Re: Back to the BBS
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Dmxrob on Sun Feb 10 2019 11:08 pm
I'm getting back into consulting, thought that the cloud might be a cheaper way to set up a lab, given that I've gotten rid of most of my old iron...
:(
The cloud is fine for a few things, but for learning and homelab use I find its terribly expensive. AFter all, its just a modern version of a timeshare system if you look at it.
I found that I was running a bill of $300+ up per month, and to the point I was scared of running anything 24x7 because of the cost.
Picked up a Dell r710 with 2TB, 24 processors, 64GB of RAM off ebay. Slapped ESXi on it, bought a Cisco switch and a few other odds ad ends, now for less than $500 I have a homelab back in operation that I can run all the VMs I want, anytime I want. I have close to 12 running now with plenty power to run at least 12 more. The electric cost to run this will be about $20 per month, far cheaper than $300+.
For learning, I've always said a homelab was crucial. I had one for years then fell into the cloud trap. Big mistake on my part.
Again, not saying the cloud isn't worth knowing and using, but for homelab hardware is where it is at in my opinion.
Rob
dmxrob þ BBSing from St. Louis, Missouri since 1988
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