In this chapter, we will use the following software:

• Windows Server 2016
• Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAPT)

When planning for virtualization, correctly assessing all infrastructure components is crucial for successfully completing migration projects. Only by having a complete and detailed picture of the entire infrastructure will we be able to get a stable virtual environment and workload operations.

Installing Windows Server 2016 is an easy process, and is far simpler than older editions. In a corporate environment, however, a server administrator or an IT professional is likely to have more than one server and, as simple as the installation process may be, it is time-consuming and inefficient to install one server at a time. Individuals and companies may also have...

A disk image is a file that contains the data and the same file structure as a physical disk or disk volume. As the image of a disk represents an exact copy of its physical sibling, disk images are used for various purposes, such as disk cloning (also known as disk imaging) and for backup. They are also used extensively in virtualization.

Disk imaging or disk cloning is the process of making a copy of a physical drive to a file (a disk image), and then using a disk image to create new disk images or physical drives, usually for the purpose of creating new physical or virtual computers. This enables the automation of computer deployments and saves significant amounts of time. The disk cloning process does not necessarily have to involve the disk image file, because cloning can be performed directly from disk to disk, but having an image has numerous advantages...

After the image has been mounted, the most frequent image servicing tasks are usually updating software and adding device drivers. DISM only supports device drivers that are made up of .inf files. Drivers in executable (.exe) files and Microsoft Windows Installer files (.msi) are not supported. When specified, the /Add-Driver switch needs the location information of the driver's information (.inf) file and adds the driver to the image. The /Recurse switch adds all the drivers that are found in a specified folder. The following command adds all drivers in the c:\drivers folder to the image that's mounted in the c:\mountedimage folder:

DISM.exe /image:c:\mountedimage /Add-Driver /driver:c:\drivers\ /recurse

If you prefer PowerShell, the equivalent command is as follows:

 Add-WindowsDriver -Path c:\mountedimage -Driver c:\drivers -Recurse 

In this chapter, we have discussed the different types of virtualization and the advantages that virtualization brings, along with the points to consider when planning and preparing an infrastructure for virtualization. We also had a look at how to perform hardware and software assessment and how to get an inventory of an infrastructure using the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit. After that, we explained how to speed up the deployment process using the System Preparation tool and the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool. These two tools help us to prepare, manage, and service images that can later be used in bare-metal or virtualized environments.

In the next chapter, we will cover an important and fundamental topic – storage. You will learn how to configure disks and volumes, how to implement server storage for redundancy and resiliency, and...

1. What are the benefits of virtualization? Choose all that apply.
   1. Faster server deployment
   2. Lower operational costs
   3. Slower and secure client deployment
   4. Running production workloads in a non-isolated environment
   5. Easier backup
   6. Server consolidation
2. What are the main considerations when planning for server virtualization? Choose all that apply.
   1. CPU usage
   2. Memory requirements
   3. Driver versions
   4. Disk usage
   5. Expansion ports compatibility
3. Which would you use to assess the infrastructure and gather details about the hardware and the software?
   1. WDS
   2. WAIK
   3. MAPT
   4. LAPS
4. True or False: The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit does not need any SQL Server version to run.
   1. True
   2. False
5. True or False: To perform an infrastructure assessment using the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, you must be connected to the internet.
   1. True
   2. False
6. Which methods does the Microsoft Assessment...

To further enhance your studies and prepare for the exam, or for future reference, you can visit the following online resources and articles:

• Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit – Getting Started Guide: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/17782.microsoft-assessment-and-planning-toolkit-getting-started-guide.aspx
• DISM Overview: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/what-is-dism
• DISM Reference: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/dism-reference--deployment-image-servicing-and-management
• DISM Best Practices: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/deployment-image-servicing-and-management--dism--best-practices
• Sysprep (System Preparation) Overview: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/sysprep--system...