Threadripper as ESXi box?

[IndyColtsFan]

Is anyone using Threadripper as an ESXi host? If so, which motherboard? I've been contemplating building an ESXi host to play with at home and thought Threadripper might be a good option.

 

[Chicken76]

Isn't Threadripper a bit expensive to only "play with" ESXi?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Isn't Threadripper a bit expensive to only "play with" ESXi?

With RAM the way it is now, pretty much anything is. Otherwise, no.

 

[Chicken76]

With RAM the way it is now, pretty much anything is. Otherwise, no.

True, and once you start to build a VM host, you'll want to put more and more RAM in it.
Why not go for an entry-level Epyc server then? It should have better support (official?) from VMware.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

True, and once you start to build a VM host, you'll want to put more and more RAM in it.
Why not go for an entry-level Epyc server then? It should have better support (official?) from VMware.

I already have a dual Xeon server running 24/7 (Hyper V), but I need a nice box to run VMWare on. I was thinking a Threadripper would run cooler and quieter than another actual server box. Plus I’ll be honest - I want to play with a Threadripper rig.

 

[XavierMace]

Cool and quiet is up to your heatsink and chassis selection for the most part as you're going to be dealing with ~120W TDP CPU's regardless. Personally, even for a lab, I wouldn't want to use a board without an IPMI/BMC. I've seen a lot of people having issues getting ESXI to play nice with Threadripper (ACHI and USB issues) so if you're wanting something you can just power on and go, I'd probably look elsewhere.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Cool and quiet is up to your heatsink and chassis selection for the most part as you're going to be dealing with ~120W TDP CPU's regardless. Personally, even for a lab, I wouldn't want to use a board without an IPMI/BMC. I've seen a lot of people having issues getting ESXI to play nice with Threadripper (ACHI and USB issues) so if you're wanting something you can just power on and go, I'd probably look elsewhere.

Yeah, I had seen mention of those issues months ago and that’s why I started this thread. I wasn’t sure if much progress was made. I suppose I could grab a 2670 or two from eBay and go that route.

 

[XavierMace]

I wouldn't expect any progress to be made. Threadripper is not on VMWare's compatibility list, so it's unlikely you're going to see much effort made to correct any issues.

 

[IEC]

At least some users report success running VMware ESXi 6.5 U1, but only on certain (Asus) X399 boards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cayVmX1Ki10

There's an OCuK thread using the Asus Prime:
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/home-lab-threadripper-build-thread.18789497/

Haven't had a chance to read it all so I'd expect there will likely be at least some workarounds involved.

In other news, VFIO/Passthrough is fully operational for my motherboard thanks to MSI, AMD, and Level1Linux working together to troubleshoot the remaining issues:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD4BxGNShw8

 

[Chicken76]

I already have a dual Xeon server running 24/7 (Hyper V), but I need a nice box to run VMWare on. I was thinking a Threadripper would run cooler and quieter than another actual server box. Plus I’ll be honest - I want to play with a Threadripper rig.

Well, if you want to play with Threadripper and its cost is not a problem, by all means go for it. If ESXi won't play nice with it, you can always put Proxmox on it to run your VMs.