System Requirements for Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
Updated: November 1, 2013
Applies To: Windows Server 2012 Essentials, Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
This topic applies to a server running Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials, or to a server running Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard or Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter with the Windows Server Essentials Experience role installed.
Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials server software is a 64-bit only operating system. Table 1 defines the recommended minimum hardware requirements for Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials. Table 2 defines additional hardware and software requirements for the server.
Note
Are you looking for system requirements for Windows Server 2012 R2? If so, go to System Requirements and Installation Information for Windows Server 2012 R2 in the Windows Server TechNet Library.
Table 1. System requirements for Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
| Component | Minimum | Recommended* | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU socket | 1.4 GHz (64-bit processor) or faster for single core 1.3 GHz (64-bit processor) or faster for multi-core |
3.1 GHz (64-bit processor) or faster multi-core | 2 sockets |
| Memory (RAM) | 2 GB 4 GB if you deploy Windows Server Essentials as a virtual machine |
16 GB | 64 GB |
| Hard disks and available storage space | 160-GB hard disk with a 60-GB system partition | No limit |
*The recommended hardware requirements support maximum user and device limits.
Table 2. Additional hardware and software requirements for Windows Server 2012 Essentials
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Network adapter | Gigabit Ethernet adapter (10/100/1000baseT PHY/MAC) |
| Internet | Some functionality may require Internet access (fees may apply) or a Microsoft account |
| Supported Client operating systems | Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Macintosh OS X versions 10.5 to 10.8. Note: Some features require professional or higher editions. 1 GB of available hard drive space (a portion of this disk will be freed after installation) |
| Router | A router or firewall that supports IPv4 NAT or IPv6 |
| Additional requirements | DVD-ROM drive |
Actual requirements will vary based on your system configuration and the applications and features you choose to install. Processor performance depends not only on the clock frequency of the processor, but also on the number of cores and the size of the processor cache. Storage space requirements for the system partition are approximate. Additional available storage space may be required if you are installing over a network.
For more information about the hardware requirements, see the Windows Server Catalog.
All server hardware should meet the requirements established for the Windows Server 2012 R2 Logo Program for Systems. For more information, see Windows Logo Program.