RAM Hard disk free space CD/DVD drive Video display system Input devices Network device in Software

Creation Code39 in Software RAM Hard disk free space CD/DVD drive Video display system Input devices Network device

The requirements in Table 2-1 are generalized; special situations do exist for which various requirements apply These special situations are noted in the following paragraphs

Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition supports up to four processors in a single computer, in what is known as symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition supports up to eight processors in a single computer Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition supports up to 32 processors in the 32-bit version and up to 64 processors in the 64-bit version This allows a wide range of scaling in a Windows Server 2008 installation, from a single computer with a single processor to many computers, each with a number of processors

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition with an x86 processor supports up to 4GB (gigabytes) of memory, while an x64 processor can support up to 32GB Windows Server 2008 Enterprise and Datacenter editions with an x86 processor support up to 64GB, while an x64 processor can support up to 2TB (terabytes)

The amount of free hard disk space required is dependent on a number of factors, especially in Windows Server 2008 Among these factors are the following: The Windows components that are installed Different components require different amounts of space, and they are additive, so depending on what you choose to install, the amounts of necessary disk space will vary A network-based installation requires approximately 3GB of additional free disk space to store additional files An upgrade requires more space than a new installation to expand an existing user account s database into Active Directory, which consolidates the access to all the resources on a network into a single hierarchical view and a single point of administration

A DVD-ROM drive is required if the Microsoft distribution disc is used It is not required with a network-based installation

A network card is not required if networking is not desired (unlikely) and if a networkbased installation is not used If a network-based installation is used, it requires a suitable server to deliver the files and a means of booting the computer on which the installation is to be done

After you have checked and determined that your system meets the minimum requirements for installing Windows Server 2008, you need to determine whether the particular hardware and software used across the network are compatible with the OS You can do this using two Microsoft tools, described in the next two sections, that assess the hardware readiness and application compatibility In addition, txt files in the root folder on the Windows Server 2008 DVD may contain late-breaking information on hardware and software compatibility and other information you need before you install TIP You can save a lot of problem-resolution time by checking for hardware compatibility and making any necessary adjustments before installing Windows Server 2008

The Hardware Assessment Wizard checks all of the computers on a network, creates an inventory of their hardware components, and prepares reports using Excel spreadsheets that assess the readiness of the computers to support Windows Server 2008 To use this

2:

program, you need the following minimum hardware and software on the computer where the Hardware Assessment Wizard will run: Hardware: 16GHz processor, 1GB of memory, 1GB of disk space, network adapter card Software: 32-bit Windows OS including XP SP2 or later, Vista, Server 2003 R2, or Server 2008; Net Framework V 2; Excel 2007 or 2003 SP2; Word 2007 or 2003 SP2

NOTE Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express is downloaded as part of installing the Hardware Assessment Wizard if not available on the computer you are working on and adds time and storage space needs to the process The Hardware Assessment Wizard can be downloaded from the following Microsoft site: http://wwwmicrosoftcom/technet/solutionaccelerators/hardwareassessment/wv/ defaultmspx Once you have downloaded and installed the Hardware Assessment Wizard, it should start automatically, but you can start it by: 1 Click Start | All Programs, scroll to the bottom of the menu, and click Windows Hardware Assessment

NOTE At the time this book was written, only the Windows Vista version of the Hardware Assessment Wizard was available I believe that there will be a Windows Server 2008 version available by the time this book reaches you 2 Click Getting Started and, as desired, read the Help document displayed After closing Help, click Next