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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=673195221-29102008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>After all it only takes about 50MB of RAM (at most) to run
a base linux system. I am sure if you used a minimal distro you could achieve
levels similar to ESX after running the VMware server
software.....</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=673195221-29102008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=673195221-29102008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>So the only disadvantage is that it isn't turn key and
maybe somewhat more insecure.</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> Chris Fowler
[mailto:cfowler@outpostsentinel.com] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, October 29,
2008 5:49 PM<BR><B>To:</B> ale@ale.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [ale] [OT] Monster
PC < $500<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>I've been testing VMWare Server 2.0 and like it. We <BR>are
moving to a new colo facility and I'm planning on installing<BR>a server with
VMWare Server 2.0 and placing 4 guests on that instead<BR>of installing 4 new
pieces of equipment. When all is done, I'll turn of the<BR>old equipment
at the data center (4 servers) and some will be moved<BR>to the new place and
some will be decommissioned.<BR><BR>The plan on the new server is to install 8GB
of RAM and I'm running 2 SATA II<BR>drives as a RAID 1. I've installed an
8 port modem board and a 4 port<BR>serial board. Since we use intelligent
power and serial consoles for<BR>remote management, I am going to assign one
port of the serial board<BR>to each VM and that will be the serial console for
that instance of CentOS 5.2<BR><BR>So I'm consolidating 4 pieces of real
hardware into 1 that will run VMWare<BR>Server. When I get everything done
and the old stuff turned off, I will move<BR>2 of the old servers into the new
rack and use them, turning off their<BR>guest equivalents.<BR><BR>The purpose is
that I can't turn stuff off and move them from Suwanee<BR>to Norcross. I
need 0 downtime.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Shane McKinley wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE
cite=mid:7C454E01C5FAE748BEFE65F4C6B7FD8B015FB099@s-marcell.hemc.coop
type="cite"><PRE wrap="">You have learned much grasshopper.
-----Original Message-----
From: JK [<A class=moz-txt-link-freetext href="mailto:jknapka@kneuro.net">mailto:jknapka@kneuro.net</A>]
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 4:54 PM
To: <A class=moz-txt-link-abbreviated href="mailto:ale@ale.org">ale@ale.org</A>
Subject: Re: [ale] [OT] Monster PC < $500
Thanks for all the advice, everyone. To summarize (and please correct
me if I'm wrong):
* A better-quality case and PS would be worth paying extra for. Thinking
back on some *bad* cases I've had to deal with, I can definitely see the
point here...
* WD may not be the best choice for HD, though some people like them
just fine. Hardly anyone seems to complain about Seagate, though.
(Aren't they part of the same company now?)
* Don't forget a DVD drive :-p
* RAM timings may end up degraded due to quirks of the MB/CPU/RAM
combination; I might consider spending less on slower RAM.
* I probably can't use ESX. This doesn't bother me much, since I'm a
total virtualization noob, and it seems as if getting hardware usable
for ESX is going to involve a lot more $$$ than I want to spend.
* Nonetheless, Xen, too, has hardware limitations, so I may need to
change motherboard based on chipset support.
-- JK
JK wrote:
</PRE>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><PRE wrap="">[Marked OT because not directly Linux-relevant, although Linux will
certainly be run on this machine.]
Hi everyone,
I'm looking at putting together a machine to run some virtualized
servers (maybe under Xen, maybe VMWare, maybe something else; haven't
decided yet). I've put together a parts list for a 2.3Ghz quad-core
Phenom/8GB RAM/250GB HD machine from newegg.com, totalling $465. Does
</PRE></BLOCKQUOTE><PRE wrap=""><!---->
</PRE>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><PRE wrap="">that seem reasonable, or am I (a) paying too much for something, or
(b) lowballing something critical? I'm especially concerned about
cooling; I've actually never built a machine before where heat
dissipation was at all an issue, and cheap stock fans have always
worked fine for me. I suspect that won't be the case with a CPU that
draws 165W. (At least I won't have to run my heater as much this
winter.)
I'd like to be able to run four virtual machines each equivalent to
perhaps a 500Mhz P3 with 1GB RAM or thereabouts.
Exact performance is negotiable.
Here's the list. I may invest in another HD for RAID, but for now I'm
trying to stay under $500:
MB $ 85 GIGABYTE GA-MA78G-DS3H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI ATX AMD
Motherboard (this board has 4 DDR2 slots and accepts up to 16GB)
CPU $120 AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core
Processor Model HD960ZWCGDBOX - Retail
RAM $130 2 x OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2
1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P10664GK -
Retail ($65 per 2x2GB kit)
Fan $ 40 COOLER MASTER GeminII S RR-CCH-PBU1-GP 120mm Sleeve CPU
</PRE></BLOCKQUOTE><PRE wrap=""><!---->
</PRE>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><PRE wrap="">Cooler - Retail (or comparable)
Case $ 35 Linkworld 3230-18 c2228u Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
Computer Case 430W Power Supply - Retail (Is 430W sufficient for this
rig? The CPU draws 165W alone, but I think it's the most power-hungry
component.)
HD $ 55 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM
SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
------------
$465
Any opinions appreciated.
-- JK
</PRE></BLOCKQUOTE><PRE wrap=""><!---->
--
I do not particularly want to go where the money is -
it usually does not smell nice there. -- A. Stepanov
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</PRE></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><PRE class=moz-signature cols="72">--
Chris Fowler
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