[Linux-cluster] Hardware recommendation

[Paras pradhan]

On Sat, Jul 25, 2009 at 5:36 PM, Jeff Sturm<jeff.sturm at eprize.com> wrote:
> Good point—the requisite CPU technology has been available for at least 3
> years, so I tend to assume most users are running 64-bit processors with VT
> by now.  However, I suppose it's possible there are many older systems still
> in production.
>
>
>
> We happen to use several 1950-class machines which have been repurposed for
> this.  They work very well with Xen hypervisors.  The 1950 can be
> inexpensively upgraded to 16GB RAM, and have two sockets which can
> accommodate 8 cores.  With shared storage, the 1U chassis gives very good
> density where space is a premium.  If 1950's are available, they can be a
> bargain for virtualization.
>
>
>
> And, as you say, VT is required for some deployments.  Though I'd like to
> think most non-VT capable hardware will be long gone by the time RHEL5
> reaches EOL.
>
>
>
> Power consumption should be a consideration too.  It might be worth retiring
> some systems to save on power alone.  I don't have good numbers handy
> comparing power consumption vs. performance of different processor
> generations—perhaps someone else does.
>
>
>
> From: linux-cluster-bounces at redhat.com
> [mailto:linux-cluster-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of Doug Bunger
> Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 12:39 PM
> To: linux clustering
>
> Subject: RE: [Linux-cluster] Hardware recommendation
>
>
>
> If you remission in house systems or (gag) get used systems, than CPU
> ***IS*** important.  You need to make sure you are running x86_64 with CPU
> virtualization technology (VT) extensions.  You'll need x86_64 to get past
> the i386 Xen 32meg memory limit, and you'll need VT to provide an update
> path to RHEL6, vSphere, or even Micro$oft Hyper-V.
>
> Many of my customers are running older equipment and are not wanting to
> upgrade.  We are finding that in an HP shop, anything older than DL380 G5
> won't cut it.  On the Dell side it seems the 1950 is the break point.
>
> --- On Fri, 7/24/09, Jeff Sturm <jeff.sturm at eprize.com> wrote:
>
> From: Jeff Sturm <jeff.sturm at eprize.com>
> Subject: RE: [Linux-cluster] Hardware recommendation
> To: "linux clustering" <linux-cluster at redhat.com>
> Date: Friday, July 24, 2009, 6:21 PM
>
> Don't go small.  If you're running 30-60 virtual machines you'll likely
> need systems with at least 8 cores at 32GB of RAM, or more depending on
> the needs of your virtual hosts.  There's really no way to guess at how
> much RAM you'll need without understanding the needs of your virtual
> hosts, however.
>
> Dell PowerEdge hardware should work well for this.  We have some old
> 6950 systems we are now using for Xen.  These appear to have been
> replaced by the R905 series, according to Dell's web site.
>
> CPU isn't important.  All modern Intel (Core) and AMD processors work
> well with Xen.  To save money I tend to opt for more cores at slower
> speeds rather than buy the fastest speed processors available.
>
> What are you using for storage?  If you want node failover you'll likely
> want some sort of SAN for central storage.
>
> I also recommend at least two network switches for redundancy, else
> you'll regret it the first time you need to reboot a switch without
> bringing down your cluster.
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: linux-cluster-bounces at redhat.com
> [mailto:linux-cluster-bounces at redhat.com]
>> On Behalf Of Paras pradhan
>> Sent: Friday, July 24, 2009 6:55 PM
>> To: linux clustering
>> Subject: [Linux-cluster] Hardware recommendation
>>
>> hi,
>>
>> I will be creating a cluster using red hat EL 5.3 consisting of 3
>> nodes which will run Xen virtual machines. The first two nodes will
>> host around 30 virtual machines ( all paravirt Linux and some Solaris
>> if possible) . The third node will be basically a fail over node and
>> will host virtual machines if there is a problem at node 1 or node 2.
>> I do not know if this is the right way to ask but I need
>> recommendation on which CPU to choose (i7, phenom, quad core or dual
>> core) and how much RAM do I need on node 1 and node 2 and on also node
>> 3. And also which server hardware is recommended for my purpose. My
>> test cluster is based on Dell Poweredge 1800 machines with DRAC 4
>> (which I am using for fencing) and looks like DELL Poweregde server
>> can be a good candidate.
>>
>> Any help is highly appreciated.
>> Thanks
>> Paras.
>>
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>
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Guys ! thanks. R905 is a good candidate.

Paras.