I've got a Dell PowerEdge R410 server, and I want to use it as a physical domain controller (DC) on my network. However, Dell only officially supports Windows Server up to 2012R2 for this model. When I spoke to support, they mentioned that while it might technically run Server 2022, it definitely would not run Server 2016 or 2019. This left me puzzled, so I wanted to ask the pros for their thoughts. If I stick to Dell's specs and only run 2012R2, my domain functionality will be limited to that version. What are the potential risks of using an operating system on a DC that isn't fully certified by the hardware vendor, even if others believe it should work?
4 Answers
That server's CPU is pretty outdated compared to modern standards. Keeping it as a physical DC might not even be necessary anymore—have you considered virtualizing everything?
It should run. Given that the R410 is quite an old server, Dell has stopped supporting it, so you might face some difficulty with RAID drivers if you're using them, but if not, you should be fine.
Very true. Just trying to see how to get some more life out of it.
Honestly, needing a physical DC at this point is a bit outdated. With newer domain levels, virtualization is the way to go. Maybe consider fully transitioning to virtual machines and ditch the old hardware?
I hear you, but redundancy is key—staying cautious with the hypervisor.
Honestly, you could just load it up and see if it works! Try downloading an evaluation copy of Server 2019 or 2020 and test it. As for Dell's certification, it really just means they won't support you if something goes wrong, but if it works, you'll be fine.
Fair point. I'll give that a try!
The plan was to have two DCs for redundancy. Having one physical helps avoid multiple points of failure with the hypervisor.