Options to run ESXi in a mini-ITX form factor

It seems all of the ESXi builds I've seen are using full-size ITX/server boards - are there options out there for users wanting to build a SFF server that supports full virtualization? To be honest, I'm looking to downgrade my 4U into something much, much more manageable (read: hide in a closet) like this build: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=18872.0

My needs are pretty simple:

1) ESXi to run VMs (unRAID, W7/WHS, and possibly a 3rd Dev env)

2) mini-ITX form factor

3) Preferably six SATA ports to avoid an expander card (although the Lian Li build I linked to above appears to have room for a PCI-E card)

4) hardware pass-thru support (BD-ROM)

My current uses are:

1) streaming media to two XBMC clients (with a third in the near future)

2) backup two Windows PCs

3) basic file storage (currently have only used ~4TB)

With the vast array of plugins, I suspect that I'd add several of them on once I had the box up-and-running.

Thanks!

Dave

This is the only mini itx board I've found that supports a xeon processor. It only has 4 SATA ports but it has a 16x PCIe slot so you could use a SAS HBA to add up to 8 more drives.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121553

I haven't tried this, but I am tempted since I have this board (X7SPE-HF-D525)

http://communities.vmware.com/message/2099583

Here's another link (X7SPA-HF)

http://www.vm-help.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2070

Both boards have 6 SATA ports

I haven't tried this, but I am tempted since I have this board (X7SPE-HF-D525)

http://communities.vmware.com/message/2099583

 

Here's another link (X7SPA-HF)

http://www.vm-help.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2070

 

Both boards have 6 SATA ports

Interesting. I didn't think those Atom chips would support ESXi so I didn't mention them.

I haven't tried this, but I am tempted since I have this board (X7SPE-HF-D525)

http://communities.vmware.com/message/2099583

 

Here's another link (X7SPA-HF)

http://www.vm-help.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2070

 

Both boards have 6 SATA ports

 

Interesting. I didn't think those Atom chips would support ESXi so I didn't mention them.

They do. Just no hardware passthrough and only 32bit guests.

Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk 2

This is the only mini itx board I've found that supports a xeon processor. It only has 4 SATA ports but it has a 16x PCIe slot so you could use a SAS HBA to add up to 8 more drives.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121553

Reviews on that board say it does not support VT-D.

I haven't tried this, but I am tempted since I have this board (X7SPE-HF-D525)

http://communities.vmware.com/message/2099583

 

Here's another link (X7SPA-HF)

http://www.vm-help.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2070

 

Both boards have 6 SATA ports

Thanks, but I would like a more powerful CPU than the Atom.

Quad core i5 is what I'd be buying. That supports all the virtualization stuff, right?

Edit: Core i7 for the Hyperthreading. http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processor-comparison/processor-specifications.html?proc=65524

You could try a Supermicro X9SPV which is available at WiredZone for $589.54.  Includes CPU.

the DBS1200KP is a bad choice for ESXi if you want VT-d. the Intel desktops boards are better.

We have an Intel DQ67EP for an ESX test box at work.

check this out.. http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=16622.msg152330#msg152330

the main issue with the DQ67EP is the LM NIC. we have an Intel CT or GT PCIe nic in ours. there is a drive that seems to work if the LM is the only nic.

there is also the new supermicro mITX i5/i7 boards out. those might be good.

i have not checked yet if 5u1 has the correct driver..

Johnm, thank you for that link!

I'm working on finalizing my build:

[*]Intel DQ67EP mini-ITX (4 onboard SATA + 2 rear-mount eSATA = 6 total plus a PCI-E x16 slot)

[*]Intel i7-2600 Sandy Bridge CPU - Is this totally overkill?

[*]Corsair 16GB (2x8GB) RAM

[*]Lian Li PC-Q08B (six 3.5" HDD + 5.25" ODD + room for two 2.5" HDDs [one for VMs and possibly a cache down the road])

[*]2-port SATA PCI-E card (undecided so far, but I'll research what others are using with V5.0)

[*]PSU is undecided. I've thought about reusing the one I have, but I would really like to step-up to a modular, and possibly shorter, unit. I figure for 6 HDDs, SSD, ODD, and an i7 I will need 450-500W. Is the Silverstone ST45SF-G a good choice? Only negative review item is the fan is semi-loud.

As I've been thinking through this build, my needs have changed slightly. I'd like the following VMs:

-unRAID (of course) v5.0

-Windows 7 Pro/Ultimate

-Linux/OpenElec XBMC

-Potentially WHS or Windows Server 2008 (but I think a normal W7 install can do nearly everything I will need)

I have a couple questions about ESXi:

-Will ESXi support a XBMC client running on OpenElec? I'd like to use the DisplayPort (audio+video) on the mobo converted to HDMI to run to a TV in my guest bedroom (where the server will live). Is this possible?

-The mobo only has a single Ethernet port, can this be shared across multiple VMs? I could add a mini-PCIe wifi card if needed...

-Am I missing anything else?

Thanks everyone!

Dave

[...]

 

I have a couple questions about ESXi:

-Will ESXi support a XBMC client running on OpenElec? I'd like to use the DisplayPort (audio+video) on the mobo converted to HDMI to run to a TV in my guest bedroom (where the server will live). Is this possible?

 

That bit is a real challenge.

You will be in need to passthrough the GPU for XBMC and HD Video to run.

AFAIK this is not working for a CPU with embedded GPU (like an I7 with intel HD inside).

As it seems, the best choices you have are with GFX-Cards based on the ATI/AMD chipsets HD6xxx and HD7xxxx.

For Audio you will need access/passthrough of sound hardware as well (which is part of the external GPU card, maybe)

XBMCbuntu has reported better results than Openelec when it comes to running in ESXi.

-The mobo only has a single Ethernet port, can this be shared across multiple VMs? I could add a mini-PCIe wifi card if needed...

ESXi will provide an internal, virtual network switch to the VMs. The real NIC will be "attached" to that switch as well.

The virtual switch does support VLANs as well.

I didnt read the whole thread yet. I stopped at 2700K.. the "K" models do not support VT-d technology.

I didnt read the whole thread yet. I stopped at 2700K.. the "K" models do not support VT-d technology.

Ah, good catch. I'll change the CPU to the i7-2600 (or S).

Updated the parts list - any other opinions?

...as already said...you won't succeed with your XBMC guest with a setup.on an IGP.

...as already said...you won't succeed with your XBMC guest with a setup.on an IGP.

Hey FP, yup I understand that limitation. I guess I'll keep my ATV2 around longer than anticipated. 

I was looking for confirmation on the HW list, more specifically.

Thanks!

...no worries....since you left the requirement for XBMC guest in that post, I just wanted to make sure.

The i7 will probably be an overkill.

With a number of guests that low, you do not need a CPU with hyperthreading, I think.

A smaller i5 quad-core would do fine and would save you maybe around 100 bucks.

As you will make no use of the IGP, even a lower E3 (like the E3-1220) is at the that cost as the i5 but will offer a lot of "bang for the buck".

A  E3-1230 has HT and is still a lot cheaper than your i7.

The E3s should be compatible but I do not know if the board, being a desktop version, will run without a GPU

You might need an external GPU in order to install ESXI in the first place...then - maybe - you are able to remove it later

and exchange for the HBA.

...no worries....since you left the requirement for XBMC guest in that post, I just wanted to make sure.

 

The i7 will probably be an overkill.

With a number of guests that low, you do not need a CPU with hyperthreading, I think.

A smaller i5 quad-core would do fine and would save you maybe around 100 bucks.

 

As you will make no use of the IGP, even a lower E3 (like the E3-1220) is at the that cost as the i5 but will offer a lot of "bang for the buck".

A  E3-1230 has HT and is still a lot cheaper than your i7.

The E3s should be compatible but I do not know if the board, being a desktop version, will run without a GPU

You might need an external GPU in order to install ESXI in the first place...then - maybe - you are able to remove it later

and exchange for the HBA.

I've been looking into the E3-1230... it does appear to be a great value. However, without integrated GFX, I would need to buy a seperate GFX card. BUT, if I were to do that - would I be able to run XBMC as a guest VM??? How would this work if I need XBMC running a video AND I need to log into the Windows 7 VM for something?

I would lose my SATA card slot, but I've been thinking about upgrading to 3TB drives and could put four of them on the mobo's connectors, run the BR drive to an eSATA plug, and run the Windows VM drive to the other eSATA plug.

I've been looking into the E3-1230... it does appear to be a great value. However, without integrated GFX, I would need to buy a seperate GFX card. BUT, if I were to do that - would I be able to run XBMC as a guest VM??? How would this work if I need XBMC running a video AND I need to log into the Windows 7 VM for something?

That'll not be an issue...ESXi does not use the host GFX card for VMs...it does provide a software based GFX device for every guest. (remind you, a "normal" ESXi install is on a headless server)

You can use the VSphere Client to connect to your guest (it includes a remote desktop client).

When you install the vmware tools in your guest, this integration is seamless.

Also, you can enable RDP service inside your Windows guest and use a standalone RDP client. (which is waht I do, because I only run linux desktops at home, thus no direct access with VSphere client).

This soft-GFX device is just not good enough for high-performance requirements...that's why you need to pass a real GPU to the guest where you need it.

But be warned, this is not for beginners.

I haven't seen a successful passthrough with nvidia based cards yet. You have a chance with ATI/AMD based cards..HD6450, HD7xxx, maybe HD5xxxx as far as I recall.

But you are totally at your own risk...I'd recommend, if this is your main usecase, to build your box around a known reference with a proven success record including mobo, CPU and GFX card.

I would lose my SATA card slot, but I've been thinking about upgrading to 3TB drives and could put four of them on the mobo's connectors, run the BR drive to an eSATA plug, and run the Windows VM drive to the other eSATA plug.

The virtual disks for guests normally reside as disk-image-files on the ESXi datastore, which is either build from local disks or remote i.e. via NFS.

You cannot pass single S-ATA ports with vmdirectpath, only complete PCI/PCIe slots (full controller).

If you want to pass individual disks to individual VMs, your only choice is RawDeviceMapping.

Is this what you wanted for unRAID VM?...when you are not able to passthrough the controller to unRAID VM (because you don't have one in a slot), this is your only option left.

Edit:

There is a second option:

Install ESXi on another  thumb drive, pass the onboard controller to unRAID VM (which is on a thumb drive too),

enable NFS in unRAID  and import a part of that array as datastore into ESXi.to have room for your guests virtual disks.

FP - I really appreciate your help with all of this. As you've probably already figured out, I'm very new at ESXi.

At this point, I'm going to scratch the XBMC idea. I'd rather not spring for a GFX card to support it.

Would I need a Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 for the unRAID drives using the proposed setup above? Or, can I do the following:

4x internal SATA ports connected to four drives for unRAID,

eSATA port connected to BD-ROM, passed-through to VM,

eSATA port connected to SSD for VM datastore and/or unRAID cache,

2-port SATA card in the PCI-E slot connected to two unRAID drives.

Thanks!!

Dave,

this looks complicated although it can be done based on individual raw-device mappings.

...I think but it hurts between my ears

If you have the slot available for a controller (and the vt-d hardware), my method of choice would be to build a "classic" unRAID in ESXi using passthrough.

Use a good SSD with working internal garbage collection (ESXi and its filesystem does not have TRIM) to install it and as datastore for your VMs.

If you want to do it dead right, go for two and build a raid-1 mirrored-array out of them with your on-board BIOS and install ESXi on that SSD array.

If you want a cache drive based on SSD and don't want to spend on an additional SSD for unRAID, I'd just use a virtual disk (which will reside on the datastore on your SSD) and pass that to unRAID.

I also would probably install the vmware-tools available here in the forum for unRAID. You will get a very decent performance, even with the virtual cache drive.

I am not sure if you need to use raw-device mapping to pass the BD-ROM. You can configure a guest to access a physical DVD/BD drive.

Are your plans to use it for ripping BD-ROMs from inside a VM? I am not sure what performance you will get from that.

Since you need another desktop to access the VMs (the ones that have a virtual desktop, like your planned Win7 VM), I'd do the ripping from that non virtualized system.

Just ordered the following:

• Lian Li PC-Q08B
  
• Intel i7-2600 CPU
  
• Intel DQ67EP motherboard
  
• 16GB (2x8) Corsair XMS DDR3 RAM
  
• Silverstone ST45SF-G 450W SFX PSU
  
• SIL3132 2-port SATA card from Monoprice
  

Going to reuse:

• 3x WD 2TB HDDs
  
• 1x WD 1.5TB HDD
  
• 1x WD 1TB HDD
  
• 1x Hitachi 80GB 2.5" 7200rpm HDD [for W7 VM - eventually moving to SSD]
  
• 1x ASUS BD-ROM
  

Any update on this build? I am looking to build something similar. Thanks.