Installing Windows Server 2008 R2

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Posted by bambinou, 05-11-2012, 12:23 PM
Hello, I am going to try passing a Microsoft course, it is required to installed Windows Server 2008 R2. Now the problem is, how? I have a home computer with win7 64 bit installed already, is there a way to have like a virtual Windows Server 2008 R2? Or do I have to have a dual boot? What is the best way please? Thank you, Ben
Posted by dareORdie, 05-11-2012, 12:27 PM
You can use both method if you want to run win 2008R2 then you can use vmware workstation and install number of guest os. But it depends on your pc configuration as well RAM.
Posted by TravisT-[SSS], 05-11-2012, 12:28 PM
You can download VMPlayer from VMWare. It is free and works well. You may also dual boot it if you wish as well.
Posted by CokeSir, 05-11-2012, 12:33 PM
VMPlayer will do the trick
Posted by Collabora, 05-11-2012, 12:40 PM
Windows 7 cannot support a 64-bit guest operating system -- 32-bit only (yes, even 64-bit win7) I recommend you get a cheap pc and kvm (I like browsing the refurb section of tigerdirect.com) and load server on that. You will get more benefits during the learning process.....trust me.
Posted by bambinou, 05-11-2012, 12:43 PM
Thank you all for your reply Collabora The pcs where I live are quiet expensive, if I have a dual boot, it should be ok no? My next question is about the windows server itself, can it connect to 64 bit machines(clients) or not? Thank you, Ben
Posted by Collabora, 05-11-2012, 12:52 PM
Technically yes. You just won't have your win7 machine as a client to connect to since win7 won't be running when win2008 is. (If you can get win2008 into a virtual machine under win7, then you could.) [quote]My next question is about the windows server itself, can it connect to 64 bit machines(clients) or not? Yes. Whatever curriculum you will be using will tell you how to set up learning lab. You should follow their instructions so you can do the excersizes and scenarios properly.
Posted by DaFrog, 05-11-2012, 01:39 PM
Else VirtualBox can do it.
Posted by allquixotic, 05-11-2012, 03:15 PM
This is what us network guys call a "silly question". Once you understand the underpinnings of networking, you will think that this is a silly question, too. Hopefully whatever courses you're taking will give you the proper introduction. If not, you might be able to gain some insight from this tutorial on About (I haven't tried it so I don't know if it'd provide the relevant information): http://compnetworking.about.com/od/w...ses/l/blip.htm To try and answer this question very generally with the information you need: the short answer is that, almost without exception, network protocols at the IP layer and above (so IP, TCP, HTTP as examples at successively higher layers -- you may recognize some of these) automatically communicate in a platform-neutral data format. The process of preparing data on your computer across to be transferred across the network is called serialization (good google term). The process of pulling data off the network and translating it into in-memory data in a program is called de-serialization (another good google term). The standards bodies that defined TCP/IP, HTTP, etc. had good foresight in that they designed protocols that are "agnostic" to the underlying machine's architecture, because the serialization format (also known as the "wire format" or "wire protocol") of the data is very specific and does not change when the host hardware changes. So, based on what I just wrote, it is possible in theory for a future 128-bit IBM mainframe to communicate over HTTP -> TCP -> IP to another computer running Windows 95 on a 32-bit processor. The fact that these two can communicate over the network protocol is not a result of specific planning by either end; the Windows 95 computer has no knowledge of the fact that it's talking with a 128-bit computer, nor does it care. Both computers have to serialize the data into the same format, so interoperability is designed into the very structure of the Internet. Also know that, just because current wire protocols on the Internet do not factor in computer architecture in their design, doesn't mean that they can't. You COULD design a serialization protocol that changes depending on things like the endianness or pointer size of the computers sending and receiving the data. This would require a more complicated implementation, though, rather than just settling on one unified standard format that everyone has to implement. In fact, the standard is already a little strange compared to most modern computers: data is standardized to be transmitted in "Big-Endian" order for most modern protocols, which means that computers with a "Little-Endian" processor have to flip the data around (like picking up one end of a snake and flipping it over so that its head is facing the opposite direction) before sending it over the Internet. So if two Little-Endian computers are communicating, each side has to flip the snake around once: the sender has to flip it from Little-Endian (the source data) to Big-Endian (the serialized data), then the receiver has to flip it from Big-Endian (the serialized data) to Little-Endian (the endianness of the receiver's CPU). This "standardized overhead" is amusing to users of Big-Endian CPUs, considering that the vast majority of computers today are using the Intel x86 or x86_64 instruction sets, which are Little-Endian...
Posted by bambinou, 05-12-2012, 07:31 AM
Thanks Allquixotic for taking the time to explain in details the insights of networking. I honestly(in learning) do not believe that a question is silly when it is genuinely asked. The reason I asked this question is because a user(in the thread) wrote: "Windows 7 cannot support a 64-bit guest operating system -- 32-bit only (yes, even 64-bit win7)" This really confused me because others in the same thread said the opposite. Thank you. Ben
Posted by Collabora, 05-12-2012, 10:32 AM
Hi Ben, My remark was related to the limitations of creating a virtual server on Windows 7. That is a separate issue than networking or tcp/ip.
Posted by bambinou, 05-12-2012, 12:26 PM
Hi Collabora, I understand what you mean now. I would like to know something please, right now I am on the course that speaks about Domains, trees and forest, I understand this well but there is one thing I still do not work out. Users can share resources over the network if they are in the same group, but how can a software let multiple image of itself run for different users at the same time? Let's say I install paint.net on the server, how will this works out if multiple users are looking to access it together? Or do I have to install it on each machines? This is just an example of course... Thank you, Ben
Posted by Collabora, 05-12-2012, 12:46 PM
The simple answer is that you will need to install paint.net on each workstation. Paint.net is not a client-server application. If you want to run a desktop application from a server for multiple users you will need to install Remote Desktop Services on the server (formerly known as Terminal Services) - but that is a different chapter.
Posted by bambinou, 05-12-2012, 04:22 PM
Thanks Collabora, This is what I thought. I have watched 6 courses of the windows 2008 r2 tonight and really like it, I am starting to understand what it is and how it works. Right now I am on the Active Directory lessons. Ben
Posted by Collabora, 05-12-2012, 06:26 PM
Have fun! Good luck!
Posted by bambinou, 05-13-2012, 11:14 AM
Thanks Collabora :-)
Posted by Hivelocity-Lee, 05-13-2012, 10:46 PM
What edition is it Standard or Web edition? 2008 was a pain at first but once learning it I like it. I even like Microsoft's little web based panel called Website Panel. It seems like nobody wanted to even give that a chance and make conclusions without even trying it. It's a good little Web Based panel to setup DNS, Mail, Domains, FTP, DB's, and it works good for what it is. I mean your not going to resell hosting with it, but it does make life easier in setting up domains in windows and it's free. Good luck with it, and depending on what your doing with it long term look at other Roles you can turn on, and other features MS has for 2008 to install.

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