Home lab server setup

Big Chris · 31 Oct 2012 at 19:01

Just started a few MS courses and have managed to procure an 'old' HP PC which currently runs a Core2 Duo, 1GB RAM and an 80GB drive.

Figured I could stick 4GB DDR2 RAM and a 500GB HDD in there fairly cheaply and start messing around.

I'm doing Win7 Desktop courses but having never played with a server before was wondering if it might be worth installing Server 2008 R2 then having some VM's running Win7 so I can get a general idea of how it all installs/configures and runs.

I'm not going to specialise in servers I don't think, but it can't hurt to know the basics and I've always been curious about this kinda stuff even though I'm solely in Desktop Support at the moment.

Am I talking sense, or barking up the wrong tree?

Big Chris · 31 Oct 2012 at 20:07

Yeah I read your thread, hoped it would answer my questions but I didn't really follow most of it!

I'm a complete beginner at this stuff, I've installed Windows plenty of times but no idea how best to knock up this latest idea of mine.

I figured if I installed Server 2008 then I could run some Win7 VM's and play with DNS etc, just not sure if it will work that way or if there's a better solution for just teaching myself the basics. This setup isn't actually going to run anything as such, just a plaything in lieu of any actual training since my employers are tight and I've got some of the MS course textbooks from a colleague.

As for Leam, small world!

Big Chris · 1 Nov 2012 at 18:40

Any thoughts guys? Just want to know if installing Server 2008 R2 as the O/S then running VM's is the best way to go here for just general fiddling around.

Will it be able to 'administer' the Win7 VM's so I can play with setting up DNS etc?

Big Chris · 7 Nov 2012 at 19:00

Ok cool. So I can install Server 2008 R2 and I can administer the Win7 VM's as per a mini network/domain right?

Do I have to stick with Hyper-V or can I try VMWare too? My plan is to just have a play with various methods really, so can I have 1 of each VM, and if so can they both be 'managed' by Server 2008? Apologies if I sound like an idiot, this is all new to me!

Big Chris · 7 Nov 2012 at 19:48

Sweet, I'll get cracking then! I just want to know how each approach works really, then once I've got a few VM's up and running successfully I can play with the server options in 2008 R2.

I've got some of the MS server course materials which I'm going to look through, but since most of it will probably go over my head to begin with is there an idiots guide to getting started?

Big Chris · 8 Nov 2012 at 16:45

Thanks RimBlock, however as mentioned earlier I'm a complete newcomer to this sort of stuff so most of your post went about 3ft over my head I'm afraid!

For example, the following question may be very stupid: if I run say 2 Win7 VM's on this machine, will they be networked, as in able to see eachother and the Server 2008 host as per machines on a physical network?

Is there some sort of beginners guide to setting this sort of thing up or do I just need to get stuck in and see what happens? I wasn't planning on getting this machine on the internet as such, it's just a plaything for now.