New mini-itx Proxmox Build

[Ivan]

Hello everybody,

Recently (disappointed by the hyper-v performance on my not so old pc) I decided that it's time to build a barebone home server and choose Proxmox as my solution. After a vast research my ideas ended with low power, mini-itx home server containing the following:

1. Mobo - Asus Z97M-Plus
2. CPU - Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1231-v3-8M-Cache-3_40-GHz
3. RAM - Crucial Ballistic Sport - 2x8gb kit
4. PSU - Corsair CX Series 500 Watt -
5. Case - Silverstone Tek PS07B
6. HDD/SSD - Crucial M550 256gb M.2
7. Most Likely will try to boot from a usb

By todays prices all is roughly 800$, a way more than I am willing to spend, however, I can live with it. My goal is to run 5-6 vm - few windows servers, pfsense firewall, another linux server and few testing hosts, none of them with high load. Since I am new to the proxmoxing if someone is having a better setup/build in mind, please share
it, your opinions are more than welcome, I just don't wont to end with another crappy virtualization server, I already have one

After a long discussion my final build (quite different than the initial plan) is:

1. A1SRM-2758F-O Mobo
2. RAM - KVR16LSE11/8 - 2x8gb kit
3. PSU - Corsair CX Series 430 Watt
4. Case - Corsair Air Flow 240
5. HDD/SSD - Crucial Mx110 256gb.

Performance to be reported later

 

[mir]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

"16-32gb USB 3.0 to boot from"

Forget about this. USB is to slow on unreliable your money is better spend on some small SSD and the price difference is not that high.

 

[snowman66]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

I'm not sure about USB. This things are fragile. HDD/SSD is better choice for install/boot (for SSD: ext4 as filesystem and add cron job to run discard command).

 

[Ivan]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Thank you mir, snowman, USB dumped in favour of one of these two 250gb SSD - Samsung 850 Pro or SanDisk Extreme Pro.
Also I can take two of these Samsung Evo 840 and create raid 1, use part of it for the proxmox and the rest for lets say the most sensitive machine with normal hdd for the vm's, right?
This is the pro way anyway.

BTW, Excellent note

I'm not sure about USB. This things are fragile. HDD/SSD is better choice for install/boot (for SSD: ext4 as filesystem and add cron job to run discard command).

 

[Ivan]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Thank you mir, snowmen. USB Dumped in favour of a SSD - most likely 2 Samsung EVO 840 in a raid and normal hdd for the vm's. Still thinking, but cannot approve in front myself (it's just a home server) about 2 of these Samsung 850 PRO

BTW Excellent note:

I'm not sure about USB. This things are fragile. HDD/SSD is better choice for install/boot (for SSD: ext4 as filesystem and add cron job to run discard command).

 

[Ivan]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Thank You mir, snowmen, excellent note. USB dumped in favour of two SAMSUNG 840 EVO in raid 1. Obviously my budget goes to hell so these two Samsung 850 Pro are quite tempting for me, I need just a little push to approve them in front of myself(it's just a home server), at the end the free space can be used for a sensitive machines, right?

 

[mir]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

You could also, if you are willing to sacrifice RAID, use the PCIe slot for a mSATA disk as system disk and then use the 6 SATA slots for storage devices.

 

[Ivan]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

You could also, if you are willing to sacrifice RAID, use the PCIe slot for a mSATA disk as system disk and then use the 6 SATA slots for storage devices.

Ha ha, I'll sacrifice it in a blink of an eye. To honest I was looking at them too, will figure them out tomorrow and of course will post the result. Have a good one mir(means peace on my language!)

 

[mir]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

You should be able to get a god one for around 80$ (32 GB and 70000-80000 iops)

 

[Ivan]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

You should be able to get a god one for around 80$ (32 GB and 70000-80000 iops)

Where is it . Anyway PCIE SSD postponed for now, I cannot find a proof that it'll work with this mobo, it sounds the opposite here. I wouldn't risk it, because they are expensive/limited by size for now and I am just not sure will it work or not and if yes will the benefits will be great since the port is just 1x16 Until I make it clear I'll just step back from the PCIE SSD and only 1 ssd, keeping in mind adding a second as raid later(is this possible?) or buying PCIE SSD, one can always find a spot for an ssd

 

[mir]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Of course they will work. It is using standard SATA 3 interface through the PCIe bus.

For examples:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249029
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171966

 

[kobuki]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Sorry for barking in, but what is the problem with USB pendrives as boot devices? Obviously, /var, /tmp, VM/CT area and generally volumes written by the system are to be mounted on a "real" disk or on the network. Even VMWare ships ESXi on a bootable pendrive.

OTOH, just a quick comment. 70-80000 IOPS look good on paper but you need to look at the steady state performance of an SSD for a server. The 256GB version of the SanDisk X110 (64GB version on second Newegg link above) settles at around 10-12k IIRC, which is still nice for a single disk. For a home server, requirements are more relaxed, though.

 

[apmuthu]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

http://www.apricorn.com/products/desktop-ssd-hdd-upgrade-kits/vel-solox2.html
http://www.apricorn.com/products/desktop-ssd-hdd-upgrade-kits/vel-solox1.html

For USD 50 to 100 you get SATA III SSD of 500 GB on a PCIe

 

[kobuki]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Have you read the linked product pages? "SSD sold separately" ...

 

[mir]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

You have missed something. The prices is for the enclosure only. There is no SSD part of the price so you will have to add an SSD to the price tag which means the total price will more likely be 200-250$

 

[apmuthu]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Thanks @kobuki and @mir. It was too good to be true....

 

[Ivan]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Hi everybody,

Finally I had time to complete the build, please check it and if you have something to say, now is the time. I am figuring out that my initial plan with an USB flash drive wasn't that bad, however, with the current build the USB seems like an overkill for me, please correct me if I am wrong. On the other hand it will be nice to have it (could be other brand, etc), now I know that I have to mount a bunch of folders to another drive ( /var, /tmp, VM/CT) so it shouldn't be a problem. In between all of this I found 2 x 2tb 7200RPM Hitachi SATA III drives ready for use just waiting for me, unfortunately I have no plans for them, may be I can fit them somewhere, please, pretty please people help me, we are on the final

PS My initial budget is just a dream now

 

[apmuthu]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Beware of Fake Drives that promise too much.

 

[longhair]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Have you looked into the Supermicro A1SRi-2758F for your motherboard / cpu?

You will have a maximum of 64 GB memory instead of 16 GB.

 

[Ivan]

Re: New Mini-itx Proxmox Build

Have you looked into the Supermicro A1SRi-2758F for your motherboard / cpu?

You will have a maximum of 64 GB memory instead of 16 GB.

I was looking this board and to be honest it'll be most likely sufficient for my needs - what about performance? Price wise is pretty much the same as the xeon build (16gb RAM, 1 SSD, Case, PSU)My current virtualization experience is telling me to go for the RAM, not to mention that XEON delivery estimate from amazon is 19 Nov , but can anyone share performance experience/thoughts?