suggested lab setup for VCP DataCenter

[andvm]

Hi,

having an HP Gen8 microserver, do you suggest I build a high spec tower to add an additional esxi 6.5 and vcenter (both virtualized) or get another HP Gen 8 Microserver.

I want to practice as much functionailties as possible whilst taking advantage of the Vmware 60 days trials

Let me know any thoughts or requirements I should look for whichever the case you suggest.

Thanks!

[daphnissov]

You may be able to beef up the one machine you have and run a nested lab using Workstation. You can also use the Hands-on-Labs available for free online.

[andvm]

ok what are the suggested specs for a nested lab in terms of CPU/RAM and any specific features that I need to look for before buying?

Setup will need to cover all VCP 6.5 configs so assume will need a good number of ESXi hosts, VCenter, VM's (all running in a nested environment) to test all features such as VMotion etc...

Thanks

[daphnissov]

If you're going to go nested on a single piece of hardware, look for something with a good processor like an i7, and at least 32 GB of RAM. Nested is going to be cheaper, but I always prefer and advocate real hardware for ESXi hosts. There are lots of (unsupported) small PCs out there with Intel NUCs being a favorite, but you'll need at least two to test clustering features, preferably three.

[andvm]

ok probably will build a nested system and keep the HP Gen8 microserver so I have a mix of both.

what will I need to have shared storage, would a NAS server work fine?

Is one nic enough assume its a trunk to a physical switch?

Thanks

[daphnissov · Accepted solution]

A physical, external NAS would be fine. Synology and QNap are popular choices.One NIC is ok, but I'd try for at least two, more if possible.