Sage 100

Hardware Specialists. Customer is looking to buy a new server today. Our server specialist is sick and unavailable. Customer is on v2016 of Sage. Customer is going to Server2016 and thinking of using it's virtual license ability(?). Customer wants to know 'why do people virtualize the servers'? If they do virtualize with S2016, can they run Active Directory/Domain Controller on the main server and then virtualize a server for Sage or do they need a virtual for AD/DC too and leave main as just a host? Sage SPM says Quad-Core AMD, so if virtualizing, should they have 2 Quad Core AMD or is 1 enough to run the server and virtual(s). Here is my possibly dumbest question. Do they need add'l virtualization software (VMWare, Hyper-V) to do this virtualization in 2016? Guessing Customer IT isn't real familiar with Virtualization which is a bit scary then to recommend. Thanks in Advance.

Virtual servers are easier to move, restore, and segregate functions on the same server hardware. Dual CPUs each being 4 cores a good start. Don't skimp on the memory. Server 2016 Standard comes with two licenses for virtual servers. It also provides a license for a virtual host (Hyper V). You can install the Hyper V server, a virtual domain controller and a virtual file server. The virtual host can be a domain member (best practice), but not the DC. If IT isn't familiar with virtualization, probably should take a different approach and go with physical servers.

Today??? Good deal on the Home Shopping Network? How many servers do they have and what applications do they use them for? Maybe they don't even need to virtualize.

The Microsoft licensing is a bit batty now for Windows Server 2016, but the long story, short version is: per physical server, you must have a minimum of 16-cores licensed, so it makes sense to get 2 physical CPUs with 8 cores each. If the new server has more CPU cores, then you need to add more Server licenses. Once all cores are licensed, that entitles you to run 1 x Windows Server instance on the physical server, or two virtual Windows Server instances. The one allowable exception is to run Windows Server 2016 on the physical server with, and only with, the Hyper-V role (no files/servers/AD/etc), and then you are still free to run two virtual servers.

As to why, my favorite reason is snapshots/checkpoints, that allow you to take a image backup and then restore it if everything goes to pot. The other nice reason is that the entire virtual server is represented by a VHD/VHDX file that can be easily moved to another server (even while it's still running) in case you want to do physical server maintenance.

Hyper-V is a free role inside Windows Server. VMWare also has free hypervisor(s), but they charge for the management tools.

Thanks Everyone! Appreciate the help. Have a good weekend, make sure and cheer for my Vikings!!

SKOL!!!

Virtualizing on a single server is not nearly as cost effective as it used to be with the new licensing. It is really being poisitioned for data centers as we license by the core and have much more powerful servers. Then the advatage is that you can cluster those physical devices and run in ""High Availability"" mode where the virtual server is actually running on more than one physical device. In 2016 the virtualization role played by Hyper-V has also improved to the point where it is a decent competitor for Citrix XEN and VMWare and is much more cost effective than anything above the free versions of those products.