For a company providing web hosting, VPS, and VDS services, the most critical element is choosing the right server hardware. In this article, we list the most suitable devices for businesses looking to offer server hosting services, along with their technical specifications in detail. We also provide guidance on how to configure with virtualization solutions like ESXi and vCenter, and offer industry-specific recommendations.
Hardware Criteria Required for Server Hosting
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Processor (CPU): Multi-core and high-frequency processors are critical for virtualization performance.
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RAM: A minimum of 64 GB is recommended. 128-512 GB of RAM should be planned according to the number of VPS/VDS.
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Disk: NVMe SSD should be preferred. A redundant and high-speed structure is established with RAID 10.
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Network Port: At least 1 Gbps, preferably 2.5 Gbps or 10 Gbps connection is required.
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IPMI/DRAC/iLO: IP KVM support should be available for remote management.
Hardware Examples and Recommendations (10 Each)
⚙️ 1. Entry Level (For Small-Scale VPS Hosting)
Model | CPU | RAM | Disk | Usage |
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Dell R210 II | Xeon E3-1240 v2 | 32 GB | 2x480GB SSD | Microsite, test |
HP DL120 G8 | Xeon E3-1270 v3 | 32 GB | 2x240GB SSD | Single VPS |
Lenovo TS150 | Xeon E3-1225 v5 | 32 GB | 1TB SSD | Web panel test |
Supermicro X9SCM | Xeon E3-1230 v2 | 16 GB | 2x500GB HDD | Mail server |
Fujitsu RX100 S8 | Xeon E3-1270 v2 | 32 GB | 2x240GB SSD | Single site |
Dell T30 | Xeon E3-1225 v5 | 32 GB | 512GB SSD | VPN server |
HP MicroServer Gen8 | Celeron G1610T | 16 GB | 2x1TB HDD | Backup |
Dell R220 | Xeon E3-1220 v3 | 32 GB | 256GB SSD | Cloud panel |
Intel NUC MiniServer | i5-8250U | 16 GB | 1TB SSD | Edge node |
Shuttle XPC Server | i3-10110U | 16 GB | 512GB NVMe | Single application |
2. Mid-Level (For Corporate VPS/VDS Hosting)
Model | CPU | RAM | Disk | Usage |
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Dell R630 | 2x Xeon E5-2630 v4 | 128 GB | 2x1TB NVMe | Multiple VPS |
HP DL380 Gen9 | 2x Xeon E5-2667 v3 | 128 GB | 4x480GB SSD RAID | Web + DB |
Lenovo SR650 | 2x Xeon Silver 4114 | 192 GB | 4x960GB SSD RAID | Hosting node |
Supermicro SYS-6029 | 2x Xeon Scalable 4110 | 256 GB | 2TB NVMe + 2TB HDD | Hybrid structure |
Dell R740xd | 2x Xeon Silver 4214 | 192 GB | 6x960GB SSD RAID | Proxmox |
HP DL360 Gen10 | 2x Xeon Silver 4110 | 128 GB | 2x1TB SSD | vCenter node |
Fujitsu RX2540 M4 | 2x Xeon Silver 4116 | 192 GB | 4x960GB SSD RAID | API VPS |
Dell C6420 | 2x Xeon Gold 5218 | 256 GB | NVMe cluster | HPC & VPS |
Lenovo SR530 | 2x Xeon Silver 4208 | 128 GB | 2x960GB SSD | Mail + Panel |
Supermicro TwinPro | 2 node / 2x Xeon 4210 | 2x128 GB | Shared storage | Virtual node |
3. High-End (Ideal for Cloud, Cluster, vCenter)
Model | CPU | RAM | Disk | Usage |
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Dell R7525 | 2x AMD EPYC 7452 | 512 GB | 8x1TB NVMe RAID | OpenStack, Kubernetes |
HP DL385 Gen10 | 2x AMD EPYC 7402 | 512 GB | 4TB NVMe + 4TB HDD | vCenter Cluster |
Lenovo SR665 | 2x AMD EPYC 7542 | 768 GB | 4TB SSD | Cloud Projects |
Supermicro BigTwin | 4 node / EPYC 7313 | 4x256 GB | Shared disk system | High Density |
Dell R960 | 4x Xeon Platinum 8260 | 1TB | NVMe + SAS hybrid | Big data |
HPE Apollo 4200 | 2x Xeon Scalable 6248 | 512 GB | 12x SSD | Clustered DB |
Dell XR12 Rugged | 2x Xeon D-2700 | 128 GB | 2x NVMe | Field use |
Lenovo HX3520 | Nutanix NX-8170 based | 512 GB | HCI supported | vSAN/ESXi |
Dell VRTX | Blade server + SAN | 1TB | 25x SSD supported | Multi-tenant cluster |
Fujitsu PRIMEQUEST | 4x Xeon Scalable 8280 | 1.5 TB | PCIe SSD | High processing |
Things to Consider in Virtualization Architecture with ESXi & vCenter
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Hardware Compatibility: ESXi HCL (Hardware Compatibility List) should be checked
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RAID Structure: RAID 10 is ideal for performance and security
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Network: 10G uplink + VLAN configuration is recommended
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Datastore: SSD/NVMe Datastore + separate storage area for backup should be planned
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vCenter: Mandatory for managing multiple ESXi nodes, HA, and DRS
Comparison of Proxmox, ESXi, and Other Platforms
Feature | ESXi | Proxmox | Hyper-V |
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License | Paid | Free | With Windows Server |
Interface | Web + vSphere | Web GUI + CLI | GUI + PowerShell |
Virtualization | Not KVM supported | KVM based | Hypervisor |
Cluster | With vCenter | Built-in | Failover Cluster |
Backup | Veeam, Nakivo | PBS integrated | External software required |
Additional Notes and Tips
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RAID cache and write limit should be considered on servers for SSD lifespan
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Allocate a minimum of 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM per VPS/VDS
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Plan IPv4 subnet for IP address management, don't forget IPv6 support
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"Hot swap" disk support should be preferred in hardware
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It is recommended to establish a redundant structure (HA, vMotion) with vCenter
Conclusion: Choosing the right server is vital for hosting companies in terms of service continuity, customer satisfaction, and profit margin. This guide provides a strong start with 30 different hardware recommendations from entry-level to enterprise level. Carefully setting up ESXi, vCenter, and RAID structures during the configuration phase makes a big difference in terms of performance.