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> A single ATX desktop can do almost [1] everything a homelab at a fraction of the cost & power consuption. So this is true, but the iDRAC/iLO on my big, loud

> A single ATX desktop can do almost [1] everything a homelab at a fraction of the cost & power consuption. So this is true, but the iDRAC/iLO on my big, loud server has a virtual KVM feature that lets me lazily sit at my desk and click buttons and install my server operating system of choice. It saves a lot of space and effort compared to flashing a USB, going and plugging in a keyboard, (mouse), and monitor, and going through the whole deal. I'd wager that's one of the big things that would compel me to buy a rack server. I recently built a nice ATX desktop, fitted with a 5950X and everything, and I found that the PiKVM project [0] does a pretty good job at replacing that "integral" part of the server for me (you can also look into an ASRock Rack PAUL [1], but good luck finding one for sale right now. > What makes even less sense is wanting use to use software like vSphere or ESXi since its about 10x more complicated than just using virt-manager/QEMU A lot of people (not me, I end up using libvirt/QEMU as it suits my needs) buy homelabs to work towards having hands-on experience for their system administration job, which uses ESXi/vSphere. It might also be for working on getting certifications from VMware, in which case they really don't have any choice but to use ESXi on their servers. > Server hardware & software makes sense when it's not your home because then you do need a remote access tool like iDRACK Now, I addressed this earlier (laziness), but these BMC things are very useful—you can monitor the health of various components of your server, and I believe even update the BIOS without stepping out of your chair. It makes administering a homelab much easier, and even the Pi-KVM, a DIY option, I'm pretty sure, doesn't have monitoring features. Plus, those DIY solutions require wiring stuff into your ATX motherboard, which can get janky and might put off people who want a turnkey solution. [0] https://pi-kvm.org/ https://pi-kvm.org/ [1] https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=PAUL#Specifications https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=P...

PragmaticPulp 5y ago
> So this is true, but the iDRAC/iLO on my big, loud server has a virtual KVM feature This is available on AMD Ryzen motherboards, too. Just get one of ASRock's motherboards with the BMC controller built-in: https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=X470D4U#Specifications https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=X... No need to mess with PiKVM or add-in cards. It's a server board with KVM management that works out of the box with Ryzen processors. It might need a BIOS update to support your 5950X, but it will work.
- kaladin-jasnah 5y ago
  Yeah, I know about those ASRock boards, but they're more expensive than the rudimentary Pi-KVM solution I have right now (a 35 dollar Pi and a 12 dollar HDMI capture dongle; I would use wake-on-lan for powering the board on… if my MSI board's WoL worked). Also, not the one you linked, but the newer B550 ASRock Rack boards are impossible to find for sale—the only place I could find the B550 boards were on wisp.net.au, and I don't live in Australia or New Zealand so it wouldn't be cost effective. Perhaps I should've opted for an X470 board, but it was "older" so I was put off.
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KingMachiavelli 5y ago
Yea that's true. ESXi/vSphere can be very relavent although I found that it was easy enough to learn on the job. The real complicated stuff of vSphere probably isn't going to come up in a homelab but if experience is necessary to get the job then it's worth it. pi-kvm looks very nice. I would really like to not have to use iDRACK or pay the license fee. Normal ATX motherboards do lack a lot of features. I'm not sure why none of the normal mobos don't just use LVFS [1] to update the BIOS but luckily they can read the update file directly off the vfat EFI partition so pi-kvm would solve that. I think every modern ATX motherboard also supports UEFI network boot so you could setup a simple DHCP+iPXE server for onboarding machines. [1] https://fwupd.org/ https://fwupd.org/

PragmaticPulp 5y ago

> So this is true, but the iDRAC/iLO on my big, loud server has a virtual KVM feature This is available on AMD Ryzen motherboards, too. Just get one of ASRock's motherboards with the BMC controller built-in: https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=X470D4U#Specifications https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=X... No need to mess with PiKVM or add-in cards. It's a server board with KVM management that works out of the box with Ryzen processors. It might need a BIOS update to support your 5950X, but it will work.

kaladin-jasnah 5y ago
Yeah, I know about those ASRock boards, but they're more expensive than the rudimentary Pi-KVM solution I have right now (a 35 dollar Pi and a 12 dollar HDMI capture dongle; I would use wake-on-lan for powering the board on… if my MSI board's WoL worked). Also, not the one you linked, but the newer B550 ASRock Rack boards are impossible to find for sale—the only place I could find the B550 boards were on wisp.net.au, and I don't live in Australia or New Zealand so it wouldn't be cost effective. Perhaps I should've opted for an X470 board, but it was "older" so I was put off.
- deleted 5y ago
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KingMachiavelli 5y ago

Yea that's true. ESXi/vSphere can be very relavent although I found that it was easy enough to learn on the job. The real complicated stuff of vSphere probably isn't going to come up in a homelab but if experience is necessary to get the job then it's worth it. pi-kvm looks very nice. I would really like to not have to use iDRACK or pay the license fee. Normal ATX motherboards do lack a lot of features. I'm not sure why none of the normal mobos don't just use LVFS [1] to update the BIOS but luckily they can read the update file directly off the vfat EFI partition so pi-kvm would solve that. I think every modern ATX motherboard also supports UEFI network boot so you could setup a simple DHCP+iPXE server for onboarding machines. [1] https://fwupd.org/ https://fwupd.org/