I have received requests around the configuration of my complete vSphere 5.x Home Lab. I have been running 2 of these ESXi Servers with 32 GB of RAM each and they run awesome. As requested, I have included Compute, Storage, Network and Cabling build details below.
My final complete vSphere Home Lab consists of 2 - 2.9 GHz (Quad Core) Processors with 32 GB of RAM Each, Solid State Drive and 7200 RPM Drive NAS Storage Array with a 24 Port Gigabit Network Switch. The final cost for the entire lab was $3,673.73 (Compute, Storage, Network and Cabling) (Without Tax and Shipping) with a majority of the cost ($2,519.91) for the storage. The total cost of $3,673.73 may sound a bit expensive but I assure you that it has already paid off. It amazes me that 2 vSphere 5.x Servers with a combined processor pool of 5.8 GHz with 8 Cores and 64 GB of RAM can be purchased for $943.86. A lab like this can be created at an even lower cost (1 ESXi Server + NAS + Gigabit Switch) for $600.00 - $800.00. My configuration is around my requirements for Storage/Server/Network Trunking and Jumbo Frames along with Solid State Drives within a Multifunction/Muti-Protocol 8 Slot NAS.
Packing and Shipping – I have received inquiries around being able to pack and ship a configuration like this. All of my home lab contents can fit into a 24” (Length) x 17” (Width) x 10” (Depth) area. The details for the shipping container are listed below at the end of this e-mail.
Coming Soon: As time allows, I plan to conduct storage performance tests with and without Trunking and Jumbo Frames. I also plan to install an energy monitor on the main feed to calculate daily watts consumed along with energy costs per day.
I have built 2 configurations with the only difference being around 16 GB or 32 GB of RAM. The AMD 2.9 GHz Quad Core with 16 GB RAM configuration is $391.93 and the AMD 2.9GHz Quad Core with 32 GB RAM configuration is $471.93. In this particular configuration, the RAM is running at a frequency of 1600 MHz but the AMD Processor is capable of running at a maximum of 1866 MHz. Mushkin offers RAM at 1866 MHz but it is a bit more expensive. This is something to consider if you are engineering a solution around maximum possible performance with limited bottlenecks. These systems run at a very low power consumption rate since they are not utilizing a hard drive or CD\DVD drive in the final configuration.
Note: You will need a SATA CD\DVD Drive to install the base ESXi image but it is not needed for day to day operation.
Note: This particular configuration utilizes a AMD Processor but a Intel Processor can be used as well. My configuration was around cost with the AMD Quad Core Processor at $84.99 and the Intel Quad Core Processor at $300.00+
Note: This particular motherboard is capable of supporting 16 GB Memory Modules for a total of 64 GB.
AMD 2.9 GHz Quad Core ESXi 5.0 Server with 16 GB RAM (Boot from 16 GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive) - $391.93
AMD 2.9 GHz Quad Core ESXi 5.0 Server with 32 GB RAM (Boot from 16 GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive) - $471.93
1 - IN WIN BL631.300TBL Black Steel MicroATX Slim Case Computer Case 300W Power Supply - $65.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108065
1 - ECS A75F-M FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135301
Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type: FM1
CPU Type: A4 / A6 / A8 / E2 APU
Memory
Number of Memory Slots: 4×240pin
Memory Standard: DDR3 1866 / 1600 / 1066
Maximum Memory Supported: 64GB
Channel Supported: Dual Channel
2 x USB 3.0 (Rear Ports)
2 PCI Slots for Low Profile (Micro ATX) Intel PWLA8391GTL Desktop Network Adapters
1 - AMD A8-3850 Llano 2.9GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6550D AD3850WNGXBOX (With CPU Heat Sink and Fan) $84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103942
1 - Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 994055 - $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226317
1 - Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 993995 - $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226272
2 - Intel PWLA8391GTL Desktop Adapter PRO/1000 GT Low Profile 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI 1 x RJ45 - OEM - $31.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106122
1 - ADATA Value-Driven S102 Pro Effortless Upgrade 16GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive (Gray) Model AS102P-16G-RGY - $16.99
NAS Cost Summary
NAS Array: $1,169.99
SSD (3 Drives): $599.97
7200 RPM (5 Drives): $749.95
NAS Configuration Total: $2,519.91
Qnap TS-869 Pro - $1,169.99
http://www.qnap.com/en/index.php?lang=en&sn=822&c=351&sc=513&t=517&n=9789&g=0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822107081
CPU: Intel Atom 2.13GHz Dual-core Processor
DRAM: 3 GB
Hard Drives: 8 x 3.5" or 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s, SATA 3Gb/s hard drive or SSD
Slot 1: 256GB SATA III MLC Solid State Drive - 6Gbps Interface - RAID 5
Slot 2: 256GB SATA III MLC Solid State Drive - 6Gbps Interface - RAID 5
Slot 3: 256GB SATA III MLC Solid State Drive - 6Gbps Interface - RAID 5
Slot 4: 3 TB Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA - 6Gbps Interface - RAID 10
Slot 5: 3 TB Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA - 6Gbps Interface - RAID 10
Slot 6: 3 TB Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA - 6Gbps Interface - RAID 10
Slot 7: 3 TB Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA - 6Gbps Interface - RAID 10
Slot 8: 3 TB Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA - 6Gbps Interface - Global Hot Spare
Final Storage Configuration
496 GB RAID 5 SSD Drive Group (496 GB Available and 248 GB Used for Protection)
6 TB RAID 10 7200 SATA Drive Group (6 TB Available and 6 TB Used for Protection)
3 TB Global Hot Spare
3 - OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $199.99
http://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-vertex-4-sata-iii-2-5-ssd.html#overview
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227792
OCZ Vertex 4 SSD YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0LLzUSF6ZLY
Performance
Tested Sustained Sequential Read: 548 MB/s
Tested Sustained Sequential Write: 471 MB/s
Test IOPS Performance: 83,494 combined IOPS
4KB Random Read: Up to 90,000 IOPS
4KB Random Write: Up to 120,000 IOPS
Seek Time: 0.1 ms
Interface: SATA III / 6Gbps (Backwards compatible with SATA II / 3Gbps)
5 - Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $149.99
http://www.seagate.com/internal-hard-drives/desktop-hard-drives/barracuda/?sku=ST3000DM001
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148844&Tpk=ST3000DM001
Cache: 64MB
Average Latency: 4.16ms
Read Seek Average: < 8.5 ms
Write Seek Average: < 9.5 ms
Tested Maximum Throughput: 158 MB/s
1 - 24-port Gigabit Web Smart Switch w/ 2 Shared Mini-GBIC slots - TEG-240WS - $201.77
http://www.trendnet.com/products/proddetail.asp?status=view&prod=215_TEG-240WS
http://www.buy.com/prod/trendnet-teg-240ws-24-port-gigabit-web-smart-switch/10362056.html
24 x 10/100/1000Mbps Auto-MDIX RJ-45 ports
2 x 1000Base-SX/LX Mini-GBIC slots (shared with Gigabit ports 23-24)
48Gbps switching capacity
IEEE 802.3x Full Duplex Flow Control and Back Pressure
Static Port Trunk
IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol
IEEE 802.1p QoS
IEEE 802.1X Authentication and SNMP v1 support
Supports port based IEEE 802.1Q VLAN Tag and Asymmetric VLAN
Full Wire-Speed non-blocking reception and transmission
Store and Forward switching method
Front panel diagnostic LEDs
Supports Jumbo Frame packet transfer (max size up to 10Kytes)
Integrated address look-up engine supports up to 8K absolute MAC addresses
Supports 512Kbytes RAM for data buffering
Easy configuration via Web browser
7 - 5ft Blue Cat 5E Patch Cable, Molded - $1.17 ($8.19 Total)
http://deepsurplus.com/Network-Structured-Wiring/Ethernet-CAT5e-Patch-Cables-5ft
Pelican APP-1630F Case with Pick & Pluck Polyurethane Foam (For Shipping) - $343.74
Interior Dimensions - 27.70" (Length) x 20.98" (Width) x 15.50" (Depth) (70.3 x 53.3 x 39.4 cm)
