JDPFu.com 2025

The purpose for this server is to be an Ubuntu 10.04 virtualization server for a Eucalyptus private cloud. Basically, I need a server to migrate the current Xen-VM and ESXi-VMs onto. Yes, I know that 10.04 won’t be released for a few months, but I need to get some practice with the beta ASAP. These VMs include email, IM, accounting, document management, vpn, wiki, this blog, and a few other VMs. I need to migrate my WinXP VM off my laptop and onto a VM server too. Yes, all this fits in less than 8GB of RAM and less than a few hundred GB of disk today. Most of the VMs are Linux with 4GB or less of disk and 512MB of RAM. Very resource stingy.

I’ll be able to return a computer borrowed from a client too. That will be nice. When this build is completed, we’ll have 3 servers suitable for use in our cloud.

I don’t expect to do any gaming or heavy graphics with this system. Eventually, I may run a Win7 Ultimate Media Center in a VM and use Visio and MS-Office tools, but that will be it.

Here’s the plan. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but here’s the plan. Basically, I’ll have a Core i5 CPU (4 core) with 8GB RAM, internal GigE NIC and a GigE NIC that is supported by ESX.

Reused Parts

1. Case – no name
2. Video Card – need to scrounge one from my stash
3. Keyboard, Video, Mouse – KVM will be used to access the console
4. Boot Disk Drive – need to scrounge one from my stash
5. DVD – need to scrounge one from my stash
6. Floppy Disk – need to scrounge one from my stash
7. Infiniband to SATA connector for external disk array connection

Purchased Parts

1. 1 x ($100) Intel Core i5 750 CPU (Fry’s MB+CPU bundle)
2. 1 x ($100) BioStar T5XE CFX-SLI Motherboard (Fry’s MB+CPU bundle)
3. 1 x ($28.59) NIC INTEL|PWLA8391GTLBLK 1000M OEM – OEM $28.59
4. 2 x ($84.99) MEM 2Gx2|GSKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL – Retail $169.98
5. 1 x ($69.99) PSU CORSAIR|CMPSU-450VX 450W RT – Retail $69.99

Total Cost $463-ish.

Missing Parts

The Intel CPU may not come with a CPU fan although it is a boxed CPU, not OEM. I may not be able to scrounge the needed boot drive or video card. That means a trip to MicroCenter or Fry’s is likely this week. I’ll know more details when the build begins after the parts all arrive.

If there is enough interest, I snap some photos of the unboxing, build and boot processes.

Future

I may swap my current Infiniband external 4 disk array for an eSata external 4-8 disk array that supports larger drives. You can never have enough storage or fast enough storage, right?

Read more in the follow up article New Server Build – Part 2.