What To Consider When Installing A New Windows 2012 Server

Thinking of buying a new server?  Here's some advice from someone who's been installing servers for a long time.

1. First,  make sure you verify that  your application software will actually run on Windows Server 2012.  Some programs won't run on 2012 because application software traditionally lags well behind new Server O/S releases and may have serious compatibility issues. Then you'll be forced into running an older version of Windows Server as a VM (virtual machine) to keep that software running which, while not technically difficult, does complicate your support efforts going forward.  This has got to be your top priority.  Knowing your programs needs and limitations will go a long way to getting your server configured correctly.  You can't imagine how many times we've encountered servers that overlooked this obvious step.
2. Make sure you purchase enough RAM for your server.  Failure to provide enough RAM will result in lousy performance.  What's enough?  We seldom advise using less than 16GB of RAM in a new server.  More than 1 CPU in your server?  You should probably be thinking of at least 16 GB of RAM for each CPU.  A rule of thumb you can use should be 16GB minimum for each instance of Windows Server running on your physical server if you want decent performance, add 4GB for your hypervisor if you're running VMs and then add whatever RAM your application software requires on top of that.  Running SQL or Exchange?  I recommend at least 16GB for each of those and we don't recommend running them both on the same server or VM unless you really ramp up your CPU and RAM capacity.  Yes, yes, I know!  The technical specs says it will run on less but the issue is really "What will make it run BEST?" not "How cheap  can we get away with it?"
3. When buying Windows Server 2012 Standard edition remember that you can run 2 instances of Windows Server but only if they are run on the same physical device.  You can't run them on different boxes so if you're running a VM environment you will save some money  vs. the way that Windows 2008 and earlier versions were licensed which was only 1 server instance per license.  Now you get 2 as long as you run them as VMs on a single physical server.  User or Device CALS (client access licenses) are NOT transferable from older O/S versions.  Remember to re-buy your CALS when upgrading your O/S.
4. How many cores should your CPU have?  That is going to depend upon what kind of load you're going to put on that server.  Remember that the news O/S can parse out cores within a CPU to be treated as separate processors.  If you're just running a file server without any appreciable load (like heavy CPU use applications), you can probably get along just fine with a quad core CPU.  Going to run a pretty heavy load on your server?  Then link about a CPU with more cores and threads that can be parsed out to handle the load as well as then maybe multiple CPU's.  Sometimes buying a single CPU with more cores and threads can outperform 2 processors with fewer cores and threads.  Intel Xeon processors can range from 4 core CPUs with 4 Threads to 10 cores with 20 Threads.  Thanks quite a range of performance in a single chip.  This is where it's really important to do your homework not just for today's workload but for where your business will be in 3-4-5 years.
5. Thinking of running multiple "virtual" servers?  Remember to weigh the alternative of using Windows Server 2012 Data Center edition which can be a much more affordable solution when running more than 4 or 5 VMs on your server.  Someone who's experienced with Microsoft licensing rules should be consulted to help you make the best buying decision.
6. Only retain Windows Server 2003 environments IF your old application server absolutely requires it.  It's no longer supported and will be a headache if you insist on keeping it alive. Don't keep an out-of-date server o/s alive just to save a few bucks.
   
7. Buy as much hard drive capacity as you can afford.  Don't cheap out!   Data storage creep is a real problem.  It's stunning how fast data expands on a server!  We've seen tons of servers that have exhausted the capacity of their hard drives well before the end-of-life of their server.  Your dilemma will be finding compatible hard drives that match what you bought.  Don't count on being able to find matching hard drives even a couple of years after you bought your server.  Drive technology and capacities change very rapidly in this industry.  Using RAID technology for drive mirroring almost demands that server hard drives match one another.
8. Also remember that RAID hard drive redundancy (which is a must!) cuts you native capacity by up to half (1/3 for RAID 5).  Depending on the size of your organization, your needs may vary but even a small organization shouldn't consider less than 1 terabyte of available storage capacity AFTER your RAID is installed.  It's better to buy big once than have to replace your hard drives in just a couple of years.
9. Component redundancy is a wonderful thing.  Whenever possible use them - hard drives, network interfaces, power supplies, everything possible.  Just remember to use them if you buy them. 

Need help configuring a new server for your business?  Call ACT for help @ 47) 639-7000 or send an e-mail to sales@act4networks.com.