In preparation for the amount of demo and development work I expect to continue to do in the future, I have started to build out more and more VMs (Virtual Machines) with Windows Server 2008 R2 (32- and 64-bit) and want to document the process I use to build demo VMs, notice I didn't write Production or Staging. A lot of the work I do as a consultant revolves around strategy and new product introduction so the goal is to show the product, not to build best practice demo machines, but I try to incorporate as many best practices as possible.
Some of the BAD practices I have on my demo box:
- I have multiple accounts with the same password
- Turn my all-in-one server into a Domain Controller (DC) for an Active Directory (AD) Forest
- All accounts "never expire"
- Use "hosts" file for all my DNS, I do not install DNS Server at all
- There are many more, but those are the ones I want to discuss
Most of the breaches that I consistently expose are around Security, but I recommend hardening your environments if you have a virtual production/staging/UAT/development platform.
Now that I have admitted to my faults, let focus on what we should do to start the process.
Virtualization Software
First, select a Virtualization product. There are many tools some free, some not. Here's a short list:
There are other scenarios where dual-boot on a MAC, or even a attach a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) in Windows 7, but you will have to explore if your hardware can support those models.
Operating System and Server Software
Determine if your strategy is 32-bit? or 64-bit? Either way Microsoft have versions for each type, but be aware that Microsoft's Virtual PC does not currently support a 64-bit guest OS, big factor for SharePoint 2010 based on the fact it only support 64-bit installations.
I have moved to the latest version of Windows Server but you can use any of the following Operating Systems:
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Server 2008 Standard/Enterprise
- Windows Server 2003 Standard/Enterprise
Next is product software requirements
- Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Standard/Enterprise
- Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
- SQL Server 2008/2005 Standard/Enterprise
- Visual Studio 2008/2005
- MOSS/WSS SDKs
Now You Are Ready to Install!
Once you figure out what virtualization product you want and gather the software (and licenses) to install the bits, you are off. My next article will start the process of installation (slipstreaming, account creation, etc.) so that you can have a quality demo/dev box for your SharePoint needs.