Windows 7 / Networking

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Requirements for Windows Server 2008 Installation

Now that you have seen the benefits of Windows Server 2008, let's look at the requirements you need to install Windows Server 2008. It's because Windows 7 will be installed on Windows Server 2008 domains.

This tutorial walks you through the installation of Active Directory and then shows you how to add a Windows 7 machine to the domain. Because many readers have not switched to Windows Server 2008, it will help with the Active Directory installation.

Table-2, taken directly from Microsoft's website, it shows both the minimum and recommended requirements.

Table-2: Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Installation Requirements

Component	Requirement
Processor	Minimum: 1 GHz (x86 processor) or 1.4 GHz (x64 processor) Recommended: 2 GHz or faster Note: An Intel Itanium 2 processor is required for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based systems.
Memory	Minimum: 512 MB of RAM Recommended: 2 GB of RAM or greater Maximum (32-bit systems): 4 GB (Standard) or 64 GB (Enterprise and Datacenter) Maximum (64-bit systems): 32 GB (Standard) or 2 TB (Enterprise, Datacenter, and Itanium-based systems)
Available disk space	Minimum: 32 GB Recommended: 40 GB or greater Note: Computers with more than 16 GB of RAM will require more disk space for paging, hibernation, and dump files.
Drive	DVD-ROM drive
Display and peripherals	Super VGA (800x600) or higher-resolution monitor Keyboard Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device

The minimum requirements will allow the Windows Server 2008 operation system to install, but it will not be practical for any real-world situation. To make sure the requirements have not changed, visit Microsoft's website at www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/systemrequirements.aspx.

One nice feature that Microsoft gives you is that if anyone is interested in evaluating Windows Server 2008, you can do so for no cost. When evaluating Windows Server 2008, the installation does not require a product activation or product key. Any Microsoft Windows Server product can be installed without activating the software for 60 days.

But let's say at the end of the 60 days you still need more time to finish your evaluation. You may reset your evaluation three more times (60 days each). This will allow you to evaluate the product for up to 240 days. At the end of the 240 days, the Windows Server 2008 product will need to be uninstalled or a valid product key and activation will be required.