Before installing the Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 R2 server, ensure that the computer meets the minimum hardware requirements and that all prerequisite software is installed. For more information about software and hardware requirements, see System Requirements: VMM Server.

When you install the VMM server, you also set up your VMM database. VMM uses a Microsoft SQL Server database to store the information that you view in the VMM Administrator Console, such as virtual machines, virtual machine hosts, virtual machine library servers, and their properties.

During VMM server setup, you must select one of the following VMM database options:

• Have Setup install a new instance of SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 and create a new database locally.
  
  
• Use an existing instance of a supported version of SQL Server, either local or remote, and use an existing database or create a new database. For more information about supported versions of SQL Server, see System Requirements: VMM Database.
  
  

Important
If you use a remote instance of SQL Server, there are additional configuration steps you must perform. For more information about configuring and using a remote instance of SQL Server for the VMM database, see Configuring a Remote Instance of SQL Server (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=134060).

Note
To use an existing local instance of SQL Server Express, its SQL Server service must be running under the network service account, not under the local system account.

Use the following procedure to install the VMM server. To perform this procedure, you must have administrator privileges on the computer.

1. On the product media or network share, right-click setup.exe, and then click Run as administrator.

   Important
   If you set up a network share to install VMM components, you should apply the appropriate security to the share to ensure that no unauthorized or unauthenticated users can access or alter the contents of the share.

2. On the Setup menu, click VMM Server.

3. On the Microsoft Update page, indicate whether or not you want to use Microsoft Update.

   Note
   If you have previously chosen to use Microsoft Update on this computer, the Microsoft Update page does not appear.

4. On the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) page, click Yes to participate in, or No to opt out of, the CEIP.

5. On the Prerequisites Check page, review any alerts or warnings about hardware that does not meet the minimum or recommended requirements, or missing software prerequisites. You can continue the installation if you receive warnings, but you must resolve all alerts before you can proceed with the installation. For more information, see System Requirements: VMM Server.

6. On the Installation Location page, type an installation path for the program files or click Next to use the default path.

7. On the SQL Server Settings page, select the appropriate Microsoft SQL Server settings for your VMM database.

   Important
   If you specify a remote SQL Server instance, there are additional configuration steps you must perform. For more information, see Configuring a Remote Instance of SQL Server (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=134060).

   Note
   The database name cannot exceed 128 characters. To use SQL Server 2008 for the VMM database, SQL Server Management Tools must be installed on the VMM server. If you have a 32-bit version of SQL Server installed on a 64-bit computer, the database instance name will not appear automatically in the instance list. You must enter the instance name manually.

8. On the Library Share Settings page, select the option to either create a new library share on the VMM server or use an existing share on the VMM server as a library share. The default library share created by VMM is named MSSCVMMLibrary and its folder is located at %SYSTEMDRIVE%\ProgramData\Virtual Machine Manager Library Files.

   Important
   After setup is complete, you can add other library servers; however, you cannot remove or relocate the default library server or its library share. So give careful consideration to the location of the default library share before installing the VMM server.

9. On the Installation Settings page, in the Ports area, type the ports that you want to use for the VMM server connections, and, in the VMM service account area, do one of the following:

   • To use the local system account for the VMM service account, click Local system.
     
     
   • To use a different domain account, click Other account, and then type the credentials for a domain account that is a local Administrator on the computer that you are installing VMM server on.
     
     

     Note

     If you use a domain account for the VMM service account, it is strongly recommended that you create an account that is specifically designated to be used for this purpose. When a host is removed from the VMM server, the account that the VMM service is running under is removed from the local Administrators group of the host. If the same account is used for other purposes on the host, this can cause unexpected results. You also should not use the same account for the VMM service account that you use for configuring a remote SQL Server for the VMM database.

     Important

     If you are using a disjointed namespace, which occurs when the computer's primary Domain Name System (DNS) suffix does not match the domain of which it is a member, you must use an account other than the local system account. For more information about a disjointed namespace, see Naming conventions in Active Directory for computers, domains, sites, and OUs (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=123886).

   Important

   It is a best practice to not use the default port settings. The port settings that you assign during the VMM server installation cannot be changed without uninstalling and reinstalling VMM server. The ports that you assign during setup must identically match the port settings that you assign when installing the related VMM components that the VMM server communicates with. For more information, see VMM Ports and Protocols (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=128912).

   Note
   The value of the File transfers to agents on hosts and library servers port cannot exceed 32768.

10. On the Summary of Settings page, review the settings that you chose and do one of the following:

    • Click Previous to change any settings.
      
      
    • Click Install to install the VMM server.
      
      

11. On the Installation page, do one of the following:

    • To close the wizard and automatically check for the latest VMM updates, click Close.
      
      
    • To close the wizard without checking for the latest updates, clear the Check for the latest Virtual Machine Manager updates check box, and then click Close.
      
      

Note
When you install the VMM server, all accounts in the local Administrators security group are automatically added to the VMM Administrator user role. If you want to add or remove user accounts from the VMM Administrator user role, see Managing User Roles (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=119337).

See Also