With the release of Windows Server 2008, we are finally getting ready to build a new server for Colocation. Does anyone have an recommendations of any reason not to go 64bit?

Is there any performance issues with running 32bit apps under "Windows on Windows"? We have been evaluating 64bit under VMWare and can't really see any problems. Just wanted to get anyones opinion.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Coldfusion 64bit but we'll run it in 32bit mode for now.

FYI: We have been evaluating Windows Web Server 2008

Have you ever installed CF in 64 Bit before ?

I know in theory it should be fine but I have spoken to people who have had many (install problems) issues.

Jason, thanks for this post.

When HMS gets Windows 2008 and CF 8 running in 64 bit, I'll probably migrate to it.

Is there an ETA for Win 2008 VPS servers?

Best,

Eric

Parallels is actually working on the Win 2008 virtuozzo goodness as we speak. As soon as we have the go ahead from them, we will work (definitely non-stop) to get it out as soon as we can.

Unfortunately, I don't have an ETA. But keep your eyes peeled



-Dave

Thanks for this update.

I really need to migrate to a VPS with 1GB of memory, though the task of migration my many sites is daunting.

Ideally I want a server with Win 2008, CF8, and SmarterMail 5. I hope this configuration will become a standard hosting option at HMS.

I'm looking forward.

Eric

AFAIK sites that rely on .Net 1.1 are not supported, IE: SmarterStats, will not work on the 64bit OS.

Nathan -- that's interesting. (And makes sense.)

Do you happen to know:

1. when or if HMS will offer a 64 bit Windows VPS solution?

2. What email server application will be offered on -- or suggested for -- that platform?

Eric

Hi guys,

We do have a 64 bit Win2K3 plan in the works on VPS... it is going to be pretty high end. Keep your eyes on the VPS page, you will see something soon!


-Dave

I hope the the price won't be too high end.

It is very high end:

http://www.hostmysite.com/vps/windows/professional/

FYI - CF 8.1, a recent update, is supposed to support 64-bit OS. However, 64-bit Windows 2008 has some issues still. It doesn't run a number of things all that reliably. I recommend waiting for Microsoft to release a major update to Win2K8 64-bit before putting it into your production environment. Depending on what you are doing, it might work ok for you but I would stick with Win2K3 64-bit or Win2k8 32-bit for now.

Jason,
Did you decide to go with the 32bit or 64bit versions of Server 2008? I am building a server, and I am trying to determine which will have the best performance. Also can anyone explain to me in plain english what the exact limitations are of Windows Web Server 2008 compared to standard editions? I just need it for SmarterMail 6, SmarterStats 4, MySQL 5.1, asp.net 2.x+ It will be running 4GB ram with a possible upgrade to 8 GB.

Whitesites,

At the time (1.5 years ago), we decided to move forward with 32 bit Windows Server 2008 Web. Now, in house, we are on 64bit Windows Server 2008 Web.

For what you want to run, the web version of windows server will suite you well. Your setup is very similar to ours. The only major feature which is not available in the Web version, is Hyper-V. In the past with Windows Server 20o3 web, there were concerns becuase of the limits MS imposed. Such limits have now been loosened or dropped all together. (Such as what type of database engine you are allowed to run)

The web version costs a fraction of the standard version. And is even cheaper if you buy an OEM version ($149)

For a complete comparison, view the link below. This is for the R2 version, but I'm sure it hasn't changed much:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/r2-differentiated-features.aspx

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Jason,

Besides being able to access 4+ GB RAM with the 64 bit version is there any performance benefit to using it? Didn't know if IIS was optimized for 64 bit or not. Did you have any trouble getting MySQL, SmarterMail, or smarterstats to run on the 64 bit version? With my experiences using the VPS Pro ( which was 64bit OS ) it seemed that 64 bit OS means they demand more memory.

also Do I need a CAL for this? I will be administering the box remotely using Remote Desktop. Just wanted to make sure there isn't anything I am forgeting.

I found some people on Ebay selling legit Windows Server 2008 OS with license for dirt cheap. Under $200 for Standard edition.

I don't see a huge performance difference. Our production server which is 32 bit is still blazingly fast. I had no problem getting smartermail or smarterstats to run. I can't vouch for MySQL as we only use SQL Server, but I can't see you having a problem installing or using it on 64bit.

Regarding the cheap OS you see on ebay-- keep in mind that these are the old windows server 2008 R1 and NOT the new R2. People are trying to dump their old licenses. You should really consider purchasing R2 as it runs on the Windows 7 Core, whereas windows server 2008 (R1 I guess you could call it) runs on the vista core.

You should really setup the server as you intend it to go to production, and use it in a test environment for 30-60 days to see if everything is stable. If not, you can always rebuild down to 32 bit. If you're still in doubt, setup a Virtual Machine with the identical software config that you will have on your sever and test that way instead of using your physical server. That should give you a good indication of software compatability.

Also, with windows server 2008 web, you do not need any CALs.

Hope this helps.