Well, I've been very excited to get my lab setup (or at least beginning setting it up)(I don't rush, things get screwed up that way) but nothing is going right...

Here's my complications: 

I have the new (used) boxx servers with this configuration:
CPU: 2 x Dual Core Xeon 3.04 ghz
Memory: 2 Machines have 4 gigs - 2 Machines have 8 gigs
Hardrives: 2 X 72 Gigs (RAID 5)
Minor notes: Dual gigabit adpaters, no remote management, cd-rom, ect...

Well, after the advice I received here. I decided to go with ESXi on two of the machines, but guess what?... Not Compatible. Go figure. 

Here's my current setup:


WHAT THE HELL DO I DO NOW?

Problem 1:
I know one box will be Ubuntu 10.10 as my primary OS, however how should I configure the other boxes? I'm a little lost on where to go now, because I'm signing up the elearnsecurity cert classes as soon I get my network configured, hopefully sooner than later.

Problem 2:
Another problem.   I planned on my DD-WRT Linksys router to provide a wireless  internet connection bridged with my homes wireless, however it's not even close to working and I've deployed 20+ of these and this one is an anomaly. Can anyone suggest a more reliable wireless interface that can provide bridged access to my router?

Problem 3:
Another issue is space.  I was lucky enough to have a supportive wife to build a 640 sqft man cave.  So, I've allocated a section of the room for the equipment that won't kill the room's purpose.  Next to the MAME cabinet is where the desk and hopefully all the equipment will reside. I don't want it to look cluttered (that space is alot bigger than the picture 7ft from wall to MAME cabinet).



So, does anyone have any techniques they've used to consolidate space for equipment?

PLEASE HELP. I'm ready to start elearning and backtrack courses.

BillV

Thanks for pointing this out, you're right... If I remember correctly RAID 5 needs 3 of more disk.  That's what was posted on the ebay spec sheet, but I just rebuilt it before the Linux install for Raid 0 is didn't need mirroring.

Thanks for your help, I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Note:  if I had a 7ft space like that, I'd personally build and stain a nice wooden cabinet, buy some rails, and setup a rack in it.  You could put a nice door on the front, and dress it out, nicely.  (Or buy a steel cabinet, with rack / rails, already, then just put a nice wood panel in front of it, or something.)

I know you don't want to delay setup, for now, but if I had even a semi-nice 'man cave,' with anywhere near that much available space, it's what I'd do, to keep it looking 'clean.'

<grin> Ok, I missed that one.  :-p. But I'm envious of his MAME cabinet, too.

The DD-WRT isn't acting as a repeater. It does work as a regular router though, but my main goal is to be wireless down there. I have a website that gets 700K+ hits a month, several android apps and a Roku channel that I would like to move my development down there as well, since they require a bit of dev time.

Skeletek. I just searched for and I only round the racks for cisco routers, which most cisco conform to 1U and 2U standards.  Before I purchase one, do you have 1U / 2U Mounted on this rack.  Here's the one I'm looking at:
http://www.dantraknet.com/item/120

Which version of esx are you using?  If it's 4 or later, you may want to try 3.5 as it's a little less picky over hardware.

the one I have

Only things I've put in mine are 1U routers and switches, and 4u shelves (think they were 4u). However re-looking at your hardware, Do they have rails or just ear tabs to mount them with. If they have rails you'll need the 4 post ones.

yeah. Has just 2 tabs that connect at the front of the routers and switches, and takes multiple screws to hold them in. Can get away with 2, but 4 work better.

 Mine look sort of like this, but not quite