Minisforum MS-A2 Can it Play XCP-ng 8.3 LTS Minisforum MS-A2 Series Part 16 Ultimate #homelab In this episode of Hancock's VMware Half Hour, we put the Minisforum MS-A2 through its paces to see if it can run XCP-ng 8.3 LTS – the long-term support release of the popular open-source virtualization platform. From BIOS tweaks to kernel panic fixes, watch step-by-step as we: Install XCP-ng 8.3 LTS on the MS-A2 Overcome BIOS issues like PSS and Global C-States causing kernel panics Configure storage, networking, and system settings during installation Update and patch XCP-ng with the latest kernel Deploy Xen Orchestra (XOA) – the XCP-ng equivalent of VMware vCenter Server Create and run a Windows Server 2025 VM to validate performance If you're building a #homelab or exploring alternatives to VMware, this guide will show you how the MS-A2 handles XCP-ng 8.3 LTS as a lightweight and affordable virtualization host. 📌 Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:07 - Welcome to Hancock's VMware Half Hour 00:22 - How to Install XCP-ng on the Minisforum MS-A2 01:20 - Kudos to Channel Member ubsefor 01:50 - Power on MS-A2 02:20 - By Default PSS causes a Kernel Panic in the XCP installer 03:15 - By Default Global C-States can also cause a Kernel Panic in the installer 04:08 - MS-A2 POST BIOS selection 04:14 - Select BOOT Source 04:48 - Select xcp-ng LTS iso 05:01 - Select Install XCP-ng 05:06 - Kernel Panic as suspected due to PSS Enabled in BIOS 05:30 - Disable PSS support in the BIOS 06:07 - Join for your IT Questions 06:53 - Select BOOT source 07:13 - Select xcp-ng LTS iso 07:48 - Select Install XCP-ng 08:12 - Select Keymap 08:44 - Select OK 09:00 - Accept EUA 09:08 - Select Clean Installation 09:11 - Select Storage for OS installation 09:18 - Select VM storage location 09:26 - Select ext or lvm 09:30 - Select Local media 09:35 - Skip verfication 09:42 - Enter a password 09:52 - Select Ethernet adapter 10:20 - Select DHCP 10:35 - Select Time Zone 10:38 - Enter Time Servers 11:04 - Install XCP-ng 13:32 - Installation of XCP-ng has been completed 14:13 - It does pause for 20 seconds ? 14:53 - Connect via SSH via PuTTY to update and patch the server with new Kernel 15:17 - yum update to update and upgrade XCP-ng 16:42 - Install new Kernel - 17:33 - restart XCP-ng server - sudo init 6 18:06 - MS-A2 restarts 18:14 - Chnage BIOS setting PSS support - enabled 20:20 - Connect and login with a browser 21:00 - login as root with the password 21:23 - Deploy XOA - VMware vSphere vCenter Server equivalent 23:25 - XOA deployed 24:06 - Access XOA 24:12 - Login to XOA 24:27 - Add Host Server 29:05 - Create a VM 30:51 - Install Windows Server 2025 33:23 - Windows Login 35:55 - Thanks for watching 👉 If you found this helpful, don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and Share for more Minisforum MS-A2 and homelab builds! 🔗 Useful Links: XCP-ng Project Xen Orchestra Experts-Exchange Minisforum MS-01/MS-02 issue - 👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more VMware + homelab content from Hancock’s VMware Half Hour! ☕ Enjoying the content? Support me with an espresso coffee! 👉 Buy Me an Espresso Coffee! - Donate - 🐝 Want to support British beekeeping? Get RAW PURE honey here! 👉 Sorry UK only, unless demand increases to international destinations! 💡 Follow Hancock’s VMware Half Hour for more: YouTube - @UCaqYL_WmGJohUoM-CAJk-DQ Twitter - LinkedIn-