Virtualization Test Server Build - Musings & Observations

[nubian1]

I've set out to build a dedicated server to host Virtual Environments (Machines & Appliances). I got inspired to do this for a few reasons. One of which is I like to test many different OS's and having limited amount of dedicated PC's around to do this (There are only so many the significant other can take) meant either dual booting or some other "Kludge" when testing two or more setups at the same time. I will be hopefully using the ITX format for my build but may also go with a mAtx buld.

ProxMox VE to the rescue (http://www.proxmox.com/) .

Proxmox Virtual Environment is an easy to use Open Source virtualization platform for running Virtual Appliances and Virtual Machines. It runs on 64bit only cpu's on Debian base os, stripped down, and uses a web based approach to managing the server & any amout of installed virtual machines & appliances. For a very informative set of video tutorials go here http://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Category:Video_Tutorials .

Proxmox uses two virtualization platforms, OpenVZ & KVM. I won't go into all the similarities & differences between the two but suffice it to say Linux guests generally use OpenVZ while Windows based guests use KVM.

The sticky point is that KVM requires the cpu & board used to support Intel's Vt-x and AMD-V (Supposedly independent of AMD motherboard used as long as it's AM2 or later). Since I plan on using this platform to test out different Linux & Windows based server solutions & os releases I have that KVM limitation to get around.

This is pretty easy on the AMD side since all X2 or higher processors on the AM2 or higher platform ship with AMD-V enabled. Not so on the Intel side where you'll have to get an older E6xxx series or a current E8xxx or Q9xxx series to have the Intel Vt-x extensions included. This means that where I live I'd have to spend over $165 just on the cpu to build a hopefully low cost. Intel have seen fit to either remove or disable the VT-x extensions on such really capable & cheap processors such as the E5200 & E7xxx series.

I'm shooting for an ITX for factor build, kind of a proof of concept that lots of power can come in a real small package. Here is my parts list so far.

Zotax GF8200 ITX Motherboard
AMD BE-2400 CPU
4gig Gskill PC2-8000 Ram
1TB Samsung F1 SATA2 Hard Drive (May add another)
Apex MI-008 ITX Case

At first look it seems that my parts list may be good for an HTPC not necessarily a server but AMD ITX motherboards are hard & expensive to come by. The Zotac is reasonably priced.

I'm looking for a small, efficient, quiet & cool running setup.

I had an Intel Atom 330 setup but running virtual machines on the thing was asking too much.

Any comments, observations or reasonable well though out critiques will be much appreciated.

 

[RebateMonger]

I'm not totally sure what your question is.

Tiny motherboards and cases are not ideally suited for virtual servers. With a virtual server, the more memory, the more CPUs, and the more hard drives you have, the better. ITX motherboards won't access nearly enough memory for the "usual" VM purposes.

Also, a HTPC is not necessarily a great place to put VMs. They won't be able to access the special HTPC hardware if that's your intent.

I'm also curious why you'd start with an obscure virtualization system while there are several broadly-supported and free virtualization systems out there (VMWare, Xen, Microsoft, Sun). Virtualization is painful enough with good support.

Please don't take this as personal criticism. I'm just saying you might want to re-think where you are going with all this.

 

[nubian1]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
I'm not totally sure what your question is.

Tiny motherboards and cases are not ideally suited for virtual servers. With a virtual server, the more memory, the more CPUs, and the more hard drives you have, the better. ITX motherboards won't access nearly enough memory for the "usual" VM purposes.

Also, a HTPC is not necessarily a great place to put VMs. They won't be able to access the special HTPC hardware if that's your intent.

I'm also curious why you'd start with an obscure virtualization system while there are several broadly-supported and free virtualization systems out there (VMWare, Xen, Microsoft, Sun). Virtualization is painful enough with good support.

Please don't take this as personal criticism. I'm just saying you might want to re-think where you are going with all this.

Not taking it personally at all, I really appreciate your reply very much. I see that I definitely wasn't clear enough though.

The system is not an HTPC, I was just musing that the hardware listed could also serve this function but that is NOT what I'm after. This is a dedicated machine running nothing but Proxmox. I have used Xen before but felt I wanted to branch off into something else.

As a test server in my home high end specs are not necessary, I would think. 4gigs of memory & a 1Tb drive (Possibly 2Tb) to run concurrent, Windows server 2003, & CentOS vm's seems like it may be enough in particular since this is just a test environment and not meant really meant for heavy iron use. For a home or small office though it may be enough.....

I went with Proxmox for a few reasons over let's say VMware. It's dead easy to setup & use and it leverages OpenVZ (OpenVZ is the basis of Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, a retail product) and KVM which is gaining lots of steam in particular the non-windows world. It's web based management console is also a big plus for me.

It is also 100% open source. I realize that Proxmox having European roots may not have the foothold of let's say VMware but neither did Xen not too long ago or VirtualBox which is up & coming. Proxmox is just an effort, and a great one at that, to bring together two powerful virtualization technologies under one roof and to make it stable & time efficient to setup & manage.

What I am attempting is to build a simple, small & efficient PC for a low stress virtualization server in an effort to educate myself on this stuff & maybe in the near future provide this as an option to my SOHO & small business clients.

The ITX format was chosen by me due to my liking the format personally & for space concerns in my office/workshop.........plus the significant other thinks it's cute so I won't be bothered for having another pc lying around.

I do 100% appreciate you insight and taking the time to reply to my post which is exactly why I made it.