ESXi Server needed!!!!!

Discussion in 'Virtual and Cloud Computing' started by hippy, Feb 20, 2009.

  1. hippy

    hippy Kilobyte Poster

    307
    5
    40
    Ok, im back from holiday and i cant take it anymore i need a server to run esxi at home on.

    Looking at a few websites the HP ml115 and ml110 are both floating around the £300 - 400 mark. Does anyone have any recommondation for a cheaper esxi server? Would prefer a built one in which i can just add a few more gb of ram and hds + raid card as needed. I am aiming and hoping to run about 6 - 10 servers (2 clients) at any one time if possible in a test environment and not a production one.

    Thanks,
     
  2. craigie

    craigie Terabyte Poster

    3,020
    174
    155
    You can search the VMware HCL here

    But in saying that a friend of mine who is a VCP has ESX installed on a Dell lappie, so your guess is as good as mine!

    Once I finished with the MCSE and CCNA, I'm going to install it on my lappie and see if it works and have a tinker around.
     
    Certifications: CCA | CCENT | CCNA | CCNA:S | HP APC | HP ASE | ITILv3 | MCP | MCDST | MCITP: EA | MCTS:Vista | MCTS:Exch '07 | MCSA 2003 | MCSA:M 2003 | MCSA 2008 | MCSE | VCP5-DT | VCP4-DCV | VCP5-DCV | VCAP5-DCA | VCAP5-DCD | VMTSP | VTSP 4 | VTSP 5
  3. hippy

    hippy Kilobyte Poster

    307
    5
    40
    Hi craigie, forgot to say cheers for the 70-284 study guide was going to comment when i start studying on monday.

    I know should look at HCL... my lazy gene set in. I know dales uses a dell server but they are not cheap anymore either... damn credit crunch is effecting my esxi server buying!

    You are forward planning a little bit then :)
     
  4. craigie

    craigie Terabyte Poster

    3,020
    174
    155
    No problemo about the Study Guide, there is lots of info on the MCSA stuff or MCDST but when you start getting into Exchange and then onto the MCSE, the information dries up somewhat.

    Been thinking about the CCNA and I reckon it would cost about £400 ish to get a semi decent lab, so I think I might just buy the books read them and go on a course for a week and see how I get on.

    Will be different from the current study method, but I'm doing the CCNA more out of personal interest rather than anything to do with my work currently (as I don't get to play around on routers!).
     
    Certifications: CCA | CCENT | CCNA | CCNA:S | HP APC | HP ASE | ITILv3 | MCP | MCDST | MCITP: EA | MCTS:Vista | MCTS:Exch '07 | MCSA 2003 | MCSA:M 2003 | MCSA 2008 | MCSE | VCP5-DT | VCP4-DCV | VCP5-DCV | VCAP5-DCA | VCAP5-DCD | VMTSP | VTSP 4 | VTSP 5
  5. dales

    dales Terabyte Poster

    2,005
    51
    142
    yep I roll with a dell PE sc440, currently loaded with 4GB's ram and 500GB SATA hard disk esxi works lovely jubbly on that with 8VM's up and running....

    blimey thats about double what I paid for mine, having a look round the internet it seems the t105's work if you boot esxi off a usb key. Wish i'd bought 2 now!
     
    Certifications: vExpert 2014+2015+2016,VCP-DT,CCE-V, CCE-AD, CCP-AD, CCEE, CCAA XenApp, CCA Netscaler, XenApp 6.5, XenDesktop 5 & Xenserver 6,VCP3+5,VTSP,MCSA MCDST MCP A+ ITIL F
    WIP: Nothing
  6. zebulebu

    zebulebu Terabyte Poster

    3,748
    330
    187
    My four ML115s were about 120 quid each from Servers Direct - but that was a one-off low price. On top of that, you have to make sure your storage controller is on the HCL - it wasn't an issue for me because I bought an HP raid controller and used one of the boxes as a SAN - but you'll need to check that the onboard storage controller is on the HCL first if you don't take this approach.

    other than that, they're awesome little boxes - I'd recommend them for anything!
     
    Certifications: A few
    WIP: None - f*** 'em
  7. hippy

    hippy Kilobyte Poster

    307
    5
    40
    Good price for them *cough**git**cough*.

    Going to see if a dell t105 server raid card (£86) is supported and hardware based. The t105 is not a too bad price at the moment. Although i see myself waiting out for cheap ml110/115 again.
     
  8. zebulebu

    zebulebu Terabyte Poster

    3,748
    330
    187
    Werd.

    The problem is, I think those prices at Servers Direct were because they had a load of the older rev versions sitting around in stock (G4 I think isntead of G5 - though I could be wrong on that). You'd need to wait for HP to rev again - and that could be a long ol' wait :biggrin

    best off seeing if you can get some little desktops with a supported processor and build around them. You only need to make sure the storage controller is acceptable and, if not, get a cheap raid controller that is
     
    Certifications: A few
    WIP: None - f*** 'em
  9. ServersDirect JamesR

    ServersDirect JamesR New Member

    3
    0
    1
    Hi Zebulebu

    The Servers in the thread were all G5 stock. We bought a bulk load of them last year at an amazing price which we passed on via web sales. HP has slowly increased the prices of ML110/115 servers over the last few months, they're now at ~£250 unit. A combination of the £/$ exchange rate change and stock availability on these models. We have deals coming in all the time though, please keep an eye on the website or give us a call for the latest.

    James, ServersDirect
     
  10. ServersDirect JamesR

    ServersDirect JamesR New Member

    3
    0
    1
    We have some stock that can help you with your price, we have 2 units in stock that are box opened. one has cosmetic damage to the case.

    1st unit - GRADE B - 470064-786 - HP ProLiant ML115 G5 - Server - micro tower - 1-way - 1 x Dual-Core Opteron 1214 / 2.2 GHz - RAM 512 MB - HDD 1 x 160 GB - DVD±RW Shared Video Memory (UMA) - Gigabit Ethernet - Monitor : none - priced at £130+vat.

    2nd Unit - GRADE A - 480570-035 - HP ProLiant ML115 G5 - Micro tower - 1-way - 1 x Third-Generation Opteron 1352 / 2.1 GHz - RAM 512 M - priced at £220 +vat

    To order call us on 0870 160 8366 and ask for the clearance stock ofthe two items above - they can’t be bought on the web.

    James
     
  11. zebulebu

    zebulebu Terabyte Poster

    3,748
    330
    187
    Nice price - beware thouugh, if you're planning on using them for ESX and trying out VMotion they will cause problems (CPU incompatibility). Other than that, for ESXi they should be fine - though you'd best check the storage controller is on the HCL.

    Incidentally James, there's definitely a niche market for this type of server at about £150 for people testing out virtualisation. It might be worth you putting together some sort of deal specifically for ESX/ESXi test implementations and advertising it as such on your site. :)
     
    Certifications: A few
    WIP: None - f*** 'em
  12. ServersDirect JamesR

    ServersDirect JamesR New Member

    3
    0
    1
    Thanks zebulebu

    I'll look out for a deal that suits ESX/ESXi test implementations. There's nothing I can think of at the moment from HP, IBM, Dell or FSC. The best deal may be something based around a basic
    ML1xx chasis with the option to build youroptions to support your storage/processor test environment.

    I'll post something as soon as I see it. You can always contact me on [email protected] or leave me a message in the thread.

    Thx

    J
     

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.