Time to build a vZilla

keymoo

keymoo

keymoo

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Joined
25 Oct 2002
Posts
230
Location
Bedfordshire, UK
http://www.tinkertry.com/vzilla/

I already have an ESXi 5.1 machine but it's showing its age with only 8 GB RAM and 4 TB of space. So I'm looking to build a new one and run this old one alongside. My old one is

  • Asus M4A78-E, AMD 790GX, AM2+/AM3, CF X, Express Gate
  • AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition, 3.0GHz, AM2+, QuadCore
  • 4x Samsung HD103UJ, F1, 7200rpm, 32MB, 1TB, SATA-II
  • Corsair CMPSU-550VX, 550W, ATX2.2/EPS, 80Plus
  • Mushkin ES2-8500 2x2GB, DDR2-1066, [email protected]
  • Antec Case Performance One P182, Gun Metal Black
  • 2x Intel PWLA8391GTBLK Pro 1000GT Gigabit Adapter PCI, Bulk

Actually I'm wondering if it's possible to retire the old one and canibalise some of the parts.

My new spec needs to have:

  • 32GB RAM
  • 12 TB storage configured in one or more RAID-5 arrays
  • Must be able to run vmware ESXi 5.1 (on a USB stick)
What do you reckon I should do?
 
I've moved it for you.
To be honest, the key for you is to ensure that the items are on the VMware HCL. I'm a VCP and run ESXi at home but I do it on a Proliant server.
 
Rilot said:
I've moved it for you.
To be honest, the key for you is to ensure that the items are on the VMware HCL. I'm a VCP and run ESXi at home but I do it on a Proliant server.
Click to expand...

Too expensive. I'm trying to do it on a budget using components that have already been tested on ESXi 5.1. Also know as a Whitebox.
 
mrbell1984 said:
Building systems like this is all well and good until for example a component goes. The motherboard for example. You have no system until the new part comes.

:D
Click to expand...

Not sure how this helps. This is true of any system, and I've never had a mobo blow in my umpteen years in building home systems. Most common parts to go are the HDD and PSU and I will have RAID-5 for the HDD so I don't lose data. It's just a home lab for mucking about in so if a component goes and I need to replace it's not a big deal to have to wait a few days.
 
keymoo said:
Not sure how this helps. This is true of any system, and I've never had a mobo blow in my umpteen years in building home systems. Most common parts to go are the HDD and PSU and I will have RAID-5 for the HDD so I don't lose data. It's just a home lab for mucking about in so if a component goes and I need to replace it's not a big deal to have to wait a few days.
Click to expand...

Doesn't help at all but it's a nice system indeed.
 
keymoo said:
Too expensive. I'm trying to do it on a budget using components that have already been tested on ESXi 5.1. Also know as a Whitebox.
Click to expand...
You might want to check your sources. A ProLiant ML310e G8 with E3-1220v2 processor is £420. An equivalent Dell PowerEdge T110 II is £360. The CPU alone retails for £160. Add case, motherboard, power supply, etc, and you would be really struggling to meet those complete system prices. Let alone the build quality, overall warranty (anything goes wrong, you deal with a single vendor), simplicity, and just sheer niceness of a complete system. Most of these small tower servers are usually pretty quiet as well, which is not something that is easy to achieve (especially cheaply) in a whitebox.
 
Create your own fast and resilient VMware whitebox, for both “production”
Click to expand...
was where I stopped reading.

Also, don't go RAID5. RAID6 or RAID10 depending on how many disks you have.
 
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