Installing VMM 2008 Components
Previous chapters of VMM 2008 Essentials have focused on the architecture and system requirements of Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 (VMM 2008). With those topics now covered this chapter will move onto the task of verifying system configuration of the target system, obtaining and installing VMM 2008.
Verifying System Suitability for VMM 2008
Before embarking on an installation of VMM 2008, the first task is to verify that the system on which the software is to be installed meets at least the minimum software and hardware requirements. These requirements are so important that Microsoft has created a tool called the VMM 2008 System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer for the specific purpose of checking whether a system is suitable to run VMM 2008.
Before the Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer can be installed, the Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer (MBCA) must first be installed on the target system. If this is not already installed, it may be downloaded.
The System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer may be downloaded from the Microsoft web site. The download is in the form of a Microsoft Installer (MSI) file called VMMCA.msi which will install the analyzer when launched.
Once the System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer has been installed, launch it from the Start->All Programs->Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer->Configuration Analyzer menu option. Once loaded, the following screen will appear:
Select the VMM 2008 components which are to be installed. If components are to be installed on systems other than the local system, enter the name of the remote systems together with any login and password credentials which will be needed by the analyzer to gain access. Once the configuration options has been specified, click on the Scan button to initiate the system analysis.
Once the scan is complete, the analyzer will load a report into a web browser window highlighting the areas which need to be corrected before the VMM 2008 installation may proceed. Correct the problems reported and repeat the scan until no problems are reported (typically indicated by a "No configuration issues found" message at the end of the report).
Assuming the target systems onto which VMM 2008 components are to be installed meet the requirements, the next step is to obtain VMM 2008 prior to installation.
Obtaining VMM 2008
VMM 2008 may be purchased from Microsoft in the form of packaged software which includes installation media. Alternatively, a 180 day trial version of VMM 2008 may be downloaded from Microsoft VMM 2008 web page.
At time of writing, the trail download consists of three separate files, each a little over 1GB is size. One of these files is an executable named SCVMM2008_EVAL.part1.exe. Launching this executable will begin the process of unpacking all of the archives. When prompted, specify a destination folder for the unpacked files and click on the Install button to begin the unpacking process.
Once the unpacking process is completed, the VMM 2008 setup wizard will auto-run.
