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r/vmware•
dVnt

Home/Project Host Server, ESXi 4.1 U1 HCL concerns

Hi r/vmware!

I'm trying to put together an ESXi host for testing and projects at home. Until this point, my only experience with virtualization has been with the Hyper-V role installed on Win2008R2.

I'm currently running an uber-cheap box:

  • Athlon x3 425 (2.7ghz)
  • Foxconn AMD 790GX
  • 4GB (2x2gb) 1333mhz DDR3
  • Dynex PCI NIC (10/100/1000)
  • Onboard RAID 10 (Salvaged 500GB 7200rpm SATAx4, 1TB RAID 10)

It didn't take long for me to realize that ESXi is very picky about what hardware you put it on. ESXi is not going to install with the integrated or PCI NIC and I'm sure it's not going to use the onboard RAID 10 either. The processor should work even though it's not server grade, it does support VT.

I've been kicking around some different options:

  • just buy two Intel Pro/1000 GT NICs, and a real RAID card (PERC 5i, ect);

  • upgrading the whole platform to one of ASUS's new "Server/Workstation" motherboards, the ASUS P8B-E/4L specifically. This comes with 4 Intel NICs and can by augmented by an add-in ASUS PIKE 1068E, which is an LSI 1068E raid controller. This gives me a much more robust system for the expense, but I'm not certain that this hardware is going to be 100% compatible either; I've read conflicting things about the 1068E.

I'm aware of VMWare's HCL, but have not found it to be of much use.

I'm just not sure which route makes the most sense. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Posted May 31, 2011, 7:24 PM UTC · edited

311
cerealkillerzz[VCP]•

Instead of going crazy trying to whitebox it, just pick up some cheap used servers. HP Proliant DL 360 G4s should be good. Thats what I use. YOu can pick them up used for as little as $350. I got mind from here: http://www.aventissystems.com/www/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=74

3
dVntOP•

Yeah, this is what I'm starting to realize. It seems like it would be much less of a hassle and a better deal to just pick up a used server.

2
dalan•

Possibly, but what I did was just to use my desktop's components when I upgraded them. I had to pick up two Intel 1000 nics from Ebay (I run my house's router in a VM), but that's all I had to do to get by.

Raid: Pick up a Dell Perc 5 from Ebay for reliable hardware raid. I opted to run the ESXi kernel on a 40GB laptop drive and expose the disks through RDM to a Linux VM running software raid simply because I'm cheap. It's not a solution that I can ever recover from if something fails, but I'm good about backups.

In my experience, those two devices are what ESXi is pickiest about. The rest will more than likely work.

EDIT: Just re-read your post fully. I'd pick up an Intel nic and try installing ESXi on a single hard drive (take your motherboard out of raid mode). If that works, all you need to do is buy a Perc (or other supported raid controller) because you know the rest will work just fine.

3
voilavoila•

Power is the problem with these though for a home lab. They absolutely eat it. Even the G5 DL360 is power hungry, it is not until the G6 and G7 that power is more accessible but do you really want an aircraft carrier taking off in your bedroom every time you boot?

You could run off a USB key off the ML110 G6 or G5 or check the HCL for Dell, HP, Lenovo Towers.

http://partnerweb.vmware.com/comp_guide2/search.php

This is on the HCL by the looks of things

http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/poweredge-t110-2/pd

1
aquilisdicio•

go 8 gb of memory...you will cap that 4gb rather quickly

2
fgriglesnickerseven•

I don't know if you've heard of the (whitebox)[http://www.vm-help.com/esx40i/esx40_whitebox_HCL.php] site, but this is what I used to build my system.

It doesn't look like your onboard raid controller is on that list (but neither was my MB), but it seems it's easiest to use a pcie raid card (which is why I don't have full raid - the cards are too damn expensive for me right now!)

2
voilavoila•

Hi, Techhead has a really good post about this.

http://www.techhead.co.uk/vmware-esxi-home-lab-why-what-and-how-considerations-when-building-your-own-home-lab

As does this blog,

http://virtualgeek.typepad.com/virtual_geek/2011/02/updated-2011-vsphere-esxi-41-and-future-homebrewwhitebox-parts-list.html

Although I think the MSI P43-C51 LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard – for $84.99 is quite an old motherboard and you could probably get something better for not much more dollar? I might be completely wrong here by the way!

This is on the HCL by the looks of things. http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/poweredge-t110-2/pd

2
tastybeard•

I've built about 3 of these boxes and the NIC has always been a problem. If you want you can look around for some homebrew drivers that someone has written for your hardware and then you can import them into the oem.tgz file located in the install media.

I've bought all of these machines from Newegg and if you get a part that doesn't work in your build just send it back. They are very good about it and just explain to them that it wasn't compatible with the OS that you were installing.

IF you are wigging out about the HCL you can always go about buying a premade box from HP which is a Microserver or you can look on the tested whitelists and forums. I've gone Intel with every build and shameless website link there is my build which runs pretty much everything I need for testing.

1
dalan•

I looked at the nic drivers for a couple popular Realtek cards just a few days ago and decided that it'd be worth my 20 bucks to pick up an Intel 1000 from ebay instead. The nic is a cheap thing to replace with something reliable.

2
tastybeard•

Exactly. I have never had any problem with Intel 1000 series and I generally would steer clear of Broadcom cards but that's from my personal experience with some of our HP ESXi hosts at the office. I have always had it in my head that Intel + VMware = BFFs when it comes to these whiteboxes

3
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
dalan•

The whitebox in my basement is an AMD that's running perfectly, so who knows. Only thing that didn't work was booting from a USB flash drive, but that's because the bios is a piece of crap on the Gigabyte board I bought 2-3 years ago. From what I've seen, the nic and raid card are the pickiest things. Intel 1000 + Dell Perc from ebay = easy mode.

1