MINISFORUM MS-A2 Deployment Guide

Overview

This guide documents the deployment of MINISFORUM MS-A2 systems into the existing VMware homelab infrastructure alongside Intel NUCs.

Hardware Specifications

MINISFORUM MS-A2

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX (16C/32T, up to 5.4 GHz)
• Memory: 32GB DDR5 (expandable to 96GB)
• Storage: 1TB SSD (boot drive)
• Expansion:
  • PCIe × 16 slot
  • 3x M.2 slots (2280/22110/U.2)
• Networking:
  • 2x SFP+ 10G ports
  • 2x 2.5G LAN ports
• Display: HDMI/2x USB-C (8K@60Hz)

Current Infrastructure

Network Architecture

┌─────────────────────┐
│   UXG-Lite Gateway  │ (192.168.10.1)
└──────────┬──────────┘
           │
┌──────────┴──────────┐
│  Garage Switch      │ (US-8)
└──────────┬──────────┘
           │ Trunk
┌──────────┴──────────┐
│ Office Switch       │ (US-8) - Current NUC Switch
│ Ports 1-6: NUCs     │
│ Port 8: Uplink      │
└─────────────────────┘

Future 10G Switch (USW-Aggregation):
┌─────────────────────┐
│  USW-Aggregation    │ (To be purchased)
│  8x 10G SFP+        │
└─────────────────────┘

Existing ESXi Hosts

Host	IP	Hardware	ESXi Version
esxi-nuc-01.lab.markalston.net	192.168.10.8	Intel NUC6i7KYK	8.0.3
esxi-nuc-02.lab.markalston.net	192.168.10.9	Intel NUC6i7KYK	8.0.3
esxi-nuc-03.lab.markalston.net	192.168.10.10	Intel NUC6i7KYK	8.0.3
macpro.lab.markalston.net	192.168.10.7	Mac Pro Late 2013	7.0.3

vCenter Configuration

• VCSA: vcsa.lab.markalston.net (192.168.10.11)
• Version: vCenter Server 8.0.2-22617221
• Datacenter: Homelab-DC
• Cluster: NUC-Cluster (Intel NUCs only)

Network Configuration

VLAN Design

VLAN ID	Name	Purpose	Network
10	Management	ESXi mgmt, vCenter	192.168.10.0/24
20	vMotion	VM migration	192.168.20.0/24
30	vSAN	Storage traffic	192.168.30.0/24
40	NSX-TEP	Overlay tunnels	192.168.40.0/24
50	NSX-Edge-Uplink	North-south routing	192.168.50.0/24
100	TKG-Management	K8s management	192.168.100.0/24
110	TKG-Workload	K8s workloads	192.168.110.0/24

Distributed Switch Configuration

• Name: Homelab-DvS
• Version: 7.0.3 (for ESXi 7.0.3 compatibility)
• Uplinks: 2 per host
• Port Groups: All VLANs configured with appropriate settings

Deployment Phases

Phase 1: Infrastructure Preparation

• Rack infrastructure setup (GeeekPi RackMate T1)
• Cable management and power distribution
• Network VLAN configuration
• UniFi switch port profiles

Phase 2: First MS-A2 Deployment

• ESXi installation on MS-A2 #1
• Network configuration (10G and 2.5G interfaces)
• Add to vCenter inventory
• Storage configuration
• Test mixed Intel/AMD cluster compatibility

Phase 3: Complete MS-A2 Migration

• Deploy MS-A2 #2 and #3
• Migrate workloads from Intel NUCs
• Implement 10G networking (when USW-Aggregation acquired)
• Configure advanced features (NSX-T, TKG)

IP Address Allocation

Management Network (192.168.10.0/24)

Current Allocations:
192.168.10.1    - UXG-Lite Gateway
192.168.10.2-6  - Network Infrastructure
192.168.10.7    - Mac Pro ESXi
192.168.10.8    - esxi-nuc-01
192.168.10.9    - esxi-nuc-02
192.168.10.10   - esxi-nuc-03
192.168.10.11   - vCenter Server (VCSA)

Planned MS-A2 Allocations:
192.168.10.12   - esxi-ms-a2-01
192.168.10.13   - esxi-ms-a2-02
192.168.10.14   - esxi-ms-a2-03

Key Considerations

Mixed CPU Architecture

• Intel NUCs: i7-6770HQ (Skylake)
• MS-A2: Ryzen 9 7945HX (Zen 4)
• Cannot use EVC mode across Intel/AMD
• Consider separate clusters or workload segregation

Storage Strategy

• MS-A2 boot: 1TB NVMe
• Additional storage via M.2 expansion
• Consider vSAN configuration for MS-A2 cluster
• NFS/iSCSI from Synology DS918+ for shared storage

Network Transition

• Start with 2.5G connectivity (existing switches)
• Plan for 10G upgrade with USW-Aggregation
• Use SFP+ DAC cables for 10G connections
• Maintain backward compatibility with 1G infrastructure

Next Steps

1. Review ESXi Installation Guide
2. Configure BIOS settings per BIOS Configuration
3. Plan network topology with Network Design
4. Set up monitoring and management tools