Newbie - Installation Question (BEFORE I start)...

[CareyBroph]

Okay, first question as I embark on the virtual path (or the path of virtualization?). Here's the situation...

I have two very high end Dell Servers (2-quad-core processors each, 8gb RAM, 1.5TB of RAID 5 storage, dual nic's, dual P/S, tape backup). They were both purchased before I started and are total overkill for the department's needs. I also have 3 older servers and a handful of older workstations that we keep around because they have environments that are needed from time to time and are running software that would be difficult to get ahold of nowadays).

We recently purchased licensing for 1-vCenter Server and 1-VI3 Enterprise. My initial goal is pretty simple (convert one of the newer servers to an ESX server hosting the server environment that currently exists on that box as well as several other VM's). But before I start, I've come up with a couple of questions.

First, as I just mentioned, I want to take one of the newer

servers (which is currently serving as a departmental backup server)

and convert it to an ESX Host Server (hope I've got the lingo correct). But I'd like to maintain the environment that is on that box as a VS. Is there a way to accomplish this? Can I use the free P2V converter and temporarily save the virtual server file to a NAS unit, then load/configure the ESX on that server, and finally pull over the original virtual server file from the NAS unit? My concern is that I have to have ESX loaded somewhere before I can create any VM's, which won't work because the process of creating the ESX server will wipe out the server that I'm trying to retain. Make any sense?

Second question: For now, I want to use the 1.5TB raid configuration that is currently on that box (local storage) to store the VM's. I'm 99% sure it's a SCSI configuration (I'm currently off-site and unable to verify this). MUST it be SCSI? And is there any problem just using the local storage for the VM's? Most of the configurations I've seen described online and in books use SAN for their VM's. But the VM's that I want to create are not 'critical' systems. They are important, but if they were down for a day or two, it would not be the end of the world for us. Eventually, I'd like to setup redudant ESX servers with external storage, but this is where I am for now. Once I've shown the benefits, I'll be able to push in that direction. So, for now, I want to use the high-end box that I have as the epicenter of my virtual world.

I've been reading Virtual Infratructure for Dummies and it's actually been excellent. I've never been a fan of the 'for dummies' books, but I did a little research and the reviews were very strong so I gave it a try. But I'd be open to other suggestions as well in terms of good books for a mid-level administrator.

Thanks in advance for the help. I've learned over the years that asking a couple of questions before a change of this magnitude is much better than plowing ahead and hoping for the best.

CareyBroph

[Gerrit_Lehr · Accepted solution]

To 1: Yes, you can use VMware Converter to convert the physical server into a vmware server VM for example and later on use the converter to convert it from vmware server to esx. I'd suggest having a good backup and testing the vmware server vm before erasing the physical installation.

To 2: Yes, SCSI is absolutly fine if the serveris supported by VMware. The reason most people use SAN or iSCSI is that they need shared storage for clusters. You might want to consider this, too since you have the required licenses to run VI3 with multple ESX Server and vCenter "ontop" and you eleminate the single point of failure a stand-alone ESX server would be. But as you said, its fine with non-critical systems.

Kind Regards,

Gerrit Lehr

If you found this or other information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful".

[CareyBroph]

Thanks Gerrit. That's very helpful information. And, yes, I'd like to move towards a redundant environment. But, I've discovered that SAN isn't cheap. And it requires some additional infrastructure as well, so it will need to wait a bit. Once I've demonstrated the benefits of VMWare, I can start to make a push for SAN. And to be honest, even though I consider myself a pretty quick learner with this stuff, I feel I've got my hands full for now just getting acclimated to all VMWare can do. I've learned the hard way that it's best to take things a step at a time.

Thanks again for the quick reply.

CareyBroph

[Gerrit_Lehr]

You are right, learn it step by step but I realy have to say: VMware is one of the "easier" enterprise software products I came accros simply since it is very good software and works fine most of the time. Regarding expensive SAN environments: You might want to consider an iSCSI solution which is far cheaper, doesn't need extra hardware and is ideal for smaller environments.

Kind Regards,

Gerrit Lehr

If you found this or other information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful".