Posted by Where It All Began
The idea to build a self-contained VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.x home lab didn’t just pop into my head—it was sneakily planted there during a chat with my colleague, Iwan Rahabok, Sajan Liyon and Sudheesh C Sudhakaran. One moment we were casually discussing lab setups, and the next thing I knew, I was sketching out airflow diagrams and hunting for motherboards at midnight. Iwan’s knack for thinking outside the rack and his obsession with portable virtualization setups lit the fuse. What started as a friendly exchange quickly spiraled into a full-blown design quest: could I cram the entire VCF 9.x stack into a tidy, desk-friendly box without compromising performance?
Challenge accepted.
Why Build a VCF Lab in a Box?
As a hardware enthusiast and systems designer, I set out to build a VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.x home lab that could run the full stack—ESXi 9.0, vSAN, vCenter, NSX, and SDDC Manager—all confined within a neat, box-type case. The goal: portability, capability, and clean design.
After months of iteration, I developed 3 prototypes, each with its own strengths and trade-offs. Here’s how the journey unfolded.
Prototype-1: Compact and Affordable, But Limited
Specs:
- Weight: ~10 KG
- Size: 27 cm x 28 cm x 26 cm
- Cost: ~$2600
- Capabilities: ESXi 9.0, vSAN, vCenter, NSX
- Hardware: Mini-ITX industrial motherboard
- Number of Nodes: 3 with each having
- CPU: 14 Core Intel i7 13th Generation
- Ram: 32 GB + 32 GB
- Storage: 2 NVME, 1 SSD
- Max Power demand: 400 Watts
Pros:
- Highly portable
- Budget-friendly
Cons:
- Limited compute and memory
- Could not run full VCF stack
- Sourcing issues: one batch of motherboards arrived dead-on-arrival
Verdict: A valuable learning experience.
Prototype-2: Full Power, Less Portability
Specs:
- Weight: ~25 KG
- Size: 38 cm x 38 cm x 61 cm
- Cost: ~$5500
- Capabilities: Full VCF 9.x stack
- 4 Esx
- vCenter
- vSAN ESA
- 2 Node NSX with 2 Node edge cluster
- vRA with HA deployment
- Hardware: Commercial Mini-ITX motherboard
- Number of Nodes: 4 with each having
- CPU: 32 Core AMD 9950X
- Ram: 96 GB + 96 GB
- Storage: 2 NVME, 1 SSD
- Max Power demand: 2400 Watts
- 3d Printed case: 3d Print partner 3D Printzkart
Pros:
- Runs full VCF stack reliably
- Easy to source and assemble
Cons:
- Heavy and bulky
- Not ideal for mobile setups
Verdict: A powerful lab, best suited for stationary use.
Prototype-3: Portable, Capable, and Custom
My journey with the first two prototypes was a bit of a rollercoaster – full of valuable lessons and some truly head-scratching challenges! They left me with a couple of burning questions:
Could I design a truly flexible solution? One where you could kick things off with just two ESXi hosts and effortlessly scale up to four? And, perhaps the biggest challenge: could it be built using hardware you can grab right off the shelf, no exotic parts required?
After weeks of wrestling with designs, countless iterations, and probably a few too many cups of coffee, the blueprint for Prototype 3 has finally been born!
Forget the complexities of Prototype 1; this new design is an everyday hero, built on common hardware you can pick up online or from your local tech shop. And here’s the real magic: unlike “go big or go home” solutions, Prototype 3 lets you start small. Your rack doesn’t just sit there; it grows vertically, scaling with your needs like a well-planned skyscraper!
The ultimate result? A system that gives you fantastic flexibility across your budget, weight, physical size, and feature set. It’s truly designed to grow with you!
Specs:
- Weight: 8 to 25 KG
- Size: Customizable x 290 mm x 240 mm
- Cost: USD 2k to 8k
- Capabilities: VVF to Full VCF 9.x stack
- 3d Printed case that supports:
- Up to 4 Nodes
- Up to 1 Full width 1 U Switch/Router
- Up to 2 HDD bays that can hold total of 16 2.5-inch HDDs
Pros:
- Fully portable
- Custom enclosure optimized for airflow and cable management
- Grow as you need
- Uses retail hardware for easy sourcing
Verdict: The best of both worlds
2 Node:
3 Node:
4 Node:
Size Chart:
| Node Variant | Dimensions(mm) | Features | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Node | 361 x 290 x 240 | – Holds 2 mini-Itx MBs with Power – Can house 8 2.5-inch HDDs | Leveraging the 8 HDD bays, this single enclosure offers the capacity to house a dedicated NFS server. |
| 3 Node | 597 x 290 x 240 | – Holds 3 mini-Itx MBs with Power – Can house 8 2.5-inch HDDs | An increase in height of 236 mm is attributed to the inclusion of a second power tray along with a Mini-ITX motherboard. |
| 4 Node | 722 x 290 x 240 | – Holds 4 mini-Itx MBs with Power – Can house 16 2.5-inch HDDs | The height increase is just 125 mm, owing to the addition of a second power tray in the 3-node version, which accommodates two PSUs. As a result, we only require space equivalent to a Mini-ITX motherboard. |
M-ITX advantage over NUC:
NUCs are generally limited in their capabilities, their specifications are set by the manufacturer and cannot be modified post-production. M-ITX, by contrast, is not proprietary, offering the end-user control over component choices.
For example, my design uses a MSI B850 based M-ITX motherboard with an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X CPU. I have the flexibility to upgrade the CPU to a Ryzen 9 9955X3D or any other AM5 socket CPU in the future. Hence, M-ITX motherboards provide greater flexibility, leading to several key advantages.
- Unlike NUCs, which lock you into pre-defined specifications, this M-ITX design offers unparalleled customization. As you can upgrade key components like the CPU, RAM, storage adapters and Network adapters as per your requirements, rather than being forced to replace the entire unit.
- With 16 HDD bays in 4 Node step, it is a powerful, self-contained solution. You can embed a high-capacity NFS server directly within the chassis, eliminating the need for a separate, external storage appliance. This dramatically saves valuable rack or desk space, simplifies cabling, reduces power consumption.
- For setups like a 2-node cluster without vSAN, this design truly shines. The ability to integrate an M.2 to SATA adapter and 8 HDD bays allows you to dedicate robust, internal storage to a node.
Key Takeaways
- Industrial boards are risky and hard to source reliably
- Commercial hardware simplifies logistics and support
- Iterative design helps balance portability, performance, and cost
- Custom enclosures elevate usability and aesthetics
Summary:
To summarize, I began with the goal of building an extremely portable lab setup. My initial efforts led to the development of two prototypes, but neither was able to meet the necessary requirements. However, through the process of building them, I discovered two key challenges in creating a portable lab:
- Most portable equipment, such as industrial Mini-ITX motherboards or NUCs are difficult to source.
- Commercial off-the-shelf hardware lacks integrated solutions suitable for a portable lab environment.
That’s where Prototype-3 comes in. It features a custom 3D-printed case designed to integrate commercial off-the-shelf hardware into a rack-style lab setup. The width and depth of the enclosure are fixed at 29 cm and 24 cm, respectively. The height is modular and varies based on the number of nodes used—for example, with four nodes, the total height is approximately 72 cm.
What’s Next?
I’m exploring ways to open-source designs
I will be releasing STL files and build guides for the 3D-printed case
BOM for the hardware used
stay tuned!