Should or should not a SSD drive be used with ESXi Essentials 6.x hosting database virtual machines

[451422sbl]

Hello to all,

My company is currently using ESXi 6.0 (free version) hosting four virtual machines. It is configured with two datastore hard drive devices with a total capacity of two terabytes. Are SSD devices reliable enough these days to run virtual machines on them? The virtual machines that are currently hosted are critical systems used in a business environment hosting databases. I have researched a number of articles that state SSDs are limited to a finite number of reads and writes before they fail. I plan on using VMware ESXi Essentials on a new server. I am debating on whether I should use traditional hard disk drives or SSDs.

Also, i plan on hosting about eight to ten VMs on the new server. Can anyone recommend a server brand that would be ideal for this type of setup? I am considering SuperMicro.

I hope this is not too vague.

Thank you!

[daphnissov]

There are many classes of SSDs on the market, but for business, production use cases you only really want to consider those of enterprise class. Just like the server you select (SuperMicro are popular) you should stick to the HCL for hardware selection.

Also, you should plan on a dedicated, external backup solution for all of these VMs that are stored on another form of storage external to this host. It should ideally be a physical server with separate storage, even external. Don't skip this step if you want to keep your business up and available.

[NathanosBlightc · Accepted solution]

As good advice it can be perfect to use SSD disk as the host cache datastore or set for the location of VMs swap file directories. It will make better performance for virtual infrastructure by increasing read request handling. However, if you choose to buy SSD disks for your physical servers don't use medium range, because they are not suitable for 24*7 usage. For example, if you want to buy the Samsung series, EVO & PRO are not a suitable choice but PM & SM series are very perfect to works in the ESXi hosts.

At last for selecting an SSD disk for your virtual infrastructure, check Hardware Compatibility List for your server vendor and then buy the most appropriate choice.

[451422sbl]

Thank you so very much for your information. I appreciate it!

[451422sbl]

Thank you for your response. It helped guide me in the right direction.