[ale] [OT] Monster PC < $500

Wed Oct 29 17:54:26 EDT 2008

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.....

So the only disadvantage is that it isn't turn key and maybe somewhat
more insecure.

________________________________

From: Chris Fowler [mailto:cfowler at outpostsentinel.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 5:49 PM
To: ale at ale.org
Subject: Re: [ale] [OT] Monster PC < $500

I've been testing VMWare Server 2.0 and like it.  We 
are moving to a new colo facility and I'm planning on installing
a server with VMWare Server 2.0 and placing 4 guests on that instead
of installing 4 new pieces of equipment.  When all is done, I'll turn of
the
old equipment at the data center (4 servers) and some will be moved
to the new place and some will be decommissioned.

The plan on the new server is to install 8GB of RAM and I'm running 2
SATA II
drives as a RAID 1.  I've installed an 8 port modem board and a 4 port
serial board.  Since we use intelligent power and serial consoles for
remote management, I am going to assign one port of the serial board
to each VM and that will be the serial console for that instance of
CentOS 5.2

So I'm consolidating 4 pieces of real hardware into 1 that will run
VMWare
Server.  When I get everything done and the old stuff turned off, I will
move
2 of the old servers into the new rack and use them, turning off their
guest equivalents.

The purpose is that I can't turn stuff off and move them from Suwanee
to Norcross.  I need 0 downtime.

Shane McKinley wrote: 

	You have learned much grasshopper. 

	-----Original Message-----
	From: JK [mailto:jknapka at kneuro.net] 
	Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 4:54 PM
	To: ale at ale.org
	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:

		[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

		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

		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

	--
	I do not particularly want to go where the money is -
	  it usually does not smell nice there. -- A. Stepanov
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-- 
Chris Fowler
OutPost Sentinel, LLC
Support @ SIP/support at pbx.opsdc.com
 or 678-804-8193
Email Support @ support at outpostsentinel.com

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