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Hi,

I’m thinking of buying a new server for my home lab- use. I want it to support the newest version of ESXi, around 2-4 TB of space, 128 GB RAM, 2 CPUs (8 core++), and which isn’t too loud.

What do you guys suggest?
I’m a little scared of buying used servers, since two which I’ve baught earlier has started to smell burnt after 1-2 months of usage. Haven’t used EBAY either before, so that’s said.

How do guys make sure that it isn’t nothing wrong with the used equipment you buy from sellers?

Thinking of a DL380 G7++ series server maybe. I’ve a DL380 G9 at work at the datacenter, but can only reach it from a network plug point at work, due to some security inside CMZ. And don’t really want to lock my laptop in a docking and run TeamViewer to it.

Thanks for your reply!!

Br
M4gnenetwork

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I’ve only ever bought used servers as of late.

You dont mention a budget and if it’s a new one to support 6.7 then your ram requirement will hike the price.

You also dont mention rack or tower

The DL G7 is the last generation to suport 6.7 and it depends on CPU, my AMD Opteron G7 didnt support it, it simply wont install, but you can get 6.5 on it.

You will need a minimum of G8 for 6.7 but better yet a G9.

Of course the G8 is going to be the cheaper buy, buy from someone who refurbs and gives a warranty, part or full. My G9 came with 1.5 years remaining HPE warranty

Is your 4TB necessary, are you planning on putting a video archive on here too?

2.5" disks will cost you more for capacity than 3.5" but having 3.5" drives limits how many the server will take, reducing the overall IOPS - if oyu need speed, more spindles or SSDs is better.

My server has no spinning disks and only 1 SSD along with 3 x PCIe drives.

I have a total of about 5TB usable and currently 1TB or so active, with thin provisioning and automatic unmap, the space is reclaimed when files are deleted in the guests

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I bought a dozen DL380e Gen8 2 x 8-core CPU, 32GB RAM, p420i, 12 x 3.5" disk bays for a little over $200 on ebay. That’s a lot of server for the money. You can throw 3.5" or 2.5" drives in it, SATA or SAS, and you’ve got 4 NICs and a few open slots.

I buy all my servers, switches, APs, phones, RAID cards, server RAM, and more on ebay. The only thing I don’t buy on ebay is MS Office and Windows. (LOL)

I’ve had a few products arrive that were DOA. I was disappointed and maybe a little inconvenienced, but I just returned them. I had the DL380 dealer ship me an entire new server and pay for the other’s return because the IPMI interface couldn’t have its password reset.

I use Windows, not VMWare, so I can’t advise on that.

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I have moved this post to the virtualization forum

I do not know where you are, but in the UK, i have had GREAT success with used Dell Precision workstations. I’ve used two companies in the UK and both have sold me solid boxes, fantastic for virtulisation.

My current desktop is a dual proc, 6-core Xeon 3.07, 2 fast SSDs, and 96gb of ram. I paid around £1000 for it (including some nice grpahics cards to run my dual 24 in tft monitors).

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You have to think about what you really want to do with it. If it is a lab it doesn’t absolutely have to be server grade gear as long as the hardware is on VMWare’s HCL. I have an HP Multimedia type desktop that has fairly decent specs and I am running about 8 Guest VMs on it and the only time it gets bogged down is starting up the VMs if there is a power outage or similar. Ease of changing storage is what I am finding lacking in my current setup so I may be going to something with swappable drive cages with an HBA or RAID card…

Server class hardware is noisy and fairly power hungry. and I am sure the old lady wouldn’t be happy with the fan whirring in the office next to the bedroom.

I just discovered r/homelab on Reddit and you can see some serious lab porn and gore on there and get some insight into what others are doing.

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There is also a homelabs category on here.

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I have bought plenty of used servers from eBay. If you hit an auction right, you can get them super cheap. I have had 2 issues from machines I bought, a bad stick of ram and a non working fan, but the sellers paid for replacement parts. So as long as you report it in their doa timeframe - usually 30 days.

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It really depends what you need the server for ?

Do look around for credits from AWS (there is AWS free tier) or Google compute as it maybe more worth to build servers on the cloud…

Instead of building a or buying a server to run many small VMs, why not just use AWS free tier to build many small VMs for free ? Even a $300 Google or AWS credit can last a long time…

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HP servers have the drawback that you need a support agreement to download some of the system updates.

I’m a fan of the Dell PowerEdge line. I have a 42U cabinet, so I can find rackmount units readily available. Tower units are harder to find. I see some lenovo servers in tower form factor more than Dell or HP.

You can also consider a workstation with dual Xeon CPU’s. They usually support ECC RAM and have more slots, more drive space, and options for HBA/RAID controllers. They also tend to be more friendly to add-on cards. I use an HP z420 with dual E5 4650L and 48GB of RAM. Fits in the rack shelf sideways too.

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I have purchased from Orange Computers. You can customize your server NEW or USED. I have gone the used route and was very happy. The server (used) I purchased came with a 90 day warranty. I purchased an HP Proliant ML 350 G6 Dual 5500 or 5600 Processor System. Dual Xeon E5620 Quad Core 2.40 Ghz with 32GB Ram (2X(4x4GB)) SAS drives with extra bays dual NIC Cards. $500.00 delivered. These guys are great to work with. Answered all my questions.

Good luck!

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Be sure to check your hardware compatibility lists. I had to upgrade one of my servers processors to the 5600 series to get a CPU feature that would allow virtualization on FREENAS. Not sure if ESXi has any similar requirements.

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As @rod-it ​, there is a homelab group. https://community.spiceworks.com/user-groups/homelabs

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Thanks for considering HPE in your search! For a home lab, have you thought about looking into refurbished? It would be a good alternative to getting something that’s just used. I’m also going to loop in @mark-hpe ​, who is our server expert, and he can probably give you some solid recommendations.

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I’m not as brave as Robert5205, so I order mine as refurbished through xByte.com, as they let me still get full manufacturer warranties and support for any issues, while still saving quite a bit of money.

For a homelab though I’d be more willing to buy through Ebay or similar, just make sure it’s a good seller, so that you can get your money back if it’s broken.

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I’ve not bought a new server in 15 years. Just stick to refurb sellers who have long-term good reputations and you’ll be fine.

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If they gave me a vote, I would make updates available to anyone. I have raised the issue several times but I don’t get a vote (especially since I’m a storage guy). I’d point out that you are mixing companies. HP is the company behind the Z workstation that you mentioned - I have a Z600 that I’ve used for 6 years and I love it. It’s been a rock. The company that makes servers is HPE, not HP.

I’m pretty plugged into the VMware vExpert community (I’m a vExpert too) - many of the vExperts have homelabs. For an inexpensive server, lots of them like the HPE ProLiant MicroServer Gen10 . I don’t know what you want to run in your homelab - I know with the previous MicroServer (which was really a Gen 8), lots of vExperts were using it to run VMware even though the MicroServer didn’t have a CPU that VMware supported on their HCL. Anyway, I’d check out the latest generation.

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What are you going to be doing in the your lab environment?

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I also have a DL360 Gen6. I tried to upgrade something a while back and ran into the paywall block. I used HP DL360 and DL380 back around 2003-2009 and was familiar with the systems management, so I bought a used one on ebay. I’m not sure if HPE changed the rules or it was before the split.

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I’ve never had a used server just “go bad”, but I had a bad power supply once. A $15 replacement and it was fine. Another one needed a new battery for the RAID card. Most of my used servers either came from acquaintances or from my work after a decommission. So I knew they weren’t faulty. As for ebay, just make sure they don’t say “as is” and make sure there is a return policy. You might have to eat the shipping cost.

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You also have to bare in mind that if you are buying ex corporate kit, they are typically outside of their 3-5 year warranty period and likely not officially supported, nor are they likely to still be on HCLs

Having the latest FW and BIOS is going to do nothing to help you here.

While drivers and FW/BIOS are still likely available, it’s a home lab

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