In this article we cover the basic installation options available to you when deploying a full copy of Windows Server 2008 on an enterprise class server. The article’s goal is to familiarize and acclimate you to the process of deploying Windows Server 2008 on systems on your production network.
Preparation Tasks
The first step in deploying a Windows Server 2008 system is to do all of the analysis needed upfront to appropriately size your server hardware and prepare for an easy installation. There is not enough that can be said about ‘pre-planning’ your installation. Make sure that you have all the software you need, appropriate drivers and so on. You should create a checklist or some form of list to help you keep track of what you need, what you need to do and what steps have been accomplished. This is helpful for problems that you may encounter during the installation – you can quickly ascertain the source of the problem when you have a checklist to follow so you can retrace your steps. You should always pre-plan any deployment (no matter how big or small) and run thorough tests so that you know what works and what does not before installing new systems on your network or upgrading older systems as an example. For another example, when we first started to run Windows Server 2008 in its earliest forms (Longhorn) for testing purposes, it was quickly found that it was extremely difficult to install on an enterprise class server due to the fact that most of the enterprise server hardware vendors had yet to create alternatives to the new release of Windows and most Windows Server 2003 drivers would (and will) not function on the newest version of Windows, 2008.
One of the main issues you may encounter when installing Windows Server 2008 comes in the form of installing RAID drivers and finding ones that are supported by Windows Server 2008 in its pre-release form. Since the inception of NT 3.x and 4.0, this process has never been easy. In earlier forms of the operating system (as previously mentioned - NT as an example), you had to hit a specific key (F6) to add RAID drivers while installing, force drivers in if not available and fight with the system to get it to function correctly and remain stable. A lot has changed since, but one thing that will never change is when new operating systems come out, the vendors have to keep up and create software to run on the new platform and that process usually takes time and usually never comes out during the beta process of any new release underway – very rarely do you receive fully functional, tested and supported drivers until a full release. That being said, it is possible to create a RAID array if you can find the drivers and a system that will allow for it until the final release of Windows Server 2008 is official, by then just about every operational hardware vendor will have drivers, software and other tools ready to go for 2008.
RAID is extremely important to consider and implement when deploying an enterprise class server. Since redundancy is important due to unexpected issues (such as a drive reaching its MTBF) which causes the drive to fail and causes the server to crash, you should consider this when deploying a new server. RAID is nothing more than a Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. Figure 2 shows an example of an Enterprise Class server configured as an array with 6 SCSI hard disks. Figure 3 shows an external RAID array that can be connected via Fiber or SCSI.
RAID comes in many levels. You can configure RAID in many ways. Table 1 lists a chart of the most commonly used RAID levels and their fault tolerance (or lack thereof).
Table 1: Most Commonly used RAID Levels
* Note:
Duplexing and Mirroring are similar in that they both use two disks and each carry a copy of the data, the main difference lies in the disk controller. When two disk controllers are used (one for each disk), this is duplexing. This also increases fault tolerance. When mirroring is used there is only one controller. Although you have two disks in use, your single point of failure becomes the controller itself.
Although there are many other RAID levels, these are absolutely the most commonly used today. You can also mix and match RAID levels based on how you create your partitions. You must know the available levels and know which level(s) you want to use when you deploy.
Once you have selected the enterprise class hardware you wish to use, you must make sure that you have all of the drivers and software needed for deployment. As 2008 is fairly new (just getting ready for prime time) as mentioned before, it’s likely that you will not have full driver support, or in some cases, the management software used for the server, may not run on 2008. Because of this, it’s important to make sure that you have visited Microsoft’s Web site to check for the current drivers and software and then check your server vendors Web site to check for any updates they have as well. You can also discuss options about the server hardware in a pre or post sales vendor meeting or contact them directly though their support centers. In either case, you will find yourself in a better position when you have planned out your install in advance, have gathered all of the needed software and drivers and prepped the server correctly for install.
System Requirements
When deploying Windows Server 2008, it’s important to consider and adhere to the minimum requirements needed for the system to be installed. If you do not meet the bare minimum requirements, the installation will not continue. Table 2 shows a list of minimum and maximum system requirement levels for your review.
Configuring your Hardware
To install Windows Server 2008 correctly, you must first configure your hardware. When working with enterprise class server systems such as the HP DL380, you will want to configure your storage correctly, so that you can install Windows Server 2008 within the needed hard disk space requirements. To do this, you may need to configure RAID. To configure RAID, you will likely have to use your servers BIOS, or the management utility that came with it. In this example, we will use the system BIOS.
Figure 4: Configuring a RAID Array
Earlier we mentioned that you can have multiple RAID levels exist on the same Server. Figure 5 shows the BIOS configuration for an HP DL380 being prepared for an installation of Windows Server 2008. Here in this example we are configuring the HP Smart Array 6i which comes with its own controller, or HBA (Host Bus Adapter). In figure 5, you can configure the drives for redundancy.
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