Home Lab - Part 1

Background: 

For learning VMware Virtualization and VMware VCP certification studies, I had built a whitebox about 8 years back with below given configurations:

• Intel processor i7-3770 
• Gigabyte B75M-D3H Motherboard 



Previous whitebox Components

• G-Skill 4 x 8 GB DDR3 = 32 GB Memory 

This CPU is still powerful enough to run the latest ESXi version 6.7,  however the memory supported by this CPU and the motherboard is 32 GB as maximum. Virtualization is memory hungry when you run multiple VMs also the latest appliances of VMware, Windows Server VMs, Linux Server VMs, Firewalls, etc.,  require more memory than their previous versions. I was thinking to upgrade my lab with latest hardware configuration as much as possible.

Points to Ponder:

While building a home lab we have to keep below given points in mind. 

1. Budget to procure and run the hardware/upgrades
2. Location from where the lab will be operated from
3. Hardware components and their upgrade possibilities/maximums
4. Warranty of the hardware components used
5. Size of the servers/desktop enclosures

There are IT enthusiasts who are running their lab in older/newer server hardware which are enterprise grade. If we are planning to take this direction, there are few challenges that need to be considered. 

• The heat these servers produce while running (location)
• The tiny fans which rotates at very high speed @ 10K RPMs, generate loud noise (location)
• High cost that we have to pay for replacing any faulty hardware during the run (Warranty)
• Identifying suitable hardware for any component upgrade (Budget)
• Replacement/upgrade may be difficulty after certain period (Upgrade possibilities)
• Replacement/upgrade may be costlier now than when they were available (Budget)
• A garage/basement/dedicated room with sufficient air circulation to run the Lab (Location)
• We also need server rack to install the enterprise grade heavy hardware (Size)
• High Electricity bills while running the lab (Cost)

The advantage we will have after overcoming above challenges would be
(this will be based on the old server model/hardware we choose)

• Knowledge about enterprise grade hardware, driver/firmware upgrade processes
• Operating the server with one or more Intel Xeon Processors 
• 128 GB or more memory with ECC support using DDR3/DDR4
• Enterprise grade hard drives/SSDs which have higher MTF than consumer grade
• Additional network interface ports that can be used in virtualization
• Remote management using iLO/IPMI which reduce the need for KVMs. 

Since I don't have dedicated/air conditioned rooms to keep the server grade hardware, I always prefer running my lab on Desktop based hardware. The Lab devices will be placed in a custom rack in the study room where me and my kids will be using it for academic purpose. Also not I am very much bothered about the system form factor to keep it small and good looking. The cost of those systems will be higher and the upgrade options will be limited. 

Requirement Freeze:

Before deciding the final bill of material, I would like to freeze the hardware configuration required to run my lab. Since we require more memory to run multiple VMs simultaneously,  the processor and motherboard should be supporting maximum memory configurable in desktop chipset available while we are building the whitebox systems. At the time of writing this blog, 64 GB is the maximum possible memory using Intel 8th/9th Generation desktop processors + compatible motherboards.

I will be running this whitebox installed with VMware ESXi as baremetal hypervisor, add-on graphic cards will be overkill and will increase the total cost. A desktop processor with integrated graphics will be more than sufficient to run.

We don't require multiple USB ports, Sound cards, different type of display connectivity options like HDMI, Display port, DVI  Ports, etc., to run baremetal hypervisor. However in a desktop segment of motherboards you don't have much choice. These desktop motherboards are customized for running Windows/Linux Single User operating system, not for lab purpose. They may be bundled with additional components that are required for host desktop users in mind,. We may not be using those components anytime in our whitebox system but we have to live with them.

I was going through hardware manufacturer portals, blogs, YouTube videos. etc., before finalizing the hardware components. After spending few month reviewing the specifications, I have decided to go with below given list of items.

Bill Of Material: 

1. CPU: Intel I5 - 9400 - Intel 9th Generation Processor with Integrated Graphics x 1
2. Motherboard: Gigabyte B365M-D3H  Intel 8/9th Generation Compatible Motherboard x 1
3. Memory: 16GB DDR4 2400 Mhz Corsair Vengeance LPX x 2
4. Power Supply: Corsair VS450 80 Plus x 1
5. Computer Case: Cooler Master Elite 344 USB3 - Silver x 1
6. USB Stick: HP v215b - 8 GB (USB 2.0) x 1
7. Intel Pro/1000 GT - PCI Gigabit Network Adapter Single Port x 1 
8. Intel CT Desktop - PCI-E(x4) Gigabit Network Adapter Single Port x 1

I will be explaining why I have selected above mentioned components in my next blog.