Will windows server 2016 work with amd threadripper?

[Nick91]

Hello,

 

My work’s “R&D” and “IT” built a new server computer this is his specs:

 

AMD Threadripper 1950x

Gigabyte Aorus X399

Kingston Hyperfury X 32GB

Corsair H100i v2

Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W Gold

Asus GT 710

Samsung m.2 500GB

Seagate Ironwolf 4TB

Coolermaster HAF XB EVO

 

The company bought the Windows Server 2016 Standard operating system prior to the PC build and had the R&D and IT guy build a PC. My co-worker and I advised that the buikd he’s doing isn’t correct for a server

 

Now the PC is built but the OS is not booting/installing. We can get into the bios and tried differnt boot patterns but nothing is working. 

 

Can we run the Windows Server 2016 OS woth this build? Are we booting something wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[ProjectBox153]

I don't see why not. I've run Server 2016 on a Core 2 Duo just fine. 

[Nick91]

3 minutes ago, Jamiec1130 said:

I don't see why not. I've run Server 2016 on a Core 2 Duo just fine. 

That’s what we thought but it’s not booting the isntallation. It gets stuck on this screen.

[nico casto]

probablly something else, it should work just fine

[Sir Asvald]

9 minutes ago, Nick91 said:

That’s what we thought but it’s not booting the isntallation. It gets stuck on this screen.

 

Windows server takes much longer than Windows 10. You need to wait for a while.

[Guest]

I just made a UEFI flash drive w/ Server 2016 on it to test and it booted. Fairly quickly.

What install media are you using?

[TheCherryKing]

Why are you using "gaming" hardware for a server?

[Nick91]

1 hour ago, Legendarypoet said:

I just made a UEFI flash drive w/ Server 2016 on it to test and it booted. Fairly quickly.

What install media are you using?

We left it running for the last hour, still stuck on the windows logo screen. We're using a CD drive for the install. 

[Nick91]

1 hour ago, TheCherryKing said:

Why are you using "gaming" hardware for a server?

Trust me, this wasn't my decision nor build lol I informed them this was way too much like a gaming PC than a server PC. But oh well 

[Guest]

Just now, Nick91 said:

We left it running for the last hour, still stuck on the windows logo screen. We're using a CD drive for the install. 

Get an ISO for server 2016, then use Rufus to create a UEFI bootable flash drive.

[ProjectBox153]

5 hours ago, Nick91 said:

We left it running for the last hour, still stuck on the windows logo screen. We're using a CD drive for the install. 

Use a USB drive, not an optical disc. 

[BOOZy]

If Windows 10 works, Server 2016 works.

At the level (kernel, drivers, PnP, etc.) that it matters, Windows 10 and Server 2016 are exactly the same.

[Nick91]

Good news, we got it to work. We let the windows server 2016 install run and get stuck at the logo for a couple hours and it installed everything after. So everything runs smoothly. Drivers are all installed and working. I appreciate the assistance from everyone.This forum has been the most friendly and help forum I've ever been in. Thank you all, you guys are amazing!  

[scottyseng]

3 hours ago, Nick91 said:

Good news, we got it to work. We let the windows server 2016 install run and get stuck at the logo for a couple hours and it installed everything after. So everything runs smoothly. Drivers are all installed and working. I appreciate the assistance from everyone.This forum has been the most friendly and help forum I've ever been in. Thank you all, you guys are amazing!  

Dang, it still shouldn't take anywhere near a couple hours to install. I remember I had it installed on my server (Xeon based though) on a SATA SSD and it only took like 10 minutes...

 

But hey, at least it works for you. That's all that matters.

[leadeater]

5 hours ago, Nick91 said:

Good news, we got it to work. We let the windows server 2016 install run and get stuck at the logo for a couple hours and it installed everything after. So everything runs smoothly. Drivers are all installed and working. I appreciate the assistance from everyone.This forum has been the most friendly and help forum I've ever been in. Thank you all, you guys are amazing!  

 

2 hours ago, scottyseng said:

Dang, it still shouldn't take anywhere near a couple hours to install. I remember I had it installed on my server (Xeon based though) on a SATA SSD and it only took like 10 minutes...

 

But hey, at least it works for you. That's all that matters.

Yea very odd, as long as it boots fast should be fine though.

 

@Nick91 If you are going to buy more of these get the single socket EPYC variants instead, they are similarly priced but are designed for server usage. Will require an EPYC motherboard too of course but using server parts for a server is not exactly a bad thing as you know 

[dalekphalm]

For future self-built servers, I’d suggest ensuring dual-redundant power supplies instead of that consumer grade gear you’re using. 

[Blake]

On 10/27/2017 at 3:28 AM, Nick91 said:

Hello,

 

My work’s “R&D” and “IT” built a new server computer this is his specs:

 

AMD Threadripper 1950x

Gigabyte Aorus X399

Kingston Hyperfury X 32GB

Corsair H100i v2

Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W Gold

Asus GT 710

Samsung m.2 500GB

Seagate Ironwolf 4TB

Coolermaster HAF XB EVO

 

The company bought the Windows Server 2016 Standard operating system prior to the PC build and had the R&D and IT guy build a PC. My co-worker and I advised that the buikd he’s doing isn’t correct for a server

 

Now the PC is built but the OS is not booting/installing. We can get into the bios and tried differnt boot patterns but nothing is working. 

 

Can we run the Windows Server 2016 OS woth this build? Are we booting something wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated

Windows server 2016 requirements: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/system-requirements

 

So yes, windows server 2016 will run fine on Threadripper. My guess is that your install media is borked, go download a new ISO from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-2016 and then use use DISM to convert from eval to legit.

[dalekphalm]

9 hours ago, Blake said:

Windows server 2016 requirements: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/system-requirements

 

So yes, windows server 2016 will run fine on Threadripper. My guess is that your install media is borked, go download a new ISO from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-2016 and then use use DISM to convert from eval to legit.

I’d suggest avoiding the eval version. Converting it to Standard (or any other version) can be a pain in the ass. I have personal experience with it, even when converting a fresh install. 

[agello24]

On 10/26/2017 at 10:59 AM, TheCherryKing said:

Why are you using "gaming" hardware for a server?

the threadripper is using the same chips as epic.  the server software will work the same.

[Spicedaddy]

4 hours ago, agello24 said:

the threadripper is using the same chips as epic.  the server software will work the same.

CPU isn't the problem.

 

Here's what is: Ram isn't ECC, motherboard isn't server grade, no RAID, no redundent power supply. And the cherry on top: water cooling.

[ProjectBox153]

8 minutes ago, Sugadaddy said:

CPU isn't the problem.

 

Here's what is: Ram isn't ECC, motherboard isn't server grade, no RAID, no redundent power supply. And the cherry on top: water cooling.

Why does any of that matter? I've run Server 2016 on a Core 2 Duo OptiPlex with no ECC RAM, a non server-grade motherboard, no RAID (and a failing hard drive), no redundant PSUs (not even a UPS) and water cooling isn't really applicable. 

[Spicedaddy]

There's a difference between your basement and a business. Downtime means you lose money.

[Jarsky]

Im glad we got away from people using Optiplex's tucked away in corners of the office as 'servers'. That shit is so hard to support when businesses scale up.

So often had desktop builds like this go down, and users expected support, then have to trace it down to switch by its IP address and snoop around the office looking in cabinets until you find it. 

[dalekphalm]

10 hours ago, Jamiec1130 said:

Why does any of that matter? I've run Server 2016 on a Core 2 Duo OptiPlex with no ECC RAM, a non server-grade motherboard, no RAID (and a failing hard drive), no redundant PSUs (not even a UPS) and water cooling isn't really applicable. 

Just because you can run a server on any hardware, does not mean you should.

 

We're not talking about someone's Home Server in their basement. We're talking about a Production Server in a business environment. Downtime = lost money, unproductive staff, and time away from other projects fixing the issue.

 

A Server is expensive because it is robust. There are multiple points of failure, instead of single points of failure. Can a proper Server still drop dead on you? Yes of course. But it's less likely. And when it does, you can have Dell or HPE literally on-site the next morning with the replacement part, and a tech to install it.

 

If you were running the server above that you describe in a business, and I was hired as head of IT, I would immediately replace that "server" with something not likely to drop dead any moment and cost the business thousands of dollars.

10 hours ago, Sugadaddy said:

There's a difference between your basement and a business. Downtime means you lose money.

Very much this ^

6 hours ago, Jarsky said:

Im glad we got away from people using Optiplex's tucked away in corners of the office as 'servers'. That shit is so hard to support when businesses scale up.

So often had desktop builds like this go down, and users expected support, then have to trace it down to switch by its IP address and snoop around the office looking in cabinets until you find it. 

Yep, that's a good point too.

 

Now, there's a difference between:

Quote

 Well we're using a 10 year old retired desktop machine as a server, because there's no budget and our bosses refuse to pay for a replacement.

and

Quote

Let's spend $3000 on the wrong hardware because it's "Cool Gaming Gear" that I could never afford at home.

The former is an unfortunate reality in some IT departments. The latter is irresponsible IT spending.

 

[ProjectBox153]

20 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Just because you can run a server on any hardware, does not mean you should.

 

We're not talking about someone's Home Server in their basement. We're talking about a Production Server in a business environment. Downtime = lost money, unproductive staff, and time away from other projects fixing the issue.

 

A Server is expensive because it is robust. There are multiple points of failure, instead of single points of failure. Can a proper Server still drop dead on you? Yes of course. But it's less likely. And when it does, you can have Dell or HPE literally on-site the next morning with the replacement part, and a tech to install it.

 

If you were running the server above that you describe in a business, and I was hired as head of IT, I would immediately replace that "server" with something not likely to drop dead any moment and cost the business thousands of dollars.

Oh, I never said running non server quality parts for a server that needs reliable uptime was a good idea. I'm not that stupid. I run Server 2012 R2 on my main rig. I know what kinds of odd quirks you can run into. I'm saying Server 2016 should boot on non server hardware, as that's what the OP was asking. Whether or not the machine they're trying to get Server 2016 on is a good idea, that's different.