Domain Controllers and VMWare - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888794

[MikeGIllinois]

Does anybody host their DC's on VMWare? I'm sure people do it all the time.

The above KB - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888794 - talk primarily about disabling the write cache.

Is running a DC on a VMWare host a good practice?

Does VMWare "support a SCSI emulation mode that supports forced unit access?" I assume this means a non-cached type of write scenario.

Thank you.

Mike Gallery

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To help preserve the integrity of the Active Directory database if a power loss or another failure were to occur, the Active Directory service performs un-buffered writes and tries to disable the disk write cache on volumes hosting the Active Directory database and log files. Active Directory also attempts to work in this manner when installed in a virtual hosting environment.

If the virtual hosting environment software correctly supports a SCSI emulation mode that supports forced unit access (FUA), un-buffered writes that Active Directory performs in this environment are passed to the host operating system. If forced unit access is not supported, you must disable the write cache on all volumes of the guest operating system that host the Active Directory database, the logs, and the checkpoint file.

Notes

• You must disable the write cache for all components that use Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) as their database format. These components include Active Directory, the File Replication Service (FRS), Windows Internet Name Service (WINS), and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). 
  
• As a best practice, consider installing uninterruptable power supplies on VM hosts.
  

[MarekZdrojewski · Accepted solution]

Hi Mike,

Running DC’s on a virtual infrastructure works just fine, separate the DC’s among the ESXi hosts with DRS affinity rules. I suggest you read the Virtualizing a Windows Active Directoy Domain Infrastructure whitepaper.

Regards.

[MikeGIllinois]

Thanks so much for your reply. I read the White Paper you suggested.

It was very helpful. My evironments are, however, small. I didn't make that clear. I'm primarily interested in running Small Business Server 2008/2011 on VM's for clients so I don't have multiple DC's, etc., going. My brain isn't capable of managing large environments anyway. <-:

I guess there really aren't too many things to consider when running a single DC on a VM, or are there?

This KB talks about http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888794 write caching, primarily.

I'd like some guidelines, if anyone has them, with respect to a single DC in a small environment.

Thank you!

Mike Gallery

[alex555550]

Works well. But be shure to think about some basic points:

• Write down all IP`s for an blackout. (No DC no DNS)
• No time sync. in the VM
• Alway build fresh DC, if you can`t do it only cold clones!!
• Use an USV for you´re ESX to avoid broken Dbs
• ....

Nachricht geändert durch alex555550