I'm a newly hired system administrator at a small company with about 50 employees. Currently, we have three Lenovo mini PCs, all of which are pretty old (around 10 years). We have two domain controllers and an AD sync server. A business unit has requested another server to host an application that would help us avoid purchasing costly licenses, plus save on operational expenses.
To tackle this, I suggested to my boss that we set up a virtualization cluster instead of stacking more mini PCs onto our UPS. We're considering using SuperMicro servers equipped with an AMD Epyc 9015, 64GB of RAM, and various network interfaces, including Ethernet links and SSDs. I still need to convince my boss about these specs compared to less powerful options.
We currently run a Unifi network, and I'm thinking about suggesting a couple of core switches for our network configuration, given that we may need to connect our hosts through existing open ports. For storage, I'm exploring using Storage Spaces Direct but have noted some concerns regarding its reliability, plus I've come across recommendations for StarWind VSAN as an alternative.
I'm contemplating how to manage domain controllers since Microsoft Docs advise against running them as VMs on the cluster. My thought was to install the Hyper-V role on our new servers but I'm unsettled because StarWind advises against running additional software on servers running VSAN. I'm also curious about the ideal network configuration for this setup, and I'd appreciate any insights or advice on potential pitfalls to watch out for. Overall, I'm looking for tips from anyone with experience setting up a virtual cluster, especially regarding the best practices to avoid any major issues.
3 Answers
One thing you didn't mention is how many nodes you plan for your cluster. If you're budget-focused, you might be thinking about two. I've built a few small clusters, and I'm a fan of Storage Spaces Direct. Yes, there’s a learning curve, but it's reliable. You can definitely set up a single M.2 drive for your OS and some additional U.3 drives for your cluster shared volumes. A typical layout would be to have separate networks for data and management, ideally with redundancy, using at least four NICs per server for security and performance.
From what I gather about your setup, a cluster might be overkill for just 50 users. You might consider migrating away from Active Directory and looking into something like Entra ID instead. If you decide to stick with a local server, I’d recommend a solid option like an HPE ML350 or similar, configuring it for both the Domain Controller tasks and any application needs. You can build a couple of VMs on it without needing a full cluster setup.
First up, you definitely want to avoid putting any roles on your Hyper-V host, especially the Active Directory ones. It’s a big mistake to mix those. Instead, just virtualize your domain controllers; that approach works fine these days. Earlier versions had issues, but now it's pretty solid. Just make sure you keep your hosts clean of additional roles.
Migrating to Entra isn't just a straightforward switch from domain controllers; they serve different purposes. Make sure to look into the complexities before diving in.