Windows Server® 2016
System Requirements:
This
topic addresses the minimum system requirements to run Windows Server® 2016.
☛Note
In this
release, clean installations are recommended.
☛Note
With the
Server Core option, you should be aware that no GUI components are installed at
all and you will not be able to install or uninstall them with Server Manager.
If you need GUI features, be sure to choose the "Server with Desktop
Experience" option when you install Windows Server 2016.
Review system requirements
The
following are estimated system requirements Windows Server 2016. If your
computer has less than the "minimum" requirements, you will not be
able to install this product correctly. Actual requirements will vary based on
your system configuration and the applications and features you install.
Unless
otherwise specified, these minimum system requirements apply to all
installation options (Server Core, Server with Desktop Experience, and Nano
Server) and both Standard and Datacenter editions.
Processor
Processor
performance depends not only on the clock frequency of the processor, but also
on the number of processor cores and the size of the processor cache. The
following are the processor requirements for this product:
Minimum:
- 1.4 GHz 64-bit processor
- Compatible with x64
instruction set
- Supports NX and DEP
- Supports CMPXCHG16b,
LAHF/SAHF, and PrefetchW
- Supports Second Level
Address Translation (EPT or NPT)
Coreinfo
is a tool you can use to confirm which of these capabilities you CPU has.
RAM:
The
following are the estimated RAM requirements for this product:
Minimum:
- 512 MB (2 GB for Server with
Desktop Experience installation option)
- ECC (Error Correcting Code)
type or similar technology
⍟ Important
If you create a virtual machine with the minimum supported hardware
parameters (1 processor core and 512 MB RAM) and then attempt to install this
release on the virtual machine, Setup will fail.
To avoid this, do one of the following:
- Allocate more than 800 MB
RAM to the virtual machine you intend to install this release on. Once
Setup has completed, you can change the allocation to as little as 512 MB
RAM, depending on the actual server configuration.
- Interrupt the boot process
of this release on the virtual machine with SHIFT+F10. In the command
prompt that opens, use Diskpart.exe to create and format an installation
partition. Run Wpeutil createpagefile /path=C:\pf.sys (assuming the
installation partition you created was C:). Close the command prompt and
proceed with Setup.
Storage controller and disk space requirements
Computers
that run Windows Server 2016 must include a storage adapter that is compliant
with the PCI Express architecture specification. Persistent storage devices on
servers classified as hard disk drives must not be PATA. Windows Server 2016
does not allow ATA/PATA/IDE/EIDE for boot, page, or data drives.
The
following are the estimated minimum disk space requirements
for the system partition.
Minimum: 32 GB
☛Note
Be aware that 32 GB should be considered an absolute minimum value for
successful installation. This minimum should allow you to install Windows
Server 2016 in Server Core mode, with the Web Services (IIS) server role. A server
in Server Core mode is about 4 GB smaller than the same server in Server with a
GUI mode.
The system partition will need extra space for any of the following
circumstances:
- If you install the system
over a network.
- Computers with more than 16
GB of RAM will require more disk space for paging, hibernation, and dump
files.
Network adaptor
requirements
Network adaptors used with this release should
include these features:
Minimum:
- An
Ethernet adaptor capable of at least gigabit throughput
- Compliant
with the PCI Express architecture specification.
- Supports
Pre-boot Execution Environment (PXE).
A network adaptor that supports network debugging
(KDNet) is useful, but not a minimum requirement.
Other requirements
Computers running this release also must have the
following:
- DVD drive
(if you intend to install the operating system from DVD media)
The following items are not strictly required, but
are necessary for certain features:
- UEFI
2.3.1c-based system and firmware that supports secure boot
- Trusted Platform
Module
- Graphics
device and monitor capable of Super VGA (1024 x 768) or higher-resolution
- Keyboard
and Microsoft® mouse (or other compatible pointing device)
- Internet
access (fees may apply)
☛Note
A Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip is not strictly
required to install this release, though it is necessary in order to use
certain features such as BitLocker Drive Encryption. If your computer uses TPM,
it must meet these requirements:
- Hardware-based
TPMs must implement version 2.0 of the TPM specification.
- TPMs that
implement version 2.0 must have an EK certificate that is >either
pre-provisioned to the TPM by the hardware vendor or be capable of
>being retrieved by the device during the first boot.
- TPMs that
implement version 2.0 must ship with SHA-256 PCR banks and >implement
PCRs 0 through 23 for SHA-256. It is acceptable to ship TPMs >with a
single switchable PCR bank that can be used for both SHA-1 and >SHA-256
measurements.
- A UEFI
option to turn off the TPM is not a requirement.
