Posts for: #virtualization

ESXi Compatibility on Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Tiny

Source: WilliamLam.com

Earlier this year, William Lam from WilliamLam.com discovered the Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Tiny, a compact system with a lot of potential. Lam, a tech journalist and blogger, was intrigued by the system and was particularly interested in its suitability for VMware deployments, especially with the recent announcement of VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator (VECO) and Project Keswick.

The Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Tiny offers a range of Intel CPU options, including Core i9, i7, and i5. This is notable because it’s uncommon to find an Intel Core i9 in such a small form factor system. The system also supports DDR5 4800 SO-DIMM memory, although it does not support the new non-binary DDR5 48GB memory modules. The P3 Tiny has a compact form factor, measuring 179 x 182.9 x 37mm, making it smaller than a Supermicro E200-8D but slightly larger than an Intel NUC.

In terms of networking, the P3 Tiny comes with a single Intel I219-LM (2.5GbE) Ethernet port. However, Lenovo offers optional Ethernet-based add-ons that can provide additional networking capabilities. The system also has a Thunderbolt 4 port, which can be used to add faster networking options.

For storage, the P3 Tiny supports up to 2 x M.2 PCIe x4 Gen 4 (2280) drives. These drives are easily accessible by removing a single screw from the back of the system. It’s also possible to add additional storage using the low-profile expansion slot and the Thunderbolt 4 port.

Another notable feature of the P3 Tiny is its graphics capabilities. The system comes with built-in Intel integrated graphics (iGPU), but it also has a low-profile expansion slot that can accommodate an additional NVIDIA discrete GPU (dGPU).

Lam confirmed that the latest release of ESXi 8.0 Update 1 and ESXi 8.0 Update 2 can be installed on the P3 Tiny without any issues. He also provided instructions for disabling E-cores within the BIOS to prevent ESXi from encountering errors related to non-uniform Intel CPU cores.

Overall, the Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Tiny is a powerful and compact system that is an interesting option for servers and home labs. Its small form factor, networking capabilities, storage options, and graphics capabilities make it a versatile choice for various use cases, including edge deployments and virtualization projects.

Source: WilliamLam.com.

Run NixOS using Vagrant

Run NixOS using Vagrant
In this tutorial, we’ll create a NixOS virtual machine using Vagrant. This setup can be helpful to set up an environment for learning NixOS. NixOS is a Linux distribution declaratively configured using a specification written in the Nix expression language describing the system’s desired state. It supports automatic upgrades and rollbacks. If something goes wrong, just revert to the working state. NixOS runs on common computers and architectures and can be used both on laptops or workstations with a desktop environment or on servers, both x86_64 and ARM64, like on the Raspberry Pi 4.
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Install vagrant-libvirt on macOS

Install vagrant-libvirt on macOS
In this tutorial we’ll install vagrant-libvirt on a Mac running macOS (tested on High Sierra and Mojave). vagrant-libvirt is a plugin for Vagrant that allows you to interact with libvirt virtualization hosts, local or remote. Vagrant can be used to build and manage virtual machines and is useful for development. Vagrant runs most platforms, including the MacBook Air and Raspberry Pi. Libvirt is a “toolkit to manage virtualization platforms” and supports a variety of virtualization backends, including, but not limited to, KVM, QEMU, Xen, VMWare, and LXC.
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Run macOS Mojave using Vagrant

Run macOS Mojave using Vagrant
This tutorial will guide you through the process of running macOS Mojave in a VM using Vagrant. I’ve mainly used this for the development and testing of Ansible playbooks targeted at configuring headless app builders for iOS devices and Macs. Please note that this only applies to Intel-based Macs. Apple Silicon-based Macs have not been tested. This tutorial assumes you have a working installation of macOS Mojave or later running on a Mac and that you have VirtualBox and the VirtualBox Extension Pack installed.
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Customize Proxmox VE 6.0

Customize Proxmox VE 6.0
This post is a collection of articles and tutorials on customizing the look and feel of Proxmox VE 6.0. It will be added to in the coming weeks and months as I find other areas of possible customization. Start with the first article, and proceed to whichever customization you want. I use most of these on my three-node Intel NUC Proxmox VE cluster. Make Customizations to Proxmox VE 6.0 Persistent Use Free, No-Subscription Repositories on Proxmox VE 6.
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Run Proxmox VE 6.0 using Vagrant

This tutorial will show how to run Proxmox VE 6.0 using Vagrant. Vagrant is a tool for building and managing virtual machine environments and is especially useful for development and testing. Vagrant runs on everything from the Raspberry Pi to gaming laptops and the MacBook Air. We’ll also use Packer to build the Proxmox VE 6.0 Vagrant box. This tutorial assumes you have a working installation of macOS or Ubuntu running on a client computer and that you have VirtualBox or libvirt installed.
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