Got me some ESX
Submitted by jeff on December 24, 2008 - 4:30pm.I often use VMware to test new operating systems or to test software like Parrot and mod_parrot on multiple operating systems.
Ever since the announcement of VMWare ESXi, I've been pining for an ESX server of my own. I already run VMware desktop, and I've run VMware Server, but ESX is nice because it runs on the bare metal, no underlying host OS required, giving you better performance, flexibility and scalability. The problem is that driver support for ESX is very limited, making it quite finicky about what hardware you have.
So while I was deciding whether to build my own server (~$900 for what I wanted) or buy a used Dell server (~$1200 for a Poweredge 1900), I came across this deal at Microcenter: a Dell Inspiron 530 mini-tower desktop, E2220 Dual Core 2.4 GHz CPU (1 MB L2 cache), 320 GB hard drive and 3 GB RAM for just over $400. Not the greatest specs for a server, and I wished it were quad core, but this is for a home lab, and it would be half the cost of building it myself. I knew ESX worked with the SATA controller on the 530's motherboard (ICH9), but it didn't like the onboard NIC. So I picked one up last weekend along with a new hard drive so I could leave the bundled drive intact in case I needed to return it. When I got home I ordered an Intel Gigabit Pro NIC, which finally came today. I threw it in and everything worked!
I'm currently uploading ISOs so I can get the lab going, and I'll spend the next few days migrating services and files from my old server "groovy". She was a good server, but it's time I gave her barely adequate Celeron bones some rest.
UPDATE: The new virtual groovy builds parrot in 2:40, blowing away the 7:08 it took the old decrepit groovy. The respective numbers for building Rakudo: 46 seconds versus 2:27. This is really going to help my development workflow, and this is just a measly desktop. Sweet.