Windows server 2008 32 or 64 bit, what to get?

Shaye87

Shaye87

Shaye87

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Hello.
I am starting my MCITP Enterprise studies next week, and in the meanwhile just wanna "practice" some of the general UI of the OS and maybe some other things, so I was wondering if I should get a 32 or a 64 bit version of windows server 2008? also I will probably use it at home for self-practicing etc during my study...

Cheers guys.
 
If you want to use the Hyper-V features, you need the x64 version. I have a quad-core box w/8GB ram running 2008 x64 and it flies.. you really do need as much ram as possible (depending on what you want to do, of course)..
 
riddlermarc like I said this is only for training, I honestly don't know (yet) what Hyper-V features are... ;/

I will get the 64bit then.
 
why not use 64 bit more to the point? Only legacy kit doesn't like it (so maybe that a reason) but looking forward cpu's are built for it, application are built for it and in a busy server environment that wants lots of ram 64 bit is the way to go.

Phil
 
Depends on your uses.
We've gone with 32bit on every server but exchange here, purely to guarantee 100% compatibility with every software/hardware/ect; we have.
 
BoomAM said:
Depends on your uses.
We've gone with 32bit on every server but exchange here, purely to guarantee 100% compatibility with every software/hardware/ect; we have.
Click to expand...

Thats an odd position, to guarantee compatibility you're ensuring you have no compatibility with 64-bit only apps? All new server class hardware is 64-bit capable, all the vendors have decent drivers out now. Added to that in the increasingly likely event you need more than 4GB of RAM you have to buy enterprise edition...

It's basically for those reasons I've just changed our policy so you need explicit permission and a good reason to deploy a 32-bit OS from now onwards.
 
bigredshark said:
Thats an odd position, to guarantee compatibility you're ensuring you have no compatibility with 64-bit only apps? All new server class hardware is 64-bit capable, all the vendors have decent drivers out now. Added to that in the increasingly likely event you need more than 4GB of RAM you have to buy enterprise edition...

It's basically for those reasons I've just changed our policy so you need explicit permission and a good reason to deploy a 32-bit OS from now onwards.
Click to expand...
More than 2Gb on a server thats just doing DNS, or just DHCP, or just AD is pointless imo. So 32bit made sence in our scenario. Memory isnt an issue.
32bit IS still more compatible than 64bit, and with HP unable to guarantee us 100% compatibility with their software patches for things like Insight and drivers, we had no reason to 'risk' 64bit on every server. Regardless of role or spec.
Fits our scenario and works fine.
 
BoomAM said:
More than 2Gb on a server thats just doing DNS, or just DHCP, or just AD is pointless imo. So 32bit made sence in our scenario. Memory isnt an issue.
32bit IS still more compatible than 64bit, and with HP unable to guarantee us 100% compatibility with their software patches for things like Insight and drivers, we had no reason to 'risk' 64bit on every server. Regardless of role or spec.
Fits our scenario and works fine.
Click to expand...

Depends how heavily loaded the servers are, our AD boxes have 8GB each and they need it when they're busy.

HP have 64bit drivers for everything and it's not like they guarantee 32bit patches won't break everything, that seems to happen every so often with their drivers.

We felt no reason to constrain ourselves and end up being limited in the future by going 32bit.
 
bigredshark said:
Depends how heavily loaded the servers are, our AD boxes have 8GB each and they need it when they're busy.
Click to expand...
Also depends on how many DC's you have, what other functions they do, what connections they have, ect;
;)

HP have 64bit drivers for everything and it's not like they guarantee 32bit patches won't break everything, that seems to happen every so often with their drivers.

We felt no reason to constrain ourselves and end up being limited in the future by going 32bit.
Click to expand...
When i spoke to HP's representatives for the UK, at the time, they couldnt guarantee me full compatibility for 'at least 9 months or so' with 2k8 64bit. So we went 32bit.
Dont regret it at all. Have no reason to use 64bit on them.
Again, 32bit suits our uses. It doesnt suit yours.

Theres nothing that says one version is better than the other or that either of us made the right or wrong call.
 
Suprised no one has said, if you are going to use exchange 2007 you should really only use 64bit! if it were me then I would use 64bit, lets face it 32bit is old hat now.
 
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