In our last post, we were introduced to the Windows Azure Pack. In this post we will cover the System Requirements and Prerequisites.
- Windows Azure Pack for Windows Server – Part 1: Introduction
- Windows Azure Pack for Windows Server – Part 2: System Requirements & Prerequisites
- Windows Azure Pack for Windows Server – Part 3: Installation (Express Deployment)
- Windows Azure Pack for Windows Server – Part 4: Provision and Configure Services
The first thing to note, just like the System Center components/products, you can install all the elements onto a single server, or in a distributed model.
Similarly, there are two options to install Windows Azure Pack:
- Express deployment. Installed on one machine for proof-of-concept testing.
- Distributed deployment. Installed on several machines in a distributed deployment for production environments.
For an overview of the system requirements, see the following TechNet article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn296442.aspx.
Since I am working in my lab, I’m not going to create separate VMs for each component, but rather for the purpose of getting to use/experience the product, I’m going to perform the Express deployment. It is this deployment option that I will document in this series. If anyone would like assistance (and for me to document) with the Distributed deployment option, please contact me via my About Me page.
System Requirements
For the official TechNet article with the System Requirements, see the following: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn469325.aspx.
Hardware Requirements
- RAM: 8 GB (don’t use dynamic memory)
- HDD Space: 40 GB
Software Requirements
- Windows Server® 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2
- Microsoft Web Platform Installer 4.6
- Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack (SP) 1
- Internet Information Services (IIS) 8 (built in component of Windows Server® 2012) or IIS 8.5 (built in component of Windows Server 2012 R2
- .NET Framework 4.5 Extended, with ASP.NET for Windows 8
Prerequisites
Follow these steps to install prerequisite software on each component machine. In my lab, this will all be done on a single system.
Install Windows Server OS
The Windows Azure Pack (WAP) is supported on Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2 Operating System. In my lab example, I have installed Windows Server 2012 R2 on a dedicated VM.
Disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration (ESC)
Launch Server Manager.
In the Server Manager dialog, within the Local Server Properties, click on the “IE Enhanced Security Configuration” link.
In the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration dialog, change the setting for Administrators from “On (Recommended)” to “Off“, then click OK.
Install Web Server IIS Role
In the Server Manager dialog, click on Manager > Add Roles and Features. This will launch the Add Roles and Features Wizard.
On the Before You Begin screen, click Next.
On the Installation Type screen, ensure that the “Role-based or feature-based installation” is selected, then click Next.
On the Server Selection screen, ensure the correct server is selected (more than likely the localhost), then click Next.
On the Server Roles screen, select Web Server (IIS). When you do, you will immediately encounter another dialog to add additionally required features. Click Add Features on the Add Features That Are Required For Web Server (IIS) dialog, then click Next.
On the Features screen, ensure that “.NET Framework 3.5“, and “ASP.NET 4.5” is selected.
On the Web Server Role (IIS) screen, review the information presented, then click Next.
On the Role Services screen, ensure the following is selected (in addition to the default selections), then click Next.
- Application Development > .NET Extensibility 4.5
- Application Development > ASP.NET 4.5
- Application Development > ISAPI Extensions
- Application Development > ISAPI Filters
On the Confirmation screen, click Install.
On the Results screen, click Close.
Install Microsoft Web Platform Installer
As of this writing, the latest version of the Microsoft Web Platform Installer is 5.0. You can download it from here: http://www.microsoft.com/web/downloads/platform.aspx.
NOTE: If your server does not have an Internet connection, you will need to download the installer from this location: https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9737537
Start the installation by launching the WebPlatformInstaller_amd64_en-US.msi file.
Read and accept the License Agreement, then click Install.
Once the installation is complete, click Finish.
Now that we have all the Prerequisites installed and setup, we can move onto the actual Windows Azure Pack installation.