System Requirements: VMM Server

  • Article

Applies To: Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2, Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 SP1

For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, the following are estimated system requirements for installing the VMM server. If your computer does not meet the minimum requirements, you cannot install this component. Actual requirements vary based on your system configuration and the number of hosts and virtual machines that you manage.

You can use the same computer for the VMM server, the VMM database, and as a library server.

  • If you manage 20 hosts or less and you use the same computer for all three VMM components, see System Requirements: Installing VMM on a Single Computer.

  • If you manage up to 150 hosts and use the VMM server for either the VMM database or as a VMM library server, see the Managing up to 150 hosts table below.

  • If you manage more than 150 hosts, it is recommended that you use a dedicated computer for the VMM server. See the Managing more than 150 hosts table below.

Hardware Requirements

The minimum and recommended hardware requirements for the VMM server depend on the number of hosts that you manage and whether you use the same computer for the VMM server, the VMM database, and as a library server.

Managing up to 150 hosts

Hardware component Minimum Recommended

Processor

Pentium 4, 2 GHz (x64)

Dual-Processor, Dual-Core, 2.8 GHz (x64) or greater

RAM

2 GB

4 GB

Hard disk space (without a local VMM database)

2 GB

40 GB

Hard disk space (with a local SQL Server 2005 Express Edition database)

10 GB

50 GB

Note

For the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, the database size is limited to 4 GB.

Hard disk space (with a local, full version SQL Server 2005 database)

80 GB

150 GB

Note

If you also use the VMM server as a library server, you need to provide additional hard disk space for storing objects. For more information about the hard disk space requirements for the VMM library, see System Requirements: VMM Library Server.

Managing more than 150 hosts

Hardware component Minimum Recommended

Processor

Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz (x64)

Dual-Processor, Dual-Core, 3.6 GHz or greater (x64)

RAM

4 GB

8 GB

Hard disk space

10 GB

50 GB

Note

For better performance, when you are managing more than 150 hosts, it is recommended that you use a dedicated computer for the VMM server and do the following:

  • Add one or more remote computers as library servers and do not use the default library share on the VMM server.

  • Use a remote, full version of SQL Server for the VMM database.

Software Requirements

The following software must be installed prior to installing the VMM server.

Software requirement Notes

A supported operating system

For more information, see Supported Operating Systems for VMM Components.

Windows Remote Management (WinRM) 1.1 or 2.0

WinRM 1.1 is included in Windows Server 2008, and by default, the WinRM service is set to start automatically.

WinRM 2.0 is included in Windows Server 2008 R2, and by default, the WinRM service is set to start automatically (delayed start).

  • If the WinRM service is disabled or set to start manually and if the service is stopped, Setup will display a warning during the prerequisites check.

  • If the WinRM service is set to start automatically but is stopped, the Setup Wizard automatically starts the service.

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 or 3.0 SP1

.NET Framework 3.0 is included in Windows Server 2008. If this software has been removed, the VMM 2008 Setup Wizard automatically adds it.

The VMM 2008 R2 Setup Wizard automatically adds .NET Framework 3.0 SP1.

Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) 1.1

If this software has not been installed previously, the Setup Wizard automatically installs it.

A supported version of Microsoft SQL Server

If you use the same computer for your VMM server and your VMM database, you must install a supported version of Microsoft SQL Server. For more information about supported versions of SQL Server, see System Requirements: VMM Database.

Note

For better performance, when you are managing more than 150 hosts, it is recommended that you use a separate computer for your VMM database.

See Also

Concepts

Supported Operating Systems for VMM Components
System Requirements: Installing VMM on a Single Computer
System Requirements: VMM Database
VMM System Requirements