windows-xp/Source/XPSP1/NT/mergedcomponents/releasenotes/amd64/datactr1.txt

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    Planning Your Microsoft Whistler Datacenter Server Installation
                      Release Notes, Part 1 of 4
                                Beta 2

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         (c) 2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


These notes support a preliminary release of a software program that
bears the project code name Whistler.

This text file series helps you understand the choices available
during Setup for Whistler Datacenter Server. For more information
about the deployment of servers, see the "Microsoft Windows 2000 
Server Resource Kit, Deployment Planning Guide."

In this section of the text file series:
1.0     System Requirements and Hardware Compatibility
2.0     Important Files to Review
3.0     Decisions Made During Installation
4.0     Choosing a Licensing Mode
5.0     Choosing a File System
6.0     Planning Disk Partitions
7.0     Choosing Components to Install
8.0     Networks: TCP/IP, IP Addresses, and Name Resolution
9.0     Deciding Between Workgroups and Domains

After making the decisions outlined in this text file series, you'll
be ready to run Whistler Setup and, later, to use Configure Your
Server. Together, Setup and Configure Your Server help you get
your servers up and running quickly. To find out more about Configure
Your Server, see Whistler Help and Support Services. To open Help
and Support Services, after completing Setup, click Start, and then 
click Help and Support.

======================================================================
1.0   System Requirements and Hardware Compatibility
======================================================================

Computers that run Whistler Datacenter Server must be on the Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL). The HCL is on the Whistler CD, in the
Support folder, in Hcl.txt. For the most up-to-date list of supported 
hardware, see the Hardware Compatibility List by visiting the 
Microsoft Web site at:

http://www.microsoft.com/

The requirements for systems on the Datacenter Server HCL include the
following:

 * 400 megahertz (MHz) Pentium or higher central processing unit 
   (CPU) for x86-based computers, and 800 MHz Pentium or higher for
   Itanium-based computers.

   * On x86-based computers, a maximum of 32 CPUs per computer 
     are supported.

   * On Itanium-based computers, a maximum of 64 CPUs per computer
     are supported.

 * 512 megabytes (MB) of RAM minimum.

   * On x86-based computers, maximum RAM is 64 GB.

   * On Itanium-based computers, maximum RAM is 128 GB.

 * A hard disk partition with enough free space to accommodate the
   setup process. The minimum amount of space required is
   approximately 2 GB. More space might be needed, depending on the
   following:

   * The components being installed: the more components, the more
     space needed.

   * The file system used: FAT requires 100-200 MB more free disk
     space than other file systems. (NTFS is the recommended file
     system.)

   * The method used for installation: if installing across a
     network, allow 100-200 MB more space than if installing from
     the CD. (More driver files need to be available during
     installation across a network.)

   * The size of the paging file.

Note: The setup process requires the free disk space described in the 
previous paragraphs. After Setup is finished, actual hard disk space 
used for the operating system (excluding user accounts) is usually 
less than the free space required for Setup, depending on the system 
components installed.

For additional information about planning the sizes of disk 
partitions, including information about creating a separate partition
for Remote Installation Services, see "Planning Disk Partitions" later
in this text file series.

 * VGA or higher-resolution monitor, keyboard, and (optionally) a
   mouse or other pointing device.

   Alternatively, for operation without a monitor or keyboard, you
   can choose a remote diagnostic and support processor from the
   list in the HCL.

For CD installation:

 * A CD-ROM or DVD drive.

For network installation:

 * One or more Whistler-compatible network adapters and related
   cables.

 * A server from which to offer network access for the Setup files.

======================================================================
2.0   Important Files to Review
======================================================================

At some point in your planning process, before running Setup, 
familiarize yourself with the Readme.doc file found on the root 
directory of the Whistler Datacenter Server CD. This file contains 
important usage information about hardware, networks, applications, 
and printing.

You should also review the Hardware Compatibility List for
Whistler Datacenter Server. For more information, see "System 
Requirements and Hardware Compatibility" earlier in this text file 
series.

======================================================================
3.0   Decisions Made During Installation
======================================================================

The following list outlines the basic choices available during
installation.

3.1   What Licensing Mode to Use
======================================================================

Products in the Whistler Server family support two licensing modes:
Per Seat and Per Server. The Per Seat mode requires a separate Client
Access License (CAL) for each computer that accesses a server running
Whistler. The Per Server mode requires a separate CAL for each 
Concurrent connection to a server.

If you plan to use Terminal Server, you will probably choose Per Seat
licensing, and you will also need to install two components, Terminal
Server and Terminal Server Licensing. For more information about
licensing, see "Choosing a Licensing Mode" later in this text file
series. For more information about Terminal Server components,
see "Choosing Components to Install" later in this text file series.

3.2   What File System to Use
======================================================================

The file systems to choose from are NTFS, FAT, and FAT32. NTFS is the 
only file system recommended for Datacenter Server. It is also the 
only file system that supports Active Directory, which includes many
important features such as domains and domain-based security.

3.3   What Partition You Will Install On, or Whether You Will Need a New Partition for Your Installation
======================================================================

Before running Setup, you will need to review your disk partitions. A
partition divides a disk into one or more areas that can be formatted
for use by one file system. Different partitions often have different
drive letters (for example, C and D). After running Setup, you can
modify the partitioning of the disk. For information about planning
the partitions for a new installation, see "Planning Disk Partitions"
later in this text file series.

3.4   What Components to Install
======================================================================

There are a variety of optional components to choose from when
installing Whistler Datacenter Server. You can install these
components during Setup, or you can add them later (through Add or
Remove Programs in Control Panel). Alternatively, you can use the
Configure Your Server Wizard, which will choose and install components
for you according to the type of server you specify. For more
information about components, see "Choosing Components to Install"
later in this text file series.

3.5   How to Handle Networks, IP Addresses, and TCP/IP Name Resolution
======================================================================

Most networked computers currently use TCP/IP as the network
protocol. If you use a different network protocol, before running
Setup you will need to familiarize yourself with your current
settings. With TCP/IP (the protocol used on the Internet), you will
need to make decisions about how to handle IP addresses and how they
will be resolved (translated) into names that users recognize. For
more information, see "Networks: TCP/IP, IP Addresses, and Name
Resolution" later in this text file series.

3.6   Whether to Create Domains or Workgroups for Your Servers
======================================================================

A domain is a grouping of accounts and network resources under a
single domain name and security boundary. A workgroup is more basic,
intended only to help users find such things as printers and shared
folders within that group. Domains make it easier for an administrator
to control access to resources and keep track of users. For more
information, see "Deciding Between Workgroups and Domains" later in
this text file series.

======================================================================
4.0   Choosing a Licensing Mode
======================================================================

Products in the Whistler Server family support two licensing modes:
Per Seat and Per Server.

If you choose the Per Seat mode, each computer that accesses a server
running Whistler requires a separate Client Access License (CAL). With
one CAL, a particular client computer can connect to any number of
servers. This is the most commonly used licensing method for companies
with more than one server running a product from the Whistler Server
family.

In contrast, Per Server licensing means that each concurrent
connection to this server requires a separate CAL. In other words, this server can support a fixed number of connections at any one time.
For example, if you selected the Per Server client licensing mode and
five concurrent connections, this server could have five computers
(clients) connected at any one time. Those computers would not need
any additional licenses.

The Per Server licensing mode is often preferred by small companies
with only one server running Whistler Datacenter Server. It is also
useful for Internet or remote access servers where the client
computers might not be licensed as Whistler network clients. You can
specify a maximum number of concurrent server connections and reject
any additional logon requests.

If you are unsure which mode to use, choose Per Server because you can
change once from Per Server to Per Seat at no cost. (However, if you
plan to use Terminal Server, see the next paragraph.)

If you plan to use Terminal Server, the licensing mode is usually Per
Seat, except with the Terminal Server Internet Connector license,
where the mode is always Per Server. In addition, you also need to 
install two components: Terminal Server and Terminal Server Licensing. 
For more information about these components, see "Choosing Components 
to Install" later in this text file series.

======================================================================
5.0 Choosing a File System
======================================================================

You can choose among three file systems for disk partitions on a
computer running Whistler: NTFS, FAT, and FAT32. NTFS is the
recommended system. FAT and FAT32 are similar to each other, except
that FAT32 is designed for larger disks than FAT. (The file system
that works most easily with large disks is NTFS.) This section
provides information to help you compare the file systems. The section
that follows provides additional information about NTFS.

NTFS has always been a more powerful file system than FAT and FAT32.
Windows 2000 and Whistler include a new version of NTFS, with support
for a variety of features including Active Directory, which is needed
for domains, user accounts, and other important security features. For
more details about features in NTFS, see "NTFS" later in this text
file series.

Setup makes it easy to convert your partition to the new version of 
NTFS, even if it used FAT or FAT32 before. This kind of conversion 
keeps your files intact (unlike formatting a partition). If you don't 
need to keep your files intact and you have a FAT or FAT32 partition, 
you should format the partition with NTFS rather than converting from 
FAT or FAT32. Formatting a partition erases all data on the partition, 
but a partition that is formatted with NTFS rather than converted from 
FAT or FAT32 will have less fragmentation and better performance.

However, it is still advantageous to use NTFS, regardless of whether
the partition was formatted with NTFS or converted. A partition can
also be converted after completing Setup by using Convert.exe. For 
more information about Convert.exe, after completing Setup, click 
Start, click Run, type cmd, and then press ENTER. In the command 
window, type help convert, and then press ENTER.

Note: You can use important features such as Active Directory and 
domain-based security only by choosing NTFS as your file system.

5.1   NTFS
======================================================================

Some the features included in NTFS are:

 * Active Directory, which you can use to view and control network
   resources easily.

 * Domains, which are part of Active Directory and which you can use
   to fine-tune security options while keeping administration
   simple. Domain controllers require NTFS.

 * File encryption, which greatly enhances security.

 * Permissions that can be set on individual files rather than just
   folders.

 * Sparse files. These are very large files created by applications
   in such a way that only limited disk space is needed. That is,
   NTFS allocates disk space only to the portions of a file that
   are written to.

 * Remote Storage, which provides an extension to your disk space by
   making removable media such as tapes more accessible.

 * Recovery logging of disk activities, which helps you restore
   information quickly in the event of power failure or other
   system problems.

 * Disk quotas, which you can use to monitor and control the amount
   of disk space used by individual users.

 * Better scalability to large drives. The maximum drive size for
   NTFS is much greater than that for FAT, and as drive size
   increases, performance with NTFS doesn't degrade as it does with
   FAT.

Setup makes it easy to convert your partition to the new version of 
NTFS, even if it used FAT or FAT32 before. This kind of conversion 
keeps your files intact (unlike formatting a partition). Setup begins 
by checking the existing file system. If it is NTFS, conversion 
happens automatically. If it is FAT or FAT32, Setup gives you the 
opportunity to convert to NTFS. If you don't need to keep your files 
intact and you have a FAT or FAT32 partition, you should format the 
partition with NTFS rather than converting from FAT or FAT32. 
Formatting a partition erases all data on the partition, but a 
partition that is formatted with NTFS rather than converted from FAT 
or FAT32 will have less fragmentation and better performance.

However, it is still advantageous to use NTFS, regardless of whether
the partition was formatted with NTFS or converted. A partition can
also be converted after Setup by using Convert.exe. For more
information about Convert.exe, after completing Setup, click Start,
click Run, type cmd, and then press ENTER. In the command window, type
help convert, and then press ENTER.

(continued in Datactr2.txt)