Dell Poweredge 2900III

[vikdabrat]

Hi, I am looking to get a Dell poweredge 2900III Quad Core CPU server. My question are broken into 2 categories

Hardware Questions

1. I am looking to buy another CPU and install it in the system. Does the CPU have to be purchased from the manufacturer or can I buy it retail at a cheaper price and install it myself

2. Will I require additional cooling if I install a new CPU or will the system come with adequate cooling for a second CPU

3. Is possible to upgrade the RAM and the hard disk drives which are purchased separately (due to cost) or do they have to be purchased from the manufacturer. I know there are some issues with Dell servers and the RAM they use and not all third-party RAM works? Is this true? What kind of RAM do I need to buy for this particular system

4. Would like to add additional HDD. If the current drive in the server says SATA HDD does this mean any I can purchase any SATA HDD thirdparty and install it in the system. I mean is there anything as a specific server drive or any SATA drive would do?

5. How can I tell if the HDD in the Server is a Hot swap drive or not.

6. Cooling question related to HDD. Do I need to install anything else in order to cool this server or will it come with adequate cooling to install the HDD


Software Questions

1. I would like to run multiple OSes on this server. Hence I intend to virtualize. I have absolutely no experience with any Virtualization hence would like to know which direction I should take. I have been reading a bit on VMware. I would not want to install VMware server or WS because I need a OS to install either. I think ESXi server would be ideal since its free. Any comments or suggestions

2. Does the Dell Poweredge 2900III support Virtualization? How can I tell if it does or does not?

3. Once I get the machine what would I have to do in order to make it compatible for Virtualization (Bios settings or anything in particular)



Thanks for your help.

 

[vikdabrat]

bump.

 

[Agamar]

HW:
1. You should by the assembly from Dell. It contains the correct heatsink/fan combination for that case.
2. The case will already have all the cooling fans installed
3. You can upgrade the ram no problem. For the hard drives, you will need to make sure you have the disk caddies to mount them in. The server will come with blanks installed default.
4. If you get a SATA server (I wouldn't it gets IO bound. I would go with SAS), you can use any SATA drive. I would suggest WD RAPTORS for the best speed.
5. When you buy the server you can specify the backplane type (hot-swap or not). I believe that all current chassis support HS
6. Again, all cooling is already installed

SW:
1. Last time I heard VMWare ESX would not run on a SATA raid. You will need to get SAS. (Check on this).
2. Yes.
3. You may have to enable virtualization in the bios. If so, it is a simple process to find it and turn it on.

 

[DrGreen2007]

ESX will look for a compatable SCSI card to use.
SATA cards show as SCSI devices, so many SATA/SAS cards will work with ESX.

Dell SAS5/ir and PERC cards work with ESX

 

[MrControversial]

IIRC, ESX Server is free but in order to manage multiple VMs you need the full suite of tools in Virtual Infrastructure.

And I'd stick with whatever Dell installs because the slightest incompatibility might cause problems.