Specifying the correct system requirements for a real-world scenario

In a real-world production environment, you need to specify a system according to the design and business requirements.

Getting ready

When specifying the hardware for your private cloud deployment, take into consideration future growth needs. It is also important to apply the latest OS and software updates.

How to do it...

Use the following tables to carry out an extensive documentation of the hardware and software requirements for your deployment.

Create a document that outlines every solution component, describing the system requirements, before starting to implement.

How it works...

The following table shows the supported OS and servers for SC 2016:

Hardware requirements

Following are the hardware requirements to consider when specifying your VMM environment. Although for SMB, POC or demo scenarios you can have SQL installed on the VMM management server, the recommendation is to have SQL Server installed on another server. And you also won't run SQL and Library Servers on the VMM server if you want to manage more than 150 hosts.

Following are the hardware requirements for VMM management server:

Following are the hardware requirements for VMM database server:

Following are the hardware requirements for VMM library server.

The minimum and recommended requirements for a VMM library server will be determined by the quantity and size of the files that will be stored:

Following are the hardware requirements for the VMM console:

Following are the hardware requirements for the Windows Azure Pack.

Before the WAP installation, you need to consider which type of deployment and components you really need. In an express deployment, all core components are installed on the same machine. This type of deployment is recommended for demo and POC scenarios. Distributed deployment is when WAP portals and databases are running on dedicated virtual machines (up to 8, except for VMs for optional resource providers like VM Clouds or Web Sites):

Software requirements

Following are the requirements for VMM management server for SC 2016:

Software Requirement	Notes
Microsoft .NET Framework .NET 4.6	Included in Windows Server 2016 Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 is available at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53344
Windows Assesment and Deployment Kit (ADK)	To install the Windows ADK, you need to use the package from https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/windows-assessment-deployment-kit Important: You only need to download and install Deployment Tools and Windows Preinstallation Environment options on the VMM server
A supported version of SQL Server (if you're installing SQL on the VMM management server)	See the table for the supported OS's and servers for SC 2016
SQL Server Command Line Utilities	These utilities are required if you plan to deploy services that use SQL Server data-tier applications. You need to download them from the feature pack with the same version as installed SQL Server has. For example, SQL Server 2014 feature pack is available at https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=42295 Note: If you do not install these utilities, this will not block the installation.
PowerShell 5.0	Included in Windows Server 2016

 

The following table shows the requirements for the VMM console:

Software requirement	Notes
Windows PowerShell 4.0, 5.0	Included in Windows Server 2012 R2/2016 and Windows 8.1/10
At least Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5	On a computer running Windows 8.1 .NET 4.5.1 is built-in On a computer running Windows 10 .NET has 4.6 version by default and no actions will be required If for some reason, .NET is not installed by default, the VMM setup will install it.

Following are the requirements for core WAP components:

Software requirement	Notes
Microsoft Web Platform Installer 4.6 or later	Required for download and installation WAP components Available at https://www.microsoft.com/web/downloads/platform.aspx
IIS 8.0, 8.5, 10	Built-in in Windows Server 2012 R2/2016. WAP wizard configures IIS automatically during setup.
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack (SP) 1	Available but not installed in Windows Server 2012 R2/2016 by default. The package can also be download at https://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/details.aspx?id=22
.NET 4.5 Extended, with ASP.NET for Windows 8	WAP wizard checks and installs automatically.

See also

For more information, see the following references:

• Deploying Windows Azure Pack for cloud management recipe in Chapter 9, Managing Clouds, Fabric Updates, Resources, Clusters and new Features of 2016
• How to install Windows Azure Pack: https://rlevchenko.com/2014/11/12/step-by-step-installation-of-windows-azure-pack/

• Service Provider Foundation installation guide at https://rlevchenko.com/2014/10/29/step-by-step-installation-of-service-provider-foundation-2012-r2/

• Integrating VMM with WAP page at https://rlevchenko.com/2015/05/22/windows-azure-pack-how-to-add-and-troubleshoot-vm-clouds-2/