Virtual Servers - Best Practise?

[LeMarchand]

Have recently had a new server commissioned, which consists of a bunch of virtual servers running various functions. Would like to set up WDS and WSUS and can do this on the DC, but was wondering whether it would be better to create a separate virtual server for these.

 

Bearing in mind that I'd have to do a LOT of reading up to be able to set up a new virtual server, would it be worth it? Or better to stick with what I know (very limited time)? If "new VM" is the answer, are there licensing ramifications?

 

My sensible side says "you haven't got much time, go with the tried and tested (and you won't break anything)" but my more adventurous side would like to experiment.

[john]

How are you licensing Windows could be the first question? If you have Standard or Enterprise Server licenses then you are limited to the number of VMs you can run, if you have Datacentre that removes that limit so its then have you got the hardware to run more VMs

 

If you have the capacity for splitting roles up why squash them together was my view so each role had its own box near enough so if say a print issue occurred, worse case is we had no printers but the rest of the LAN was fine, where as squash roles up you could have 3 or 4 services offline at the same time. Our Xen hosts were licensed for Datacentre which then meant I could run unlimited VMs on those hosts and was great, want to test something fire up a VM and when it stays no licensing issues to worry about

[LeMarchand]

How are you licensing Windows could be the first question? If you have Standard or Enterprise Server licenses then you are limited to the number of VMs you can run, if you have Datacentre that removes that limit so its then have you got the hardware to run more VMs

 

Will just be whatever is standard with EES.

[twin--turbo]

Usualy ( on VMware and Xen , never tried on hyperV) setting up a new vMserver is very very easy.

 

What are you using.

 

Rob

[fiza]

Easy on HyperV - Its all wizard based. Decide on how much memory you want to allocate and how big the hard drive will be.

Click new VM and go. Obviously you will need the Server Media in the physical DVD drive. Other than that its plain sailing!

[alexsanger]

Would help to know if you're VMware, HyperV or Xen or something less obvious. Assuming you have enough hardware resources (CPUs, RAM and storage) and the licensing available, you can set up as many servers as you feel you need. I tend to split roles out to individual servers.

 

You should have a Golden Image - a ready to go image of a server that you pull onto a new VM configuration when you set it up. When I had a VMware setup it took all of 5 mins to have a new server up and running, and most of that time was the system creating the new VHD. The wizard process gives you the opportunity to change the name and the IP address.

[john]

Will just be whatever is standard with EES.

 

You can have all 3, well 2 now with 2012 licensing as its Standard or Datacentre with 2012. You need to look at what you have bought on your agreement before you can go any further really as you could be not correctly licensed.

 

If its 2012 you have licensed and you have got standard you are entitled to run up to 2 VMs on two CPUs with it.

 

This might help understand how 2012 virtualisation rights work - http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CEMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.microsoft.com%2Fdownload%2F4%2FD%2FB%2F4DB352D1-C610-466A-9AAF-EEF4F4CFFF27%2FWS2012_Licensing-Pricing_FAQ.pdf&ei=1PlTUtLEBerE7AbMtoCYAw&usg=AFQjCNEtmNeiIPtw0boIAju2kH4iqOAxvw&sig2=itxmcDWYOPRP9j9qMOMTuw&bvm=bv.53537100,d.d2k page 6 explains how you can do what with Standard and around that page gives more info on virtualisation rights.

[twin--turbo]

Obviously you will need the Server Media in the physical DVD drive.

 

Is there no iso store for HyperV

[alexsanger]

Is there no iso store for HyperV

 

Yeah, we hold it on the local drive of the host server.

[Roberto]

Obviously you will need the Server Media in the physical DVD drive

 

Not sure why you're saying that. We've set up two hyperV farms with about 60 or 70 servers spread across them, and at no time during deployment of the hosts or the guest VMs has any of the servers had any physical cd/dvd media of any kind loaded.

[fiza]

Not sure why you're saying that. We've set up two hyperV farms with about 60 or 70 servers spread across them, and at no time during deployment of the hosts or the guest VMs has any of the servers had any physical cd/dvd media of any kind loaded.

 

Im just talking from the way I did it. I dont have hyper farms - just 1 hyperv server. I loaded the disc in and told Hyperv to create a Server VM by installing the OS from the disc.

[Roberto]

Im just talking from the way I did it. I dont have hyper farms - just 1 hyperv server. I loaded the disc in and told Hyperv to create a Server VM by installing the OS from the disc.

 

You know you can create an .iso image of that disk and greatly reduce your time to deploy a new VM right? We download all of our client and server OS and applications as .iso files from Microsoft but even just creating your own image is really worth doing to make it easier to get at the media for new deployments or when you need the deployment media for adding a server role.

[fiza]

You know you can create an .iso image of that disk and greatly reduce your time to deploy a new VM right? We download all of our client and server OS and applications as .iso files from Microsoft but even just creating your own image is really worth doing to make it easier to get at the media for new deployments or when you need the deployment media for adding a server role.

 

Like I said I only have 1 HyperV server with a handful of VMs on it. I never considered .iso files so thanks for the tip.

[fiza]

You know you can create an .iso image of that disk and greatly reduce your time to deploy a new VM right? We download all of our client and server OS and applications as .iso files from Microsoft but even just creating your own image is really worth doing to make it easier to get at the media for new deployments or when you need the deployment media for adding a server role.

 

Isnt it even quicker to get pre-built VHD files of the Server OS? Are these available from MS?

[Roberto]

Isnt it even quicker to get pre-built VHD files of the Server OS? Are these available from MS?

 

I don't know if they're available for anything other than evaluation, but if they are then yeah, they'd be even better for sure.

[LeMarchand]

Usualy ( on VMware and Xen , never tried on hyperV) setting up a new vMserver is very very easy.

 

What are you using.

 

Rob

 

I was assuming Hyper-V, but spent my first "proper" day (almost) clearing the "ICT Problems" book that dated back to Jan. I was patting myself on the back when the head pointed out a number of large jobs that hadn't made it that far .

 

You can have all 3, well 2 now with 2012 licensing as its Standard or Datacentre with 2012. You need to look at what you have bought on your agreement before you can go any further really as you could be not correctly licensed.

 

If its 2012 you have licensed and you have got standard you are entitled to run up to 2 VMs on two CPUs with it.

 

This might help understand how 2012 virtualisation rights work - http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CEMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.microsoft.com%2Fdownload%2F4%2FD%2FB%2F4DB352D1-C610-466A-9AAF-EEF4F4CFFF27%2FWS2012_Licensing-Pricing_FAQ.pdf&ei=1PlTUtLEBerE7AbMtoCYAw&usg=AFQjCNEtmNeiIPtw0boIAju2kH4iqOAxvw&sig2=itxmcDWYOPRP9j9qMOMTuw&bvm=bv.53537100,d.d2k page 6 explains how you can do what with Standard and around that page gives more info on virtualisation rights.

 

Cheers, I'll look into that but it's looking as if they won't have enough licenses for more VMs.

 

Thanks for all the informative replies, folks.

Edited October 8, 2013 by LeMarchand
Smiley typo

[twin--turbo]

Well whichever it is somone can give you a 5 second build a server tutorial

 

I can do vMware, and Xen.

 

Rob

[HPlum78]

I thought the days of not multi rolling servers had long since gone with the advent of server 2000, and I have been running networks in schools, unis, colleges and businesses since NT3.1 when multi rolling was not so good! But these days I would not waste time or licences on running multiple server installations for the above two roles even with virtualization! Also if you feel that multiple VMs are needed because splitting up roles is paramount then ask yourself about what you are virtualizing on to! if the reason is they should not share the same server then surly they should not share the same host? unless your infrastructure is one that is fully redundant? That's not to say that single role single server is not to be done just think about the importance of the roles.

[KK20]

If its 2012 you have licensed and you have got standard you are entitled to run up to 2 VMs on two CPUs with it.

 

Just as an additional to what john has already said. Thats 2VMs and 2 CPUs per 2012 server (standard) license (enterprise is just gogogo for VMs). So if you have a 2012 standard licence that is currently supporting a host with 2 CPUs then it can have 2VMs (thats windows server VMs - you could have another dozen linux ones if you so wish). If you have an additional licensed 2012 server sat around then virtualise that one and transfer the license to your host - now you can have 4VMs and 4 CPUs on that 2012 server (magically transforming your single extra physical server server into 2 VMs).

 

It does depend how many 2012 licenses you have purchased (you might have 2 licenses already but only 3 VMs so you are covered for another VM etc).