Prior to installing Windows Server 2008 R2,
you need to properly plan your installation and ensure that the
prerequisites are met. This planning includes being sure that the
server hardware meets the system requirements, determining whether to
upgrade an existing OS, and selecting the appropriate Windows Server
edition. If performing a custom installation (also known as a clean
installation), you will also need to properly size the disk partitions.
Spend some time preparing your installation before jumping into it. You
will be glad that you did it.
Hardware requirements
Microsoft publishes hardware requirements,
also known as system requirements, for every OS it releases. These
requirements include the minimum processor speed, memory, and disk
space required to install Windows. In almost all cases, you will want
to make sure that your hardware exceeds these requirements to provide
adequate performance for the services and applications running on the
server. The chart in Table 1 outlines the minimum hardware requirements to install Windows Server 2008 R2.
Notes from the field
The need for more disk space
You will probably notice that Windows Server
2008 requires significantly more disk space than Windows Server 2003.
This is due to the new Windows component store (WinSXS Directory). The
component store is where every component of the OS is housed. Even
components such as roles and features that are not currently added are
in the component store. You will notice that as you add new features
and components in Windows Server 2008, you are never prompted for the
original installation media. You should also understand that as
components are updated via patches and service packs, previous versions
are maintained in the component store. This is to ensure reliability of
the OS in the event that a service pack or update is uninstalled.
Notes from the field
Windows Server 2008 R2—64 bit only
Windows Server 2008 R2 is the first Microsoft
server OS to support only 64-bit (×64) hardware. This may seem like bad
news on the surface; however, it is highly unlikely that you have
purchased a new server hardware in the past few years that does not
contain 64-bit processors. Newer applications can see markedly
increased performance benefits by using more than 3 GB of RAM. By
adding more memory, server applications can store more data within fast
RAM memory as opposed to having to access information from slow disk
drive locations. Today most production grade servers already come
preloaded with 4 GB or more of memory. The decision to provide only
64-bit code follows suite with Microsoft's general direction of moving
all servers and applications to 64-bit architecture. Other products
that support deployment on a 64-bit platform include Exchange Server
2007 and 2010, Office Communications Server 2007 R2, and SharePoint
Server 2010.
Table 1 Windows Server 2008 R2 Minimum Hardware Requirements
| Hardware |
Minimum Requirement |
| Disk Space |
32 GB or more,10 GB or more for Foundation Edition |
| Processor |
1.4 GHz 64 bit |
| Memory |
512 MB |
| Display |
(800 × 600) Capable video adapter and monitor |
Preparing the hardware
Prior to installing any OS, you should ensure
that your server hardware is optimized. Taking this extra step can
ensure a smooth installation process and lessen the likelihood of
having to troubleshoot installation errors. Before installing Windows,
be sure to complete the following hardware upgrades:
-
Install the latest BIOS update
-
Update any storage controllers, including storage area network (SAN) host bus adapters (HBA), to the latest firmware release.
-
If you plan on using hardware RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks), configure it at this time.
Optionally, you may want to power-on the
server hardware and let it run for 24 h to perform a “burn in” process.
This could reveal issues related to bad hardware components prior to
deploying a server to production. This process can also be completed
after OS installation.
Best practices
Use certified hardware for maximum reliability
For optimal performance and reliability, you
should use hardware certified for Windows Server 2008 R2. Certified
hardware has been tested to ensure that systems using this hardware
remain stable and highly available. Microsoft reports that the main
cause of Windows crashes is due to hardware drivers. Using certified
hardware will greatly reduce your risk of Blue Screens of Death (BSOD).
Microsoft keeps an online list of certified hardware on the Windows
Server Catalog Web site at www.windowsservercatalog.com/.
Choosing to upgrade or perform a custom installation
Prior to installing Windows Server 2008 R2,
you will need to determine whether to perform a custom installation or
upgrade an existing OS. If you are building a new network, or do not
currently have servers with a supported upgrade path, then this
decision is made for you. You must perform a custom installation. The
following provides more details on Upgrades and Custom Installs:
-
Upgrade—Choosing
to upgrade will take you through a process of installing Windows Server
2008 R2, replacing the existing OS, but maintaining data, and user and
application settings. As mentioned, the upgrade option is available to
you when you have existing Windows Servers on your network that have a
supported upgrade path. Upgrades can be helpful if you have complex
applications installed that may require hours to reinstall and
configure.
-
Custom (advanced)—Choosing
to perform a custom installation achieves the same result as performing
an upgrade except that no data, user settings, or application settings
are retained. This is also known as a clean installation. Using this
option, along with formatting the OS partition, ensures an optimized
fresh installation. This option is required when no existing,
upgradable Windows Server OSs are currently installed on the server
hardware. This is the most commonly used installation option.
Notes from the field
Verify hardware requirements before upgrading
Choosing to upgrade does not exclude the
necessity for the system to meet minimum hardware requirements. If you
choose to upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2, you will still need to
evaluate your server hardware to ensure that it will properly support
the new OS and the applications it will host.
Selecting the edition and installation option
Before you can install Windows Server 2008 R2,
you will need to know which edition to install and the appropriate
installation option to use. After selecting your edition, you will need to choose the appropriate
installation option. Windows Server 2008 R2 provides you with two
options for installation. You can explore these options in more detail
in the next section.
Full server installation
This installation option performs a fully
featured installation of Windows Server 2008 R2. A full server
installation is the same as a traditional Windows Server installation.
You may be familiar with this installation option if you have installed
previous versions of Windows, such as Windows Server 2003. All of the
usual windows components are installed, including the full graphical
user interface (GUI) and admin tools. A full server installation can
perform any of the functions available in the given edition. This is
the best installation option to use when flexibility and full Windows
features are needed.
Server core
The server core option provides a very secure,
barebones installation of Windows Server 2008 R2. Server core does not
include a GUI interface and must be managed via command line or
PowerShell locally, or by remote administration tools. This
installation option provides a much smaller attack service by
installing only the core OS and the components necessary to support the
following roles:
-
Active Directory Domain Services
-
Active Directory Certificate Services
-
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services
-
DHCP Server
-
DNS Server
-
File Server
-
Hyper-V
-
Print Server
-
Media Services
-
Web Server
The server core option is a good choice
when deploying servers to provide core network services in branch
offices. Server core is also a good option where the highest security
levels are required.
Notes from the field
Changing editions postinstallation
Windows Server 2008 R2 introduces a new
utility named the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM)
tool. This command line utility can be used to upgrade your edition of
Windows Server 2008 R2. For example, suppose you install Windows Server
2008 R2 standard edition. After deployment, you decide that you want to
configure this server as part of a cluster. Prior to Windows Server
2008 R2, you would have had to completely reinstall the OS and choose
the enterprise edition. The DISM tool allows you to upgrade from
Foundation to Standard, from Standard to Enterprise, and from
Enterprise to Datacenter, using a simple upgrade process and without
the need for the original installation media.
