Desktop hardware for ESXi 5 installation

[vjonna]

Hi,

Iam newbee in vmware, i want to setup home lab with ESXi5.0.
Iam planning to purchase Dell optiplex 790 desktop with i7 processor, but am not sure if it supports ESXi 5.
There are quite a few posts that it supports 4.0 ver but most of the tests were with older core 2 processor hardware.

Some posts say they gavce tried with Optiplex 990 with old processor and have run into some problems with NIC, etc.

Can anyone clarify if it works or is there some tested branded desktop thats compatible with  ESXi 5.

Want to spend my money wisely.

Thanks in advance.

-vjonna

[admin]

Hi vjonna

Welcome to the communites

I hope you can do it as processer having i7 , could you pleae let us know about motherboad and NIC details.

"Life is never easy for those who dream"

[aravinds3107]

Welcome to the Communities..

You can check here if your system supprots the installation of ESXi 5.0

Iam newbee in vmware, i want to setup home lab with ESXi5.0.

As you are setting up a lab for learning purpose i would suggest to install Windows OS on your whitebox and run VMware Workstation and on top of it you can install ESXi (You will have little performace issue bu that should ok as its just for lab purpose). To work with all advaced features you would need minimum of 2 ESXi host.

Check Building the Ultimate vSphere Lab to setup lab on top of VMware Workstation

[arturka]

Hi

here you can find tested hardware for ESXi5 and ESXi4 and how to build your homelab

http://vmwaremine.com/category/homelab/

Artur

[vjonna]

Hi Aarav,

It comes with Intel Q65 Express Chipset and Integrated Intel 82579LM Ethernet LAN 10/100/1000 with possibility for upgrade to Broadcom NetXtreme 10/100/1000 PCIe card.

- vjonna

[vjonna]

Hi Aravind and Artur,

Thanks a lot for info and links to blogs.

They have valuable info.

In  my case I need to buy hardware anyway as I have been experimenting so far with 64 bit laptop.

I have just noticed Dell has launched Optiplex 7010 and 9010 with vPro, will check these options as well.

I have read in few blogs and forums that few people had purpule screen while installing VSXi5 on Optiplex 790, most probably due to integrated NIC.

-vjonna

[Nadrek]

As the previous poster mentioned, vm-help.com is a good place to go - in particular, try the forums, ESXI 5.x, Submit your working whitebox specs forum.  You'll find posts that detail which version of ESXi 5.x worked with what, and how well (i.e. direct IO, does the onboard NIC and/or storage work, etc.)

http://www.vm-help.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=27

Note that some hardware that works with ESXi 4.0 does not work with ESXi 5.0 anymore.

[golddiggie · Accepted solution]

I'm running ESXi 5 on a Dell Precision Workstation T7400 with dual e5405 Xeon's, 24GB RAM, Intel server class NIC's and booting it off of an 8GB USB flash drive. ALL my VM's live on my QNAP 5 drive NAS/SAN (with iSCSI LUNs for VM's). You can sometimes find this system in the Dell outlet site, or where they sell off lease hardware. It's been a solid performer since ESXi 3.5 for me.

At one point I was using onboard storage via a PERC 6/i controller, but I've since removed that completely (along with those hard drives) and simply boot from the USB flash drive.

[vjonna]

Thanks for the information.

I will post an update after my trial.

[vjonna]

Finally bought a Basic assembled server with

Intel 1200BTSR motherboard

Xeon E3-1230v2 processor

16GB RAM

Installed ESXi 5.0, but its detecting only one NIC board has two in built NIC's. There are some posts about this problem, will try those work arounds.