VMWare Server Host OS

I've just bought a Dell Poweredge 840 with a SAS 5/IR controller to use with vmware server for testing purposes.

What would be the best host OS to use?

The setup cd can set it up for red hat, suse and windows 2000/2003.

I initially thought that XP Pro would be ok and a lighter install than server 2003 but there doesn't appear to be a driver available for the disk controller for XP anyway.

However while typing this it appears that XP Pro can use the 2000 server driver I had previously tried the 2003 one and it didn't load.

Ben

You'll get more bang for your buck with a Linux host OS. Personally I'd use Ubuntu 6.06 LTS.

Well the XP Pro install didn't work, it formatted the drive then requested I inserted the disk for the controller and wouldn't read it from the usb floppy.

Just trying to see if 6.06 LTS supports the SAS 5/ir controller.

Ben

I have an PE860 using that controller under 6.06LTS without any faffing about.

lspci detects it as

Code:

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02:08.0 SCSI storage controller: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic SAS1068 PCI-X Fusion-MPT SAS (rev 01)

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Cool thanks pete.

Ben

As with most dell kit, the SAS 5/ir is actually a rebranded LSI Logic SAS 3000 Series Controller. I believe the Linux Fusions MPT SAS driver supports this hardware.

I tried 6.06 LTS on my PE840 and it just stuck after one of the steps to do with partitioning even though it appeared to have detected the controller and the array.

However 7.04 Feisty does install fine on it.

Just one question though as it's main purpose is going to be a vmware server should I set it up as a lamp server or not select the lamp install?

Ben

You don't need the LAMP option, that's just additional Apache and MySQL servies to be running which will be unnecessary.

I'd go for rathed over ubunt just because its easier to install vmware server, as there are no debs for ubuntu afaik

Quote:

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I'd go for rathed over ubunt just because its easier to install vmware server, as there are no debs for ubuntu afaik

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It's in the commercial feisty repository:

deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu feisty-commercial main

It is indeed and that's where I'm going to install it from :)

Ben

Scrap that last thought.

I tried it using the debs in the repository but wasn't very successful so I went back to following the guide from:

http://www.howtoforge.com/ubuntu_fei...e_server_howto

What I did however was ignore first 2 instructions and subsitituted them with:

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-`uname -r` --fix-missing

and

sudo apt-get install build-essential

Then followed the rest of the guide for a working ubuntu vmware server install :)

Ben