Unraid as webhosting hypervisor for multiple VPS

[bilderberger]

I'm interested in using Unraid to parcel up a colocated dedicated server into multiple VPS running Ubuntu, to use as webhosting servers.

 

I've worked with ESXi to do this but I have grown to hate VMWare and I'd like to see if it can be done with Unraid.

 

Any tips on getting Unraid installed and working on a remote server?

 

Presumably I should be looking at Ubuntu docker?

 

 

[JonathanM]

25 minutes ago, bilderberger said:

Any tips on getting Unraid installed and working on a remote server?

That is a fairly complex task, as Unraid requires a physical USB drive to start the boot process, store persistent settings, and validate your license. Do you have full IPMI or similar access, and can you physically lay hands on the machine if needed?

[omgunraid]

Quote

Unraid requires a physical USB drive to start the boot process, store persistent settings, and validate your license

I recently downloaded and installed PiKVM to a Raspberry PI to gain this functionality and I strongly recommend this to anyone who needs to manage their Unraid and/or other servers remotely.  You can fully manage the server out of band (access bios & everything else even while rebooting.)  For USB drive and other functionality, you can upload an image of an ISO or USB drive and attach it to the target machine as a USB or CDROM drive. 

 

Another alternative to PiKVM is Tinypilot, and as of this post I believe it offers all of the same functionality.  Either one would accomplish the tasks required when remotely managing this or another server.  I am not affiliated with PiKVM or Tinypilot; I just started using PiKVM and I'm really impressed with the functionality, so I wanted to share this information.  I wish I would have known about this years ago so I wouldn't have to go downstairs to physically monitor my server while rebooting and handling tasks that require non-OS management!

[JonathanM]

21 minutes ago, Brooks Reese said:

I recently downloaded and installed PiKVM to a Raspberry PI to gain this functionality and I strongly recommend this to anyone who needs to manage their Unraid and/or other servers remotely.  You can fully manage the server out of band (access bios & everything else even while rebooting.)  For USB drive and other functionality, you can upload an image of an ISO or USB drive and attach it to the target machine as a USB or CDROM drive. 

 

Another alternative to PiKVM is Tinypilot, and as of this post I believe it offers all of the same functionality.  Either one would accomplish the tasks required when remotely managing this or another server.  I am not affiliated with PiKVM or Tinypilot; I just started using PiKVM and I'm really impressed with the functionality, so I wanted to share this information.  I wish I would have known about this years ago so I wouldn't have to go downstairs to physically monitor my server while rebooting and handling tasks that require non-OS management!

Agreed, out of band management is a must, but that doesn't remove the need to use a physical USB stick for Unraid. Most server grade boards include some form of IPMI so adding an external solution like PiKVM is only needed when using consumer desktop grade parts. If you are choosing parts to buy and not using an existing build, it makes sense to pick a board with IPMI built in rather than fussing with adding it later.

[bilderberger]

Sorry for the slow reply, I missed seeing the notifications. 
 

the server in question will have native IPMI and the host said they can add a usb so it looks promising for a remote installation 

[ljm42]

This is not Unraid's target market. You should run it locally and familiarize yourself with it before colocating it.

 

Also, be sure that Unraid is not placed directly on the Internet, it needs to be behind a firewall. See https://unraid.net/blog/unraid-server-security-best-practices

[NewDisplayName]

hetzner allows to plug your usb into their maschines...

[niamul21]

On 7/23/2021 at 6:21 PM, JonathanM said:

That is a fairly complex task, as Unraid requires a physical USB drive to start the boot process, store persistent settings, and validate your license. Do you have full IPMI or similar access, and can you physically lay hands on the machine if needed?

 

Thanks. I was looking for that.

 

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Edited November 16, 2021 by niamul21