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I am not into much server hardware thing.
But I am getting good offer on IBM server
IBM System x3450
I am thinking of installing Esxi on it and then put my all virtual machines in there.
I am thinking of it like desktop.
So I want to know if I can put CD-ROM in it and just use it.
Or it's only used in data centers and I can't use it in homes.
user1721949
Posted 2014-03-26T02:58:32.477
Reputation: 429
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Short answer: Yes, that'll work just fine.
Long answer: I get the impression that this is for something like a personal lab of yours so with that said this would be fine. The biggest thing with the newer ESXi is that it needs a 64bit processor (which this has so you're good). You're going to want a decent chunk of memory and harddrive space. This will be dependent on how many VMs you intend on running at once. Also of note - it looks like this supports two hard drives: you'll want to definitely set this up as RAID 1 (mirroring). You don't want to lose all of your VMs due to the failure of a single drive. I'd also look at having some sort of external backup for your VMs if you have the funds to do so, such as an external harddrive plus your choice of VM backup software.
Bradley Forney
Posted 2014-03-26T02:58:32.477
Reputation: 651
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It can be used like a normal computer. However it's likely to be very loud so you probably wouldn't want to unless you were wearing earmuffs.
ESXi host in your garage would work well as you would be insulated from the noise. You'd just have to run power and network to it and make sure it was adequately vented, and hopefully doesn't get too dusty.
Lawrence
Posted 2014-03-26T02:58:32.477
Reputation: 3 807
I'd highly recommend against the garage placement as there's absolutely no humidity or temperature control usually in them. – Bradley Forney – 2014-03-26T03:10:35.243
I am thinking of using in my bedroom , is that going to be the bad idea – user1721949 – 2014-03-26T03:11:01.680
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@user1721949 Have you ever used a hair dryer? The noise level from the server will be about the same level as one of those. So try turning on a hair dryer in your bedroom and taking a nap. If you are ok the constant sound put it in your room. If not, find a new room.
– Scott Chamberlain – 2014-03-26T03:13:56.797@ScottChamberlain. is it possible to use wireles LAN cards on it – user1721949 – 2014-03-26T03:16:37.410
1@user1721949 probability, look at the specs and see if it has USB slots or PCI slots you could use to add wireless. You also could use the built in network cards and connect it up to a wireless bridge (more likely to work with ESXi than a wireless card) – Scott Chamberlain – 2014-03-26T03:20:43.170
@BradleyForney Most people don't have Temperature or Humidity control on 24/7 in a house either. We're talking about a home user, not an enterprise environment where reliability is a must. – Lawrence – 2014-03-26T03:47:09.843
1ESXi doesn't have much (if any) support for wireless cards. The bridging idea mentioned is your best bet if there's no way to run a direct cable to it. As far as noise...I actually like it but I'm kind of a geek. It produces a significant amount of white noise. You can usually look up the decibels produced on the spec sheet for the hardware and then find a comparison. Note - servers are typically pretty significant heat generators and energy consumers. If you have the option I wouldn't run it 24/7 and you want to ensure it's not in an enclosed space. – Bradley Forney – 2014-03-26T11:45:08.833
how can i add extra disk space. can i use USB drives with it – user1721949 – 2014-03-26T03:51:03.543
Yep. ESXi is typically pretty good at seeing those. I'd recommend using USB storage for your backups only and not running a VM directly off one due to chance of failure and a performance hit. For what you're doing thin-allocation of disk space should be sufficient to keep you running off the internal drives - just plan for growth wisely. – Bradley Forney – 2014-03-26T11:40:52.457
do i need air conditioning for that – user1721949 – 2014-03-27T01:32:07.050
Also what will be the issues if i ran it 24X7. Also how much will be the elec bill for that – user1721949 – 2014-03-27T01:38:19.413
I'd recommend air conditioning unless you live in a climate that's pretty stable and doesn't have a lot of humidity or dust. Running it 24/7 shouldn't be a problem other than heat generation and electricity consumption. The price can vary quite a bit depend on your electricity costs. Peak usage of that machine would be roughly 14.4 kilowatt hours per day (600 watts * 24 hours/1000). Using the average USA price of electricity (cents * kilowatt hours) 14.4 * .1165 = $1.6776/day IF you're running this at 100% capacity. At this load 1 month would cost you about $50. – Bradley Forney – 2014-03-27T11:34:35.380
That doesn't include the added cost to cool your home more if it's needed. But it doesn't factor under-utilization of your gear. Chances are good it'll be somewhat less than that amount depending on how efficient your machine is during off-peak usage. This is just a MAX estimate. – Bradley Forney – 2014-03-27T11:38:29.783
Lastly, one feature you can make use of is the "Integrated systems management processor". This allows you to turn off and on your computer over the network and manage some other features as well. You could make use of this feature to control the power state of your system remotely if you ever needed to access your VMs or host machine while away from home. That way you only power it on as you need it - even while away. – Bradley Forney – 2014-03-27T11:41:56.560
Thankscan you please tell how can i use Integrated system managemenmt processor and does that exist in my IBM model. That feaure will be very good because at max i need for only few hrs per day. the spec say that "no integrated system management" . is there any other alternative for that – user1721949 – 2014-03-28T00:47:51.937
Basically it's like a mini computer inside of the main computer. You run its own ethernet cable to it and it gets its own IP address. You get to it via a webpage at that IP address from another machine. From there you can do plenty of fun things - such as Power On and Off, see hardware status, and bring up a remote console to remotely control the machine (you can see it booting up at BIOS and after). If your spec doesn't include that I'd see about getting it added though it is listed on the page you linked to for that model. – Bradley Forney – 2014-03-28T02:32:11.630
On that link at one lineit says it has processor and other line says no. can you please tell me whta is the diff http://postimg.org/image/mlokdu4fr/. i have marked in the image. i want to know if it has or not
– user1721949 – 2014-03-28T02:55:02.020Ahh strange, didn't even catch that. I'd definitely contact your sales rep to find out for sure. – Bradley Forney – 2014-03-28T03:19:54.207
i got it from auction :) – user1721949 – 2014-03-28T03:21:27.817