Best design for vmware server

Hi there.

I am about to build a new vmware server, and am looking for input on best design practices.  It will be a linux based host that will do nothing more than run vmware server.

More specifically, I am interested in your opinions on how to set up the virtual disks.  Can vmware server use raw partitions instead of files, and if so, is this the way to go?  I won't run more than 3 or 4 virtual machines.

Thanks.