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  1. #1
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    Hosting service

    If I were to rent space in a datacenter and have say a dell 2950 running ESX and rent out vms to people what costs should I be aware of?

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    Quote Originally Posted by oofki
    If I were to rent space in a datacenter and have say a dell 2950 running ESX and rent out vms to people what costs should I be aware of?
    Well... a few things...

    Space -- The 2950 is a 2u, so you need to know what 2u of space is going to cost you... and more importantly can you rent per U in the datacenter... Some of the bigger ones require you rent a rack, 1/2 rack or 1/4 rack.

    2950 -- Is your box truly beefy enough to handly ESX rented out to multiple users? The box is definitely going to be a significant upfront cost if you want it to really handle ESX

    ESX -- Have you accounted for the licensing costs?? ESX is rather expensive... Have you considered the version of ESX (certain versions are SCSI Drives only, others support SCSI or SATA).

    Bandwidth -- Do you get unmetered bandwidth? What is the cost for bandwidth... Will your "renters" be using high bandwidth applications? Will it be SSH / RDP Only (depending on the OS)... will they have FTP, HTTP, Mail, etc...

    Connection Type -- Do you have multiple interfaces on the 2950, does each interface get it's own IP (a separate issue.. do you have to pay for additonal IPs for your additional interfaces)... What speed is the connection into the box?

    Non Cost Related Issues

    What will you rent the VMs out for? Can you justify your costs? Windows has obvious licensing costs... Linux is free, but will a user want to pay you for Linux on ESX (to the extent that it will cover your cost with all the virtual hosting providers out there selling the service for cheap)... (Btw.. if you were inspired by the concept of "virtual hosting" these providers don't generally use ESX)

    Have you considered liability to yourself... the cost associated with the liability... Have you considered if your ESX server is 'hacked' and the host becomes publicly available. Have you considered whether you'll give direct access to the box (SSH/RDP) or if you'll give console access via Virtual Infrastructure Client

    I recently deployed an ESX server for multi-user R&D and it's kinda finicky at times... ESX has been designed so that it will work independently but if you really want to use it you also need Virtual Center, which will up your cost again...

  3. #3
    Just a Virtualized Geek MrLinus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HTRegz
    I recently deployed an ESX server for multi-user R&D and it's kinda finicky at times... ESX has been designed so that it will work independently but if you really want to use it you also need Virtual Center, which will up your cost again...
    The only benefit for VC is for things like templates, HA, DRS, Vmotion (distributive services). Everything else can be done with a sole ESX box.

    oofki, if you are determined to use ESX, you may also want to look at the 3i version (hardware/flash drive version). Not sure if they've started shipping yet but all the major manufacturers should be offering something soon. I believe Dell's will be called Veso.
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    Right turn Clyde Nokia's Avatar
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    Don't forget the power fee to - can be more than the rack space and bandwidth combined....

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    Senior Member Cemetric's Avatar
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    The only benefit for VC is for things like templates, HA, DRS, Vmotion (distributive services). Everything else can be done with a sole ESX box.
    I wouldn't dismiss it yet though, if you're gonna host a bunch of vms, I think the VC would benefit you in the long run.

    Also, what SLA's would you offer your users, what about backup, you'll need a license for backup software (unless you make something yourself with scripts and stuff) , or pay the Datacenter a fee so they'll take care of the backups/disaster recovery ... Legal fees, if you loose important data of the client, insurance ... Maybe this is all far fledged, but it could be important
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    Just a Virtualized Geek MrLinus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cemetric
    I wouldn't dismiss it yet though, if you're gonna host a bunch of vms, I think the VC would benefit you in the long run.

    Also, what SLA's would you offer your users, what about backup, you'll need a license for backup software (unless you make something yourself with scripts and stuff) , or pay the Datacenter a fee so they'll take care of the backups/disaster recovery ... Legal fees, if you loose important data of the client, insurance ... Maybe this is all far fledged, but it could be important
    Only if you have multiple ESX servers. Otherwise, creating a base image and doing a poor man's copy would be a more viable option. You can then sysprep or modify as needed afterwards.
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  7. #7
    Senior Member Cemetric's Avatar
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    Only if you have multiple ESX servers. Otherwise, creating a base image and doing a poor man's copy would be a more viable option. You can then sysprep or modify as needed afterwards.
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    Of course, but then if costs are the issue, VMware isn't the best choice anyway

    These days, you can do some good deals with the starter kits, especially when you're a Small Business
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  8. #8
    Just a Virtualized Geek MrLinus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cemetric
    Of course, but then if costs are the issue, VMware isn't the best choice anyway

    These days, you can do some good deals with the starter kits, especially when you're a Small Business
    Agreed. Certainly there are some other options and it's worthwhile looking into what works best for an environment rather than spending lots when you'll only use a small percentage of things.
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  9. #9
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    All interesting points, I just needed help seeing the big picture. Thanks a lot guys!

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