Budget 71-90K Home Virtualization lab

A

agm_105

Disciple
Q: What is your budget?
90k not more than this

Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
CPU - Intel E7200
Motherboard - Gigabyte 945
GPU -
RAM - 2gb transcend
Monitor - Acer 23"
SMPS - Stock
(please mention the rest in above format)


Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
None


Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

two Rigs mentioned below


Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
Yes, will upgrade the following within 6 months

CPU cooling
Graphic card

Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
Mumbai
Open to online purchase

Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
No

Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
Virtualization

Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.



Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
NA

Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
NA

Q: Are you looking to overclock?
NO

Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows Server 2012


Looking forward to build a home virtualization lab. Prime objective is to run 10-15 vm's simultaneously.I have roughly made below two configs . would love to see suggestions and comments to build this whole thing.
PC-1
Component
Asus Kgpe-d16 - Motherboard - Ssi Eeb 3.61 - Socket G34 - Amd Sr5690/sp5100
Eight-Core AMD Opteronâ„¢ 6320
or
Twelve-Core AMD Opteronâ„¢ 6344
Kingston 32GB Kit* (4x8GB) - DDR3 1600MHz( KVR16R11D4K4/32 )
Intel SSD 520 240GB (6Gbps)SF-2281 MLC ( can change this looking for budget SSD with decent performance)
Seagate 2TB 64MB C 7200 RPM Constellation ES ( same as above )
CORSAIR Professional Series AX850
Lian Li PC - A70F Full Tower Chassis
The only issue with above rig is getting the processor and mobo. Also ASS may be an issue. so there's an alternative config.


SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 AMD 990FX(AM3+) /BIOSTAR TA970 AM3+ AMD 970 /ASRock 990FX Extreme9 AM3+ AMD 990FX
AMD FX 8350
Intel SSD 520 240GB (6Gbps)SF-2281 MLC
Seagate 2TB 64MB C 7200 RPM Constellation ES
CORSAIR Professional Series AX850
NZXT Crafted Series Guardian 921 RB Blue LED USB 3.0


:bleh: Let the battle begin !! :bleh:
 
You have carefully chosen all your components which are of the highest build quality - I do not find the reason to add/recommend anything further..... except perhaps drop the Biostar motherboard (this is not a quality build/brand).

However, since "virtualisation" is your primary objective, I could only suggest that you try approaching any dealer on Lammy or elsewhere so that you can source out your specific processor/motherboard (if they can procure it)...... the
Eight-Core AMD Opteronâ„¢ 6320
or Twelve-Core AMD Opteronâ„¢ 6344

I do not have any knowledge of virtualistion, except that more the cores & RAM - better would be the performance.

Cheers
Terry

Note: On second thoughts, try looking at Seasonic X-850 (SS-850KM) 80+ Gold Certified & Fully Modular PSU - SeaSonic X Series X-850 (SS-850KM Active PFC F3) 850W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply | for 10995/-
vs CORSAIR Professional Series AX850 - Buy Corsair | Buy Corsair Professional Power Supply | Corsair Professional Series AX850 | for 15550/-
 
@terrence_fdes Both are absolutely correct suggestions.

@op Getting the server components could be problem around here, I have built my virtualization environments on Sabertooth x58. Primary considerations were the 6-cores (x2 HT) + triple channel, that gave me 24GB back when I built it and now I am rocking 48GB on the same machine. The 2011 socket version (x79) does quad channel so effectively you could have 64GB RAM. We need a tonne of RAM, since these are our primary virtualization beds (Hyper-V with SCVMM), at home you may/may not need these many resources, however the intel (x79) consumer grade boards will give you the flexibility to add more ram as needed.
 
@terrence_fdes : performance wise does seasonic match upto corsair ?
@sarang : the only thing stops me going to Intel based setup is the cost. also the no of physical cores is a concern.
 
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agm_105 said:
@terrence_fdes : performance wise does seasonic match upto corsair ?
Click to expand...

Seasonic used to be Corsair's OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and still does a lot of designs, particularly the high end AX- series. Although it has been supplanted by CWT at levels, the latter providing the bulk of the pieces whilst Seasonic does the cream.

About the core-conundrum I cannot be of much help, sadly.

Hope this allays your fears. Cheers!
 
ALPHA17 said:
Seasonic used to be Corsair's OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and still does a lot of designs, particularly the high end AX- series. Although it has been supplanted by CWT at levels, the latter providing the bulk of the pieces whilst Seasonic does the cream.

About the core-conundrum I cannot be of much help, sadly.

Hope this allays your fears. Cheers!
Click to expand...

Thanks Abhay for the answer - So not to worry @agm_105 - You can go ahead with Seasonic as it's the very best.

agm_105 said:
@terence_fdes : performance wise does seasonic match upto corsair ?
sarang : the only thing stops me going to Intel based setup is the cost. also the no of physical cores is a concern.
Click to expand...

Stick to the Opteron Procs (esp the 8 core one), Intel is no match - especially where prices/cores are concerned for your - virtualisation needs.

I have pm'ed you some contacts - who may give you leads on how to source your Opteron procs + Asus Server motherboards, or else last resort is to order it from newegg.

Cheers
Terry
 
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What kind of HDD space are you looking for each of your VMs? I suggest that you go for multiple 64GB or 128 GB SSDs. Let each VM have its own SSD if possible or you can let two VMs share one SSD.
Two configuration options possible :
1. You can either choose to store VM images on these separate SSDs.
2. You can store all VM images on Host Operating System' SSD(s).

Suggestions :
1. Get good Gigabit Ethernet adapters (look for intel quads)
2. Invest in good quality Gigabit Switch.
3. 48/64 GB RAM should be good enough to host 12-16 VMs depending on their target loads.
4. HDD performance can be the main bottleneck in most common cases.

And lastly, have a look at Anandtech review : AnandTech - Updating the 2012 AnandTech SMB / SOHO NAS Testbed
 
@terence_fdes : yep checked it out but it seems that the supplier is no longer taking orders for newegg . and he has had some reputation for delaying shipping in past.
@rahuljawale : the machine is not for mission critical vm's . its mostly going to be test lab machines . I would primarily invest in only one SSD for host OS and get a single 2tb or 2x1tb drives for better storage management.

Looking at how hard it would be to source AMD solution. I would rather for a intel setup with a x79 board that can allow me 64gb ram. I tried to search for a AM3+ board that can support 64gb ram but couldnt find one.
 
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I am also using my system for virtualization purpose i am mainly using vmware workstation .
my config is

processor - i7-3770
mb - p8h77-v
ram - corsair 24 gb vengence
psu 600 watt corsair

what are you trying to build esx server ?
 
agm_105 said:
rahuljawale : the machine is not for mission critical vm's . its mostly going to be test lab machines . I would primarily invest in only one SSD for host OS and get a single 2tb or 2x1tb drives for better storage management.
Click to expand...

In that case do consider separate HDDs for each VM. I suppose 250GB HDD per VM should be good enough.
 
@nolifeonmars : As tommy_vercetti mentioned I am going to use Hyper-V . I would love to do something on vmware but dont have pre-requisite knowledge for the same. how many vms do you manage to run on your machine ?
@vaibhavyagnik : I had zeroed in on Dell T5600 and T620 machines but the total cost goes upto 2 lakhs. :O
@sasikanth8 : yep seen those articles earlier but opteron 6200 is itself is hard to get and expensive right now forget about getting 6300
 
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1) Well guys first the OP needs to specify what kind of VMware hypervisor he'll be using ?? will it be a type 1 hypervisor OS ? using Esx, Esxi or type 2 hypervisor where he will have an OS and inside that host OS he will be using vmware workstation to manage
2) Purpose (if youre eyeing on the VCP certification , you need to work on Type 1 hypervisor, type 2 hypervisor apps can be installed on any basic desktop having VT on)
3) If youre aiming to simulate Vmotion, you would need a good managed switch and a external storage with iscsi capability (to learn virtual networking and virtual storage elements)


i have a home lab where im working on my MCITP(70-693) and will be moving to VCP after my exam on 6th that is if i clear it , so will be swithing from hyper-V to VM specific environment
 
well you need to tell me your requirement clearly, are you looking for a virtualisation certification or you headed to learn the messaging aspect (Exchange + Lync) ?
you can always use a sasta and tikaav desktops supporting VT install server 2008R2 Enterprise edition and it lets you create upto 2 hyper-V HAVMs in that host install Exchange and lync respectively , Lync can be mixed with DC role , and use a home laptop or PC add it to that domain and attempt the messaging aspect which should work
you need to decide if you wanna go the VMware way or the Microsoft way, i know you chose Microsoft way, but again are you planning on VMware technologies in future ?
Hardware is not much of a headache, before you take the plunge into virtualization you need to know what you want first and configure accordingly

My Setups is as below

1) Desktop aka server i7 920, X58, 12gb ram , 120gb ssd for boot,12tb storage (2tb * 6 connected locally), Haf X cabinet ( not that it matters ), running server 2008 R2 Datacenter edition (Domain controller and hyper-V host running 4VMs and SCVMM installed which helps me try P2V conversions), Intel Dual NIC server MT1000 gigabit card
2) Inspiron 15R with i7 3632QM, 8gb ram, 256gb ssd. running windows 8 (has SCVMM 2008 R2 admin console installed)
3) Brother's inspiron laptop 5520 running windows 8 (has SCVMM 2008 R2 admin console installed)
4) A 2bay Qnap network drive(1tb * 2) (connected through iSCSI)
5) Cisco 3750X switch supporting jumbo frames for iSCSI (Lent this from a friend working at cisco)

i didnt build the setup at one shot have built it over the years

i can suggest you enterprise grade components and also show you where to get them (newegg , tigerdirect and ebay GEB), trust me they are a lot expensive , lemme give you a very simple example ...the enterprise grade nic in my desktop costed me 3k each ( i have 2),

all the above licenses above are from my MSDN account
 
babloos said:
some of you techie guys care to explain defference between vt-x and vt-d,iam going intel way for my virtual lab
Click to expand...

Intel VT includes a series of extensions for hardware virtualization. The Intel VT-x extensions are probably the best recognized extensions, adding migration, priority and memory handling capabilities to a wide range of Intel processors. By comparison, the VT-d extensions add virtualization support to Intel chipsets that can assign specific I/O devices to specific virtual machines (VM)s, while the VT-c extensions bring better virtualization support to I/O devices such as network switches.
 
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