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Putting Together the Hardware for the Ultimate White Box Server

Monday, June 29th, 2009 – running time 05:55
Building the ultimate white box ESXi server for under $2000! Can it be done? Darren and Matt grab the company credit card and answer that question.

When it comes to building a white box server for ESXi your best resources are vm-help.com, UltimateWhiteBox.com, the VMware Compatibility Guide, and the VMware community.

We carefully selects ESXi supported components based on reliability and value. If this were the ultimate $3000 white box server we might have picked a server board with dual Xeon's and ECC memory, but to keep it under that magic $2000 price point we went with beefy "desktop" components such as the Intel Core i7 920, the ASUS P6T Deluxe, and 12 GB of Corsair XMS3 memory.

Drive wise you can't go wrong with the 3ware 9650SE-4LPML. It supports four SATA II drives in RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 or JBOD. It's bigger brother the 9650SE-16ML sixteen channel SATA II controller is hot too -- just at three times the price. The 9650SE isn't supported out of the box by ESXi, however 3ware provides a knowledge base article and drivers necessary to add support for the card after your ESXi box is built.

Drive wise we picked up four Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB drives since they're cheap and reliable.

To make things easy when installing all these components in our Rosewill RSV-Z4000 4U rackmount case we picked up a 4 Drive trayless how swap sata backplane from StarTech. IcyDock makes one too. This was the only $100 spent for convenience over performance/value, but anyone who has dealt with 5.25" to 3.5" mounting brackets will agree it's worth every penny.

Rather than installing ESXi on the RAID, we used a 4GB USB drive from Patriot. The Xporter XT. It boasts really fast read/write times. I'm sure any old 1gb or larget USB drive would have done but they're so cheap, why not?

We're doing a little white box server contest. Winners will get all sorts of swag from the Hak5 Store. Check out all the details in the episode release thread at Hak5.org

Watch the full episode here!

Highlights
dongle ( 2:46, 2:46 ) modifications ( 2:06, 2:06 ) raid ( 0:14, 0:15, 2:19, 4:30, 0:14, 0:15, 2:19, 4:30 ) dongle ( 2:46, 2:46 ) modifications ( 2:06, 2:06 ) raid ( 0:14, 0:15, 2:19, 4:30, 0:14, 0:15, 2:19, 4:30 )

Automatically Generated Transcript(may not be 100% accurate) ( more )

" I think that this freeware because you are crazy about them and that's why when and -- like freeware simply because they offer. You know. Obviously you're not going to be using. The rate six because you want more storage however. Raid six is raid five bump up a notch its. And minus two so it's dual apparently. And the reason that I like -- news two drives and still keep go yes that's thanks. But beyond that this supports 350 which Olympic report. -- if you're running. You know a more drives right and -- like that. And then also you know leaders of this news about action -- but the nice thing is. If you're looking to spend a little bit of money. Actually a lot of money yet they have a single card that will do sixteen. Drives and its card."

" That's that's pretty hot yes yeah. And that might be something that you know considered later in the other you know kind of cool thing about this particular case which is the -- well but it. You know like -- case like is. The for their actions are the three days a quarter action both here and here this one's got it -- and at the moment. But later on but I -- it's like a pop another one of these guys and go for drives -- drive. Of course we think I read that he -- single. PCI. With a small connect you can plugs loans and they want to. That's exciting well in that case rate for small ones in the big ones as well about well so. Without getting too much more ahead of herself I think the only other component was the next but it's just -- standard. In -- 1000 -- something like that anyway. Which is on the support -- he had over two -- international help. That's the place the with three CX -- it appears that freeware card is supported by. But it's not on the official VMware supported list so going to have to make modifications. To. Yes tax okay and the so the the other difference there is and ask you about this is to reinstall he had sex. On the data -- on a nice little three terabyte raid -- here or do we pop it on."

" Some other drive on big fan of separation. So. We've got a four -- patriot -- the flash drive that we're gonna actually throw it on to they do make headers for you plug like. USB key rate in two the board but we've actually got. But. I would bet there's gonna break up a dongle yet gotten our area so troops this box. And when I often do I want to build some (%expletive) like cool. Start turns and screwdrivers."

" To their first now we're gonna install some processor -- I like to do everything external case. It's because of exit easier I'm angered we've we just went with the the -- Because we're not really were talking so this isn't a hot rod. Yeah and the difference between. The legacy on here vs T I seventh version of the pendulum -- it is basically. When I can be able to go full processor. Correct and that's kind of a shame but if we are building and -- like 50000 dollar. -- Application server maybe everybody would have been better spent in the horsepower arena but I think a single quad cores running we'll --"

" As we explained. We are not installing. They actually SX server. On the on the raid there will be doing is selling it. This little. USB drive and just make sure that cleanly he would you be stupid at the office. Unplug their server and we're gonna do is method that there's you know that Paterson on right onto the motherboard internally USB we didn't spring for that. And just took the internal. -- that would normally go on if he's got back plane dealing here on the back to computer. And we're going to -- USC. And then we'll find some way to handle like suckered in somewhere and -- Our operating."

" All right so we are just about ready to wrap this sucker up and actually get installed some software but first -- it you know and -- for. This week's trivia."

" I think that this freeware because you are crazy about them and that's why when and -- like freeware simply because they offer. You know. Obviously you're not going to be using. The rate six because you want more storage however. Raid six is raid five bump up a notch its. And minus two so it's dual apparently. And the reason that I like -- news two drives and still keep go yes that's thanks. But beyond that this supports 350 which Olympic report. -- if you're running. You know a more drives right and -- like that. And then also you know leaders of this news about action -- but the nice thing is. If you're looking to spend a little bit of money. Actually a lot of money yet they have a single card that will do sixteen. Drives and its card."

" That's that's pretty hot yes yeah. And that might be something that you know considered later in the other you know kind of cool thing about this particular case which is the -- well but it. You know like -- case like is. The for their actions are the three days a quarter action both here and here this one's got it -- and at the moment. But later on but I -- it's like a pop another one of these guys and go for drives -- drive. Of course we think I read that he -- single. PCI. With a small connect you can plugs loans and they want to. That's exciting well in that case rate for small ones in the big ones as well about well so. Without getting too much more ahead of herself I think the only other component was the next but it's just -- standard. In -- 1000 -- something like that anyway. Which is on the support -- he had over two -- international help. That's the place the with three CX -- it appears that freeware card is supported by. But it's not on the official VMware supported list so going to have to make modifications. To. Yes tax okay and the so the the other difference there is and ask you about this is to reinstall he had sex. On the data -- on a nice little three terabyte raid -- here or do we pop it on."

" Some other drive on big fan of separation. So. We've got a four -- patriot -- the flash drive that we're gonna actually throw it on to they do make headers for you plug like. USB key rate in two the board but we've actually got. But. I would bet there's gonna break up a dongle yet gotten our area so troops this box. And when I often do I want to build some (%expletive) like cool. Start turns and screwdrivers."

" To their first now we're gonna install some processor -- I like to do everything external case. It's because of exit easier I'm angered we've we just went with the the -- Because we're not really were talking so this isn't a hot rod. Yeah and the difference between. The legacy on here vs T I seventh version of the pendulum -- it is basically. When I can be able to go full processor. Correct and that's kind of a shame but if we are building and -- like 50000 dollar. -- Application server maybe everybody would have been better spent in the horsepower arena but I think a single quad cores running we'll --"

" As we explained. We are not installing. They actually SX server. On the on the raid there will be doing is selling it. This little. USB drive and just make sure that cleanly he would you be stupid at the office. Unplug their server and we're gonna do is method that there's you know that Paterson on right onto the motherboard internally USB we didn't spring for that. And just took the internal. -- that would normally go on if he's got back plane dealing here on the back to computer. And we're going to -- USC. And then we'll find some way to handle like suckered in somewhere and -- Our operating."

" All right so we are just about ready to wrap this sucker up and actually get installed some software but first -- it you know and -- for. This week's trivia."