Dell R300 ESX support

[Kachnik]

Hello,

we are planning to go virtual and buy for it a new server. We have a contract with dell a and I like the PowerEdge R300 - but it is not on the compatibility list

But in minimum server req:

RAID adapters supported are HP Smart Array, Dell PercRAID (Adaptec

RAID and LSI MegaRAID), and IBM (Adaptec) ServeRAID controllers.

and i'm able to add theese controllers to server:

LSI2032 SCSI Internal PCIe Controller Card

SAS5/E SAS RAID Controller, 2x4 Connectors, External Hard Drives, PCIe

PERC6E SAS RAID Controller, 2x4 Connectors, External, PCIe 256MB Cache

2x PERC 6/E SAS RAID Adapter, PCI-Express, 2x4 Connectors, External, 256MB Cache

PERC6E SAS RAID Controller, 2x4 Connectors, External, PCIe 512MB Cache

2x PERC 6/E SAS RAID Adapter, PCI-Express, 2x4 Connectors, External, 512MB Cache

2xLSI2032 SCSI Internal PCIe Controller Card

2x SAS 5/E HBA for Power Vault MD3000, PCI Express

If I understand that if I put there:

PERC6E SAS RAID Controller, 2x4 Connectors, External, PCIe 256MB Cache

I will be able to install esx server on that machine?

Thanks!

[admin]

you might be able to install esx onto the server BUT... as stated in our I/O Compatibility Guide for ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i:

Support for I/O devices listed in this document is specific to device compatibility with the VMware ESX Server versions listed in the corresponding tables. This does not imply a statement of support for adding a device to any certified system. System vendors determine device compatibility with a given system. Please refer to the compatibility list provided by the system vendor before adding a certified device to a certified system.

[Kachnik]

Thank you for your response.

So it is much better to buy more expensive system with less memory (PE 1950III) than risk buying R300 server. Am I right?

[deploylinux]

You might want to ask your sales manager at Dell to get a clarification whether the R300 is in the process of being certified, and if so, when they expect it. From what I can see, typically there is a 3-6 month period from when Dell releases a new product and when VMware certifies it. Although, the R300 is somewhat low end so Dell just might not interested in certifying it. I'd agree that buying a more high end system that is currently certified and which you can expand as necessary might be a better idea. I'm not a big fan of the 1950's though. We use these for single server apps, like VC or basic infrastructure services (dns, email, etc), not for ESX.

[admin]

Edited this message, cleared out my private email address

[Kachnik]

The problem is that I need that very quickly so I have to take what is available now Also because it is only testing implementation - I´m have only limited amount of cash. We are planning to move onto esx only some xp stations and win2003 as print server so I really don´t need "ultra server"... So I have will take the 1950... But is for another thread.

Thank you very much