Can I use ESXi in a "stand-alone" configuration?

[af28]

Hello,

Can ESXi 3.5 be used in a stand-alone mode? That is, not part of a "VMware Infrastructure/Foundation" style installation.

Here's the background for the question:

I'm volunteering at a small school get their office network up and running. It's a small network, and from a load perspective, everything can fit on one new server. (We'll probably buy a Dell.)

Virtualization only came to mind as there will be a couple of different file shares, and an internal website. Since, each of these may be managed day-to-day by separate individuals, I'd like to keep them from stepping on each others toes.

Now, I've never used ESX, but it seems that a typical installation is part of a "VMware Infrastructure/Foundation" bundle with all sorts of fancy multi-node management tools. While VMware Foundation would be nice, there is no room in the budget for an additional $1k+ purchase.

However, Dell (and others?) are now selling ESXi 3.5 embedded in the server for $100. Since we are buying a new server anyway, we can certainly afford that as an add-on.

However, the question again is, can ESXi 3.5 be used in this kind of stand-alone mode? All I need to do is set up 3-4 VMs and assign resource limits. (As far as remote-admin goes, I presume ESXi will play nice with a Dell Remote Access Card, right?)

Thank you

[depping · Accepted solution]

You can use 3i standalone no problem, as for DRAC support... I hardly ever use DRAC but if it's the same as iLO than it will work, if you need to install an agent or anything like that than your screwed.

Duncan

My virtualisation blog:

[mcowger]

ESXi plays fine with the DRAC.

--Matt

[af28]

Thank you for the confirmation.

Since I am having trouble getting the ESXi demo to install on any of my local test machines, do you know if there is any sort of screenshot walkthrough / documentation about how to run ESXi on such a configuration?

I'd like to see if looks do-able by an ESX newbie. (I've used older versions of VMWare Workstation and QEMU, though.)

Thanks again.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

What sort of problem are you having with the install? You might want to take a look at the quick start guide - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35/esx_3i_i/r35/vi3_35_25_3i_i_get_start.pdf. For production systems it's also a very good idea to stick with a supported system. You'll find that list here http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi35_systems_guide.pdf.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Have you given any consideration to how you will back up the data on these VMs?

[af28]

RE: Demo install errors

I tried on three machines. (iso MD5 verified, and burned twice.)

Machine: old desktop turned test sever - Dell 4550 - P4 2.something GHz

Result : "Pink-Screen-Of-Death" upon boot from ISO, and dropped to debugger. "NOT_IMPLEMENTED ... sched/sched.c:5075"

Machine: Laptop, Dell Inspiron 9400 - Core 2 Duo

Result: Install fails at point of "no device to write ESXi to", or something like that.

Machine: semi-production server, took off-line just for test - Dell SC400 - P4 2.something GHz

Result: Install fails at point of "no device to write ESXi to", or something like that.

The only machine that I can really use for playing around is the Dell 4550, and that's pink-screening. For production use, I would be buying a new Dell with ESXi pre-installed.

RE: Machine backups

You are psychic. That was to be my next question.

How should I go about dealing with data backups in a ESXi stand-alone configuration?

Thank you again!

[jhanekom]

ESX is a bit different from general-purpose operating systems (Windows/Linux) in that it is only targeted at a specific set of supported systems, rather than trying to support as wide as possible a set of hardware. That list is regularly updated and is available here, along with other device compatibility guides: http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html

The installable ESX product is, for the most part, functionally equivalent to ESXi; if all you're trying to do is get a feel for the product, you can take a look at efforts some of the community members have put into getting it to work inside VMware Workstation. You'll have a reasonable chance of success using a cookbook such as the one published for ESX 3.0 here: http://www.xtravirt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=99&Itemid=124

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Here's a list of whiteboxes that might give you better luck for testing - http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3.5/Whiteboxes_SATA_Controllers_for_ESX_3.5_3i.htm

For backup you have a number of options. Ideally you would keep an old server around to have the backup software and tape drive and then

1) You can treat the VMs like you would regular servers and back them up with backup agents installed in the VMs

2) Use VCB (but this would require the Foundation edition (you could still run ESXi with that license))

3) Purchase a 3rd party tool - I use esxPress and it's a good backup program. Others will recommend vRangerPro. Both however don't support ESXi yet but that's coming soon.

One thing to keep in mind with "snapshot" backups (option 2 or 3) is that some products don't support that backup type (Microsoft AD) and you'll want to test it thoroughly with database type products (SQL , Exchange, etc).

[wila]

ESX3.5i has been reported to run on Workstation 6.5 beta, it doesn't give you all of the speed, but on unsupported hardware it does give you an idea on how-to setup and experiment.

http://communities.vmware.com/community/beta/workstation6.5b