata connection back from the hard drive inside to the esata connection on the back of the case ...it's a bit Heath Robinson really but since the Zotac only has 2 internal sata connections, I don't have a choice.
Now, at this precise moment in time, everything is ok, but when I need to expand my storage, which at my current rate of growth wont be more than 3 months from now, I am going to need more space. The SG05 is a wonderful little case for an HTPC ...but since I have amalgamated my server and HTPC into one, it's just not working for me anymore, not to mention the Zotac motherboard can't accommodate anymore sata devices, right now I have an optical drive connected via usb.
So what I am thinking is that I could use an ML115 in the same capacity (I don't really want to seperate my HTPC and server, I have no reason to do that), I know it does not have any sound and that the onboard graphics are extremely poor, but I have a spare PCI Audigy 4 knocking around and I have a couple of PCI-E graphics cards to choose from, an ATI X1300 Hyper Memory thing I usually use as an emergency backup and also an 8800GT (since I replaced my main desktop card).
So I can fit the bits I need to effectively turn it into something it's not really sold as, it's compact but can still hold 4 3.5" drives in the hd wrack and it could take another in a 5.25" bay if need be.
I already have 4GB of DDR2 ram for it, I would just use the stuff I am already using in the Zotac, then sell the SG05, Zotac and the E6600 and reclaim most of the cost of the ML115 ...in-fact I hardly think the cost to change would be anything really. And I'd have a quad core where before I only had a duel.
I know the 2.2GHz Opteron isn’t the world's fastest cpu, but then it doesn’t need to be for what I want it for, it’s fast enough to decode HD, actually it’s probably about the same as the E6600 I am using now only with 2 more cores.
Do you think it would really be suitable to use like this? ...as opposed to simply building a custom machine for this purpose, which I could easily do, although it would cost more. The bargain price of this machine is what attracts me to it. It really sounds like you get a lot for your money and it'd be a pain free solution to setting up a reliable server and HTPC ...or so it would appear.
The only thing that does concern me a little is how loud it is, my current set-up isn't exactly whisper quiet, but it's not loud enough to be annoying, this might be though, that's the part I'm not sure about. I've heard the start-up noise on a Youtube video, which is akin to a tornado, but then it does seem to settle down to being reasonably quiet ...but it's hard to tell from a Youtube video really.
I'm not sure what the best route to take is right now, custom build a more suitable machine, or adapt one of these. Either way, selling components are already have really negates most of the cost involved.
Thoughts?
Right now, I have my storage/file server and HTPC rolled into one, I have shoe-horned 2 1TB 3.5" drives and a 320GB 2.5" (boot and scratch drive) drive into a Silverstone Sugo SG05 (I know it can technically only take 1 x 3.5" drive but with some ingenuity you can fit another). This is all based around a Zotac Geforce 9300 mini ITX motherboard. I am actually running the 3rd hard drive by using an esata bracket to loop the sata connection back from the hard drive inside to the esata connection on the back of the case ...it's a bit Heath Robinson really but since the Zotac only has 2 internal sata connections, I don't have a choice.
Now, at this precise moment in time, everything is ok, but when I need to expand my storage, which at my current rate of growth wont be more than 3 months from now, I am going to need more space. The SG05 is a wonderful little case for an HTPC ...but since I have amalgamated my server and HTPC into one, it's just not working for me anymore, not to mention the Zotac motherboard can't accommodate anymore sata devices, right now I have an optical drive connected via usb.
So what I am thinking is that I could use an ML115 in the same capacity (I don't really want to seperate my HTPC and server, I have no reason to do that), I know it does not have any sound and that the onboard graphics are extremely poor, but I have a spare PCI Audigy 4 knocking around and I have a couple of PCI-E graphics cards to choose from, an ATI X1300 Hyper Memory thing I usually use as an emergency backup and also an 8800GT (since I replaced my main desktop card).
So I can fit the bits I need to effectively turn it into something it's not really sold as, it's compact but can still hold 4 3.5" drives in the hd wrack and it could take another in a 5.25" bay if need be.
I already have 4GB of DDR2 ram for it, I would just use the stuff I am already using in the Zotac, then sell the SG05, Zotac and the E6600 and reclaim most of the cost of the ML115 ...in-fact I hardly think the cost to change would be anything really. And I'd have a quad core where before I only had a duel.
I know the 2.2GHz Opteron isn’t the world's fastest cpu, but then it doesn’t need to be for what I want it for, it’s fast enough to decode HD, actually it’s probably about the same as the E6600 I am using now only with 2 more cores.
Do you think it would really be suitable to use like this? ...as opposed to simply building a custom machine for this purpose, which I could easily do, although it would cost more. The bargain price of this machine is what attracts me to it. It really sounds like you get a lot for your money and it'd be a pain free solution to setting up a reliable server and HTPC ...or so it would appear.
The only thing that does concern me a little is how loud it is, my current set-up isn't exactly whisper quiet, but it's not loud enough to be annoying, this might be though, that's the part I'm not sure about. I've heard the start-up noise on a Youtube video, which is akin to a tornado, but then it does seem to settle down to being reasonably quiet ...but it's hard to tell from a Youtube video really.
I'm not sure what the best route to take is right now, custom build a more suitable machine, or adapt one of these. Either way, selling components are already have really negates most of the cost involved.
Thoughts?
Last edited:
The ML115 is too loud for a living room. I certainly would not want it there, even when it has calmed down after boot. Maybe as a bit of a project and network bandwidth dependent you could get a ML115 and setup openfiler on it. You can then expose an iSCSI target and use it as storage for a small /quiet machine in your living room (perhaps the existing one?). You would then get terabytes of storage exposed as a local drive to your living room machine. I wouldnt try it over wifi tho
The ML115 is too loud for a living room. I certainly would not want it there, even when it has calmed down after boot. Maybe as a bit of a project and network bandwidth dependent you could get a ML115 and setup openfiler on it. You can then expose an iSCSI target and use it as storage for a small /quiet machine in your living room (perhaps the existing one?). You would then get terabytes of storage exposed as a local drive to your living room machine. I wouldnt try it over wifi tho
I've got a dual core ML115 doing ESXi duties (the quad is my studio PC as mentioned above). The dual core sits in the corner of my living room, and while you can hear it if you listen out for it, it's quiet enough that you forget it's there. Certainly it can't be heard at all when the TV is on, even at midnight volumes.
On the other hand, if noise is an issue, borrow your office's UTP cable crimper and run a cable up to the loft, or another room where noise isn't an issue (I run a CAT5E cable through the wall, round the side of the house and to my extension). It's cheap and easy.
My dual-core box runs two main servers under ESXi, one 2000 server with Exchange, and a 2008 server that does fileserver duties and runs TVersity for my PS3 media center. If the dual core box can do it under a virtualisation layer, the quad will be able to do the same whilst barely breaking idle.
I'm leaning more towards building a machine for this purpose now, noise is a concern, but I'm not one of these people that expects it to literally be silent, just quiet, which I suppose is rather subjective. I think I'd rather use something like an AMD 785G chipset and have everything I need integrated onto the motherboard, it should offer me lower power consumption and higher performance where I need it anyway.
There have been a few questions about what hardware people are using, so I'll list mine in the hope it might help someone.
* ML115 G5 (4x2.1 Opteron)
* 8 GB Ram (2 lots of Corsair XMS2 DHX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 TwinX Dual Channel from OcUK)
* Perc 5i RAID controller with 4*500gb HDD in RAID5 (Seagate 500GB Barracuda 7200.12 7200RPM SATA 3Gb 16MB Cache - OEM)
* 1.5TB Seagate 7200.11 (connected to onboard SATA) and mounted in a 5.25" bay (Akasa AK-HD-03BK Hard Disk Drive Passive cooling kit)
OS is Windows Server 2008 and using Hyper-V to host a few VMs. Have previously used ESXi 3.5 and 4 without issue, but the storage performance is hugely better under windows (despite ESXi correctly loading LSI MegaRaid drivers on bootup).
Reinstalling today with Server 2008 R2
* ML115 G5 (4x2.1 Opteron)
* 8 GB Ram (2 lots of Corsair XMS2 DHX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 TwinX Dual Channel from OcUK)
* Perc 5i RAID controller with 4*500gb HDD in RAID5 (Seagate 500GB Barracuda 7200.12 7200RPM SATA 3Gb 16MB Cache - OEM)
* 1.5TB Seagate 7200.11 (connected to onboard SATA) and mounted in a 5.25" bay (Akasa AK-HD-03BK Hard Disk Drive Passive cooling kit)
OS is Windows Server 2008 and using Hyper-V to host a few VMs. Have previously used ESXi 3.5 and 4 without issue, but the storage performance is hugely better under windows (despite ESXi correctly loading LSI MegaRaid drivers on bootup).
Reinstalling today with Server 2008 R2
There was surely something wrong there then if you are getting dramatically different results. A friend of mine did his dissertation on the performance of various aspects of virtualisation and concluded that Hyper-V was utterly terrible compared to ESX and Xen...
EDIT:
Hmm: http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/mi...nguage=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1011213
Last edited:
From experience I have found the same, underperforming servers running on HyperV host have been rebuilt as ESX and the VM performance has increased substantially, especially for high load servers.
Its not rocket science to see that it would be the case either as ESX is a bare metal hypervisor and not running an another OS like HyperV.
Server 2008 R2 runs the hyper-v layer underneath the "host" OS too, in effect treating the windows installation as a VM too.
I can't explain why, but moving around data under ESXi was a painfully slow process and is something many others with the PERC card also report (and seems to be corroborated by DRZ's link). This may now have been resolved, but at the time I was using ESXi (May/Jun/Jul) there was no firmware update available.
Either way, I'm now content with what I have running on the windows solution, none of my workloads are heavy and given that it mainly sits there sharing files and disk performance is fast I'm more than happy - I see no reason to revisit ESXi.
I can't explain why, but moving around data under ESXi was a painfully slow process and is something many others with the PERC card also report (and seems to be corroborated by DRZ's link). This may now have been resolved, but at the time I was using ESXi (May/Jun/Jul) there was no firmware update available.
Either way, I'm now content with what I have running on the windows solution, none of my workloads are heavy and given that it mainly sits there sharing files and disk performance is fast I'm more than happy - I see no reason to revisit ESXi.
I didn't click the link DRZ supplied, but obviously in your case with the Dell PERC controller you have a hardware related issue.
In your case then I don't dispute that 2008 HyperV seems to be the better solution for you however I'm not so sure that HyperV runs underneath the host OS too, sounds like some questionable marketing and it does I can't see it being very efficent. You stated you have 2008 installed so I assume its an addon role rather than stand alone HyperV?
If you have any material or links that suggest otherwise, I wouldnt mind a look.
In your case then I don't dispute that 2008 HyperV seems to be the better solution for you however I'm not so sure that HyperV runs underneath the host OS too, sounds like some questionable marketing and it does I can't see it being very efficent. You stated you have 2008 installed so I assume its an addon role rather than stand alone HyperV?
If you have any material or links that suggest otherwise, I wouldnt mind a look.