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Home Lab – SuperMicro Home Lab Components

Posted on June 29, 2022July 12, 2022 by Matt Adam

This components list is for the 2022 version of the Lab. I basically doubled everything on the server side, so I could have 2 servers instead of 1.

Component List for Servers

I pretty much followed this guide, except for a few small changes since some of the parts were discontinued or changed model number.

QuantityNameDetails
2SAMSUNG 870 EVO Series 2.5″ 2TB SATA III V-NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-77E2T0B/AM2TB SSD, in hind sight, I should have bought an 8TB. I’ll have to install a new one later..
2Supermicro SSD-DM032-SMCMVN1 32GB SATA DOMSATADOM installs right on the motherboard, and you will install the esxi image onto this drive. 32GB is plenty.
2SUPERMICRO MBD-M11SDV-8C+-LN4F-O Mini ITX Server Motherboard8 cores, and its pretty beefy, and you can overclock it. I have quite a bit running and i’m only around 60-70% utilization. And up to 512gb of memory should be plenty. Also this model comes with an active fan on the cpu!
MBD-M11SDV-8C+-LN4F-O – Active CPU Fan
MBD-M11SDV-8C+-LN4F – CPU Heatsink
4Noctua NF-A6x25 PWM, Premium Quiet Fan, 4-Pin (60mm, Brown)Honestly these don’t fit great, it is a snug fit. I would probably have went with just 1, or maybe a single larger fan. But they sure are quiet!
2Supermicro CSE-721TQ-350B 350W Mini-Tower ChassisThe tower
1256GB 4x64GB DDR4-2666 PC4-21300 2Rx4 RDIMM ECC Registered Memory by NEMIX RAMI bought 256gb of memory. This is enough for 128gb for each server. It should be plenty, and it leaves room for expansion later.
1128GB 2x64GB DDR4-2666 PC4-21300 2Rx4 RDIMM ECC Registered Memory by NEMIX RAMI actually expanded by adding an additional 64GB per supermicro. This is not required, but if you run everything I’m running, you’ll be hovering right around 100-110 GB of consumed memory per server. Too close for my comfort.
Multiple– Ethernet cables
– SATA Cables
– Monitor/keyboard for configuring and installing esxi on the supermicro
– Surge protector or battery pack
You’ll obviously need some extra components that you might already have laying around..

Optional Component For Rack Enclosure

QuantityNameDetails
1NavePoint 9U Wall-Mount Network Cabinet Enclosure, 600mm Depth, Hinged Back, Swing Gate Server Cabinet, Locks, Pre-Assembled, Reversible Glass Front Door, 1 x L Brackets, 2 Fans, Cable Management9U was plenty big for my setup, again it would theoretically give you enough for a switch, power strip, 2 SuperMicro Mini Towers and at least another 1 or 2 U for something else.
1NETGEAR 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (JGS524) – Desktop or Rackmount, and Limited Lifetime Protection24 ports is quite a bit if this is all you have in your lab, but It would be good for future expansion
1AC Infinity MULTIFAN S7, Quiet Dual 120mm USB Fan, UL-Certified for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Computer Cabinet CoolingNot required, the rack comes with 2 fans. I found them to be pretty loud so I bought these fans, and they’re MUCH quieter.
1AC Infinity Turbo Fan Power Adapter, for MULTIFAN Series USB FansAdapter for the fans
1StarTech.com 8 Outlet Horizontal 1U Rack Mount PDU Power Strip for Network Server Racks – Surge Protection – 120V/15A – with 6 Ft Power Cord (RKPW081915), Black8 Outlets for power in the rack
1Amazon Basics RJ45 Cat-6 Ethernet Patch Internet Cable – 5 Feet (1.5 Meters), 10-PackEthernet cables

The Build

I built this a month or so ago so I’ll have to go back and get some pictures of the internal components, for now, follow the guide here: https://jorgedelacruz.uk/2020/10/05/supermicro-analysis-of-the-best-home-lab-server-2020-supermicro-m11sdv-8c-ln4f/ 

I don’t have exact steps for the build, but if you’ve built a computer before, its basically the same thing. Ram goes in the ram slots, sata cables to your ssd.. All pretty easy.

2 thoughts on “Home Lab – SuperMicro Home Lab Components”

  1. Jorge de la Cruz says:
    June 29, 2022 at 10:18 pm

    Awesome setup, mate! Appreciated you took the time to put all the new components, and also links to the blog!

    I have updated my kit, exactly same hardware, same rack, same everything, but moved to a 1U rackmount to use better space, and of course far from my desk as the heat temp on 1U is a bit tricker: https://jorgedelacruz.uk/2022/02/23/supermicro-my-preference-homelab-choice-for-2022-supermicro-a-server-5019d-ftn4/

    But AMD ftw! speed/temperature does not have match, yet.

    Reply
    1. Matt Adam says:
      June 29, 2022 at 10:39 pm

      I love this setup! A single server powered so much for me, now I need to add NSX-T and a few other components, and thus need more juice 🙂

      I appreciate your original blog, it set me down the AMD path!

      Reply

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About

My name is Matt Adam and I’m a Product Line Manager at VMware.

I support the NSX Advanced Load Balancer (Avi Networks) with a focus on containers and Kubernetes. I have a background in load balancing, automation, development, and public cloud.

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