ESXi and VMware server Cluster

[ngust]

Hi, this is my first post on vmware discussions.

I have 4 server blades that I want to make into a vmware cluster.  I have ESXi 4 installed on 3 of them and VMware server 2 installed on one on top of Ubuntu server 10.10.

What I want to do is set up a cluster that pools the resources of all blades, I want one controller blade to boss the other ones around and act as the main server.  The cluster will serve virtual machines to clients on the local network and over the internet.  I am new to VMware and virtualization.

I read a website that said this can be done with the vsphere but I haven't had any luck.  I was hoping that vmware server could do it but also no luck.  I normally run linux desktops so the vsphere does not really appeal to me, I'll use it if I have to.

Any advice?  Thanks.

[DSTAVERT]

Welcome to the communities.

Not sure what you mean by boss the other ones around. Perhaps you could spend more time explaining in more detail what you would like to achieve.

[ngust]

Hi,  Well I want to have one blade that allocates the resources of the cluster and connects to the clients.  I imagine the 3 nodes will be on a seperate network for just the cluster and the "boss" will connect to the outside world.  This is a new thing for me, I'm not 100% sure how it all works.

My goal here is to create virtual desktops for my co-workers in a small office.  We want to be able to access virtual macines from home and at the office.  I also want to be able to pool the resources of the 4 servers to allow the use of resource hungry software in some of the machines.

Here is a link to the website that said how to do it, http://answers.oreilly.com/topic/1524-how-to-create-a-vmware-cluster/.  When I installed vsphere in windows it did not have the cluster option.  I installed the vmware server on one of the nodes hoping it will be able to cluster the nodes but no luck.

[DSTAVERT]

I would have a look through these webcasts to get a better idea of what happens with a vSphere vCenter server managing an ESX(i) cluster. http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-14673

You might also want to look through http://www.vmware.com/products/view/

[bulletprooffool]

ESX(i) servers all function as peers - equal hosts in a cluster.

You need a Virtual Center to be installed oin a windows Host (this can be a VM if you like) The VC will be your 'boss' machine. it will be able to manage the movement of VM, resource Scheduling and reservation etc. Once fully configured, it will move VMs depending on resource availability etc.

GSX server wil not work as part of an ESX cluster, so you'll need to re-install these. You can move the VMs form GSX to ESX by either using VMWare converter, or importing them using the vmkfstools:

http://www.get-virtual.info/2011/01/28/importing-a-vm-from-vm-workstation-to-esx-esxi/

Have a look at http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_40_intro_vs.pdf for more information.