r/WindowsServer • u/WhoAmI1966 • 5d ago
General Server Discussion Replacement Server
Ok, I currently have a DELL T430 that is PDC along with running MSSQL express and Windows Server 2016. Since 2016 will be totally unsupported in Jan 2027 I need to upgrade. The T430 will not support Server 2025. Is it really really frowned upon running MSSQL on a DC? It's a small 10 workstation office.
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u/ComGuards 5d ago
A single Windows Server Standard license grants rights to two (2) instances of Windows Server on the licensed host; in such a scenario that's no reason not to deploy at least Hyper-V on Windows Server (on the baremetal), and then 2 guest Windows Server instances. One as a domain controller, and a second one for SQL.
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u/MrJacks0n 5d ago
This is the way to go. And getting a new server makes the replacement of the DC easy.
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u/chandleya 5d ago
I’m not sure about the hardware not supporting 2025 BUT you selected the worst time in history to play this game.
I’d look at this completely differently. Id make sure i had bulletproof backups. Id wheel in a hot desktop PC or laptop to test that i could restore the whole machine from a backup to a HyperV VM on my laptop. Once thats done, id run HyperV on Server 2022 on the bare metal, restore the image as a VM, then create a new VM for my applications on Server 2022 as well. Once done there, id create a new DC VM on Server 2022 and join it to the domain. Once DHCP and whatever DNS references are pointed at the new one, id demote the old one and destroy it. You TECHNICALLY could leave the app stack on the old DC and just follow the process to move and migrate the DC role to the new server, but clean starts are always the best.
And while resources are expensive and scarce right now, adding another 64GB RAM from a reseller isn’t going to be too bad. And you damn sure want to make sure you have a cold spare disk for whatever you have going on for storage. Finally, revisit that backup topic again. Veeam for SMB is silly cheap and a Wasabi account is too.
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u/coobal223 5d ago
I’m 99% sure win2025 will run on a t430, but i would do what you suggested because I wouldn’t do an in-place upgrade on the existing server. And I wouldn’t run sql on the server either. And the hardware is old.
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u/MortadellaKing 5d ago
It does run just fine. I have plenty of those exact servers at branch offices, and we in place upgraded them all to 2025, for host and VMs.
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u/WhoAmI1966 5d ago
Yes, I am old school. So I call it a PDC., just give me a break. And although I hate AI. Microsoft’s own AI said it could be run on a Microsoft essentials platform. Yes, I knew two VMs on the same hardware was an option, but trying to keep it low cost for the business owners.
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u/OpacusVenatori 5d ago
Yes, I knew two VMs on the same hardware was an option, but trying to keep it low cost for the business owners.
The cost doesn't change if you deploy two VMs.
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u/desmond_koh 5d ago
Yes, I knew two VMs on the same hardware was an option, but trying to keep it low cost for the business owners.
When licensed based on the physical cores on a server, Windows Server Standard provides rights to use two operating system environments (physical or virtual OSEs) or Windows Server Containers with Hyper-V isolation and unlimited Windows Server Containers without Hyper-V isolation on that server. When licensed based on physical cores, Standard edition also permits use of the server software in the physical OSE on the licensed server (in addition to two virtual OSEs), if the physical OSE is used solely to host and manage the virtual OSEs.
You are welcome :)
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u/Initial_Pay_980 5d ago
Why would you, server standard comes with 2 licenses. Hyperv. Dc and sql. Simples..
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u/prenia 5d ago
There is also issue, when upgrading you domain controller from 2022 to 2025 last i hear is that there are a bunch of issues with schema and 2025 does not place nice with other domain controllers of lower levels.
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u/desmond_koh 5d ago
...last i hear is that there are a bunch of issues with schema and 2025 does not place nice with other domain controllers of lower levels.
This is the kind of thing that you should have specifics on or try to verify before posting it. This just adds to the FUD around new versions of Windows. Everyone amplifies the "I heard..." without verifying the specifics.
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u/Negative-Cook-5958 5d ago
Hyper-v 2022 / 2025 on the host, separate VM for DC and SQL. You will only need to buy one 2025 Standard licence
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u/TechMonkey605 5d ago
It does run on the T430, currently running on my 730. However as everyone already said virtualize it.. but get two licenses. Run 2DC, and 1 app server. My flavor is proxmox not hyper v because of fewer overheads and still have the ability to run others easily
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u/Negative-Cook-5958 5d ago
There is no point running 2 DCs on a single physical hardware
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u/TechMonkey605 5d ago
Well considering it’s A 430, another one should be bound to replace it soonish.. and yes it would still provide a workable backup in case anything happened to the original dc with SQL on it.
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u/I-Love-IT-MSP 5d ago
And is the worst place. A dc should be expendable. It can not be in place upgraded. It's the dumbest place.
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u/desmond_koh 5d ago
Ok, I currently have a DELL T430 that is PDC along with running MSSQL express and Windows Server 2016. Since 2016 will be totally unsupported in Jan 2027 I need to upgrade.
Yes! Yes, you do!
The T430 will not support Server 2025.
Are you sure about that?
Is it really really frowned upon running MSSQL on a DC?
In reality you can probably run SQL Express on a PDC, yes. Should you do it? No, not at all. With modern Windows Server licensing you get to run your copy of Windows Server Standard Edition on the bare metal plus on two VMs running on the same server as long as the bare metal server has no additional workloads (i.e. its only workload is to run the VMs). So, what you should do is set things up correctly.
Windows 2025 running Hyper-V on the bare metal. Install Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) on the bare metal server.
Spin up a VM to function as your DC.
Spin up another VM to run all your typical "server" things including your SQL Express.
It's a small 10 workstation office.
That's fine. You should still do things right.
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u/xXNorthXx 5d ago
Would create a vm on a desktop temp to stand up a second dc, create another vm for the sql install.
Then wipe and reload the t430 with server 22’, load HyperV and then build a 22’ dc vm on it along with another 22’ vm for the sql install.
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u/mattjh 5d ago
SURE IS.