Re: [Xen-users] Home Xen hypervisor for master's project

[Joseph Commisso <commissoje@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 7:21 PM, Todd Deshane <todd.deshane@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 8:02 PM, Joseph Commisso <commissoje@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Could somebody please help me with a few hardware questions?
>>
>> I am building a home Xen server to implement a Xen Cloud for my
>> master's project comparing SOA.
>> I will probably use Linux guest OSs, but I may want to use a Windows
>> guest for home PC use.
>>
>
> Can you go into more detail about what features you plan to implement?

Well, I really do not know too much about Cloud computing, grids
(Globus), or parallel programming, all of which I would like to touch
upon or possibly go into more depth.
I was thinking of implementing a grid on the cloud, but then I saw
documentation referring to a cloud on a grid, so when I get there, I
will work that one out.
My instructor said to compare what I do against SOA, which will give
me something to work on there as well.

I am fairly proficient with Linux administration with some abilities
on other areas, like networking, hardware and some minor software
programming.
So, I do not know what I will need to implement at this point. I hope
to learn as I go and see if I can come up with something useful.
I want to build this virtual server at home, since the machines that I
have access to at school are slow and also because school is 50 miles
away and I have no other classes to attend, so working at home on this
seems like the way to do it.
>
> Also, what type of interfaces do you expect to provide to users? How
> will they connect? etc.

What I know how to do is use xdmcp for remote sessions.
If I do set up a grid or cluster, then there may be some interface
which that uses.
Again, I hope to be able to find out when I get there.
I plan on choosing a motherboard/CPU and then building the rest of the
machine around those.
I have a coworker who suggested the AMD line and said that due to the
way the CPU connects to the bus and the rest of the motherboard, that
three cores is optimal.
I did not get a chance to talk to him about a hypervisor machine and
whether that also applied to the three cores.

>
>> I have been trying to make a decision on the CPU and motherboard to
>> purchase and really could use some help.
>>
>> I have read the wiki post at:
>> http://wiki.xen.org/xenwiki/VTdHowTo?highlight=(vtd)
>>
>> 1) For my purposes, is IOMMU important?
>> If so, then also, for my purposes, it looks like the ASUS Crosshair IV
>> Formula may be a good choice.
>>
>> ** I would appreciate any input, as to the Crosshair or other, like the 
>> M4A89TD.
>>
>> Now for the CPU and I have really not been able to determine how many
>> cores is optimal for this server.
>> I have a knowledgeable coworker who says that three cores is optimal
>> and I have not been able to find information to support that or
>> dispute it.
>>
>> 2) The Phenom II series seems to be attractive, so I have been
>> concentrating on those, but can someone also help me with the X3, X4,
>> or X6 decision?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Joe
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Xen-users mailing list
>> Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
>>
>

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