Hardware Requirements for Network Server Setup
Not only do you have to have a server computer to install the Network Operating System (NOS), the server must have enough resources to execute the program. Each NOS lists the minimum hardware requirements that the operating system supports. For example, the following table summarizes the minimum requirements for Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition.
Always take these minimums with a grain of salt. Windows Server 2008 will crawl like a snail with 512 MB of RAM; You shouldn’t bother with less than 4 GB, and 16 GB is a more appropriate minimum for most purposes.
Minimum hardware requirements for Windows Server 2008 R2
Item Windows Server 2008 R2
CPU 1.4 GHz
RAM 512MB
Free disk space 32 GB
You should also check your server hardware against the list of compatible devices published by your NOS maker. For example, Microsoft publishes a list of devices it has tested and certified as compatible with Windows servers.
This list is called the Hardware Compatibility List, or HCL for short. You can check the HCL for your specific server by going to the Microsoft website at Microsoft HCL. You can also test your computer’s compatibility by running the Check system compatibility option from your Windows distribution CD.