abiola omoba technology: Supporting server roles

abiola omoba technology: Supporting server roles: Windows Server 2012 includes predefined combinations of services called roles that implement common server functions. Computers running ...

abiola omoba technology: Supporting server virtualization

abiola omoba technology: Supporting server virtualization: The Windows Server 2012 Datacenter and Standard editions both include support for Hyper-V, but they vary in the number of VMs permitted b...

abiola omoba technology: Server licensing

abiola omoba technology: Server licensing: Microsoft provides several different sales channels for Windows Server 2012 licenses, and not all of the editions are available through a...

abiola omoba technology: Installation requirements

abiola omoba technology: Installation requirements: If your computer has less than the following hardware specifications, Windows Server 2012 will not install correctly (or possibly at all)...

Installation requirements

If your computer has less than the following hardware specifications, Windows Server 2012 will not install correctly (or possibly at all):
 1.4 GHz 64-bit processor
 512 MB RAM
 32 GB available disk space
 DVD drive
 Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution monitor
 Keyboard and mouse (or other compatible pointing device)
 Internet access
32 GB of available disk space should be considered an absolute minimum. The system partition will need extra space if you install the system over a network or if your computer has more than 16 GB of RAM installed. The additional disk space is required for paging, hibernation, and dump files. In practice, you are unlikely to come across a computer with 32 GB of RAM and only 32 GB of disk space. If you do, free more disk space or invest in additional storage hardware.

Server licensing

Microsoft provides several different sales channels for Windows Server 2012 licenses, and not all of the editions are available through all of the channels. Licensing Windows Server 2012 includes purchasing licenses for both servers and clients, and there are many options for each one.
If you are already involved in a licensing agreement with Microsoft, you should be aware of the server editions that are available to you through that agreement. If you are not, you should investigate the licensing options available to you before you select a server edition.

Supporting server virtualization

The Windows Server 2012 Datacenter and Standard editions both include support for Hyper-V, but they vary in the number of VMs permitted by their licenses. Each running instance of the Windows Server 2012 operating system is classified as being in a physical operating system environment (POSE) or a virtual operating system environment (VOSE). When you purchase a Windows Server 2012 license, you can perform a POSE installation of the operating system, as always. After installing the Hyper-V role, you can then create VMs and perform VOSE installations on them...

Supporting server roles

Windows Server 2012 includes predefined combinations of services called roles that implement common server functions. Computers running the Windows Server 2012 operating system can perform a wide variety of tasks, using both the software included with the product and third-party applications. The activities Windows Server 2012 performs for network
are known as roles. After you install the Windows Server 2012 operating system, you can use Server Manager or Windows PowerShell to assign one or more roles to that computer.
Some of the Windows Server 2012 editions include all of these roles, whereas others include only some of them. Selecting the appropriate edition of Windows Server has always been a matter of anticipating the roles that the computer must perform. At one time, this was a relatively simple process. You planned your server deployments by deciding which ones would be domain controllers, which ones would be web servers, and so forth. Once you made these decisions, you were done, because server roles were largely static.
With the increased focus on virtualization in Windows Server 2012, however, more administrators will be forced to consider not only what roles a server must perform at the time of the deployment, but what roles they will perform in the future as well.
Using virtualized servers, you can modify your network’s server strategy at will, to accommodate changing workloads and business requirements, or to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, the process of anticipating the roles a server will perform must account for the potential expansion of your business, as well as possible emergency needs.

Selecting a Windows Server 2012 edition

Microsoft releases all of its operating systems in multiple editions, which provides consumers with varying price points and feature sets. When planning a server deployment, the operating system edition you choose should be based on multiple factors, including the following:
 The roles you intend the servers to perform
 The virtualization strategy you intent to implement
 The licensing strategy you plan to use
Compared with Windows Server 2008, Microsoft has simplified the process of selecting a server edition by reducing the available products. As with Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 requires a 64-bit processor architecture. All of the 32-bit versions have been eliminated, and for the first time since the Windows NT Server 4.0 release, there will be no build supporting Itanium processors. This leaves Windows Server 2012 with the following core editions:
 Windows Server 2012 Datacenter The Datacenter edition is designed for large and powerful servers with up to 64 processors and fault-tolerance features such as hot add processor support. As a result, this edition is available only through the Microsoft volume licensing program and from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), bundled with a server.
 Windows Server 2012 Standard The Standard edition includes the full set of Windows Server 2008 features, differing from the Datacenter edition only in the number of virtual machine (VM) instances permitted by the license.
 Windows Server 2012 Essentials The Essentials edition includes nearly all of the features in the Standard and Datacenter editions, except for Server Core, Hyper-V, and Active Directory Federation Services. The edition is limited to one physical or virtual server instance and a maximum of 25 users.
 Windows Server 2012 Foundation A reduced version of the operating system designed for small businesses that require only basic server features such as file and print services and application support. The edition includes no virtualization rights and is limited to 15 users.
These various editions have prices commensurate with their capabilities. Obviously, the goal of administrators planning server deployments is to purchase the most inexpensive edition that meets all of their needs. The following sections examine the primary differences among the Windows Server 2012 editions.

Planning for a server installation

In previous versions of Windows Server, installation planning could become a complex task. You had to decide from the outset what edition of the operating system to install, whether to install the 32-bit or 64-bit version, and whether you should perform a Server Core installation or use the full graphical user interface (GUI). All of these decisions affected the server hardware requirements, and all of them were irrevocable. To change the edition, the platform, or the interface, you have to reinstall the server from scratch.
With Windows Server 2012, the options are reduced substantially, and so are the installation decisions. There is no 32-bit version of Windows Server 2012; only a 64-bit operating system is available—reflecting the fact that most major applications are now 64-bit and that modern server configurations are typically supported on hardware that requires 64 bits. There are now only four Windows Server 2012 editions to choose from, down from six in Windows Server 2008 R2. The Server Core and full GUI installation options still remain, along with a third option, called the Minimal Server Interface. However, it is now possible to switch among these options without having to reinstall the operating system.

Installation is a key topic and has been extensively tested in previous Windows Server exams. There is no reason to believe the 70-410 exam will be different. This objective discusses planning a Windows Server 2012 installation. It looks at the preinstallation requirements and how you can prepare your installation hardware. It also considers the server roles you can implement during installation.
The objective takes you through a clean installation of Windows Server Core 2012, and describes how the Features on Demand function enables you to optimize resources by removing all the files associated with a server role or feature you have chosen to delete. The objective also looks at the options for upgrading a Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 server to Windows Server 2012 and migrating roles from an existing server to a new one.