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I am a domain controller purist. Don't put other roles or files on there thay don't need to be. &nbsp;So, with no additional cost, I can't think of a reason NOT to virtualize and segment those roles into separate VMs.<br />
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The downside is a minimal amount of added overhead. But my honest opinion is that overhead even in time invested in management/patching, truly is minimal and the benefits outweigh the costs.
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I am a domain controller purist. Don't put other roles or files on there thay don't need to be.  So, with no additional cost, I can't think of a reason NOT to virtualize and segment those roles into separate VMs.

The downside is a minimal amount of added overhead. But my honest opinion is that overhead even in time invested in management/patching, truly is minimal and the benefits outweigh the costs.

Derf238

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I'm not against combining the file server and DC roles in a fairly small environment, but just like Cliff, I can't think of a good reason not to go the Hyper-V route. &nbsp;Like he says, the extra overhead really will be minimal. The flexibility you'll get from running two separate (virtual) servers will more than balance that out.
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I'm not against combining the file server and DC roles in a fairly small environment, but just like Cliff, I can't think of a good reason not to go the Hyper-V route.  Like he says, the extra overhead really will be minimal. The flexibility you'll get from running two separate (virtual) servers will more than balance that out.

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The question is not why should you virtualize, it's why SHOULDN'T you virtualize. &nbsp;If you can't think of a good reason, then virtualize!<br />
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See my article - it's written to answer your question:<br />
<a href="https://www.experts-exchange.com/articles/27799/Virtual-or-Physical.html" rel="ugc">https://www.experts-exchange.com/articles/27799/Virtual-or-Physical.html</a>
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The question is not why should you virtualize, it's why SHOULDN'T you virtualize.  If you can't think of a good reason, then virtualize!

See my article - it's written to answer your question:
https://www.experts-exchange.com/articles/27799/Virtual-or-Physical.html [https://www.experts-exchange.com/articles/27799/Virtual-or-Physical.html]

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If you have a small environment, and no money - why not!
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If you have a small environment, and no money - why not!

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I have a client with a single server acting as both DC and file server that needs replacement. Approximately 20 users with AutoCAD storage. We can build new server on bare metal but are considering Hyper-v hosting 2 VMs, one for the DC and the other as file server.<br />
HP DL380, 4x600GB SAS 15k drives in RAID5, 32GB RAM, Windows Server 2016 Standard<br />
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Thoughts on pros and cons?
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I have a client with a single server acting as both DC and file server that needs replacement. Approximately 20 users with AutoCAD storage. We can build new server on bare metal but are considering Hyper-v hosting 2 VMs, one for the DC and the other as file server.
HP DL380, 4x600GB SAS 15k drives in RAID5, 32GB RAM, Windows Server 2016 Standard

Thoughts on pros and cons?

server replacement- DC and file server -hyper-v or bare metal

Servers are computing devices that are similar to desktop computers in that they have the same basic components, but are significantly different in size, configuration and purpose. Servers are usually accessed over a network, and many run unattended, without a computer monitor, input device, audio hardware or USB interfaces. Many servers do not have a graphical user interface (GUI), and are configured and managed remotely. Servers typically include hardware redundancy such as dual power supplies, RAID disk systems, and ECC memory, along with extensive pre-boot memory testing and verification. Critical components might be hot swappable, and to guard against overheating, servers might have more powerful fans or use water cooling.

Server Hardware

AutoCAD

Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system featuring the "universal application architecture" (UAP); apps can be designed to run across multiple devices with nearly identical code, including PCs, tablets, smartphones, embedded systems, Xbox One, Surface Hub and HoloLens. Windows 10 also includes a virtual desktop system, a window and desktop management feature called Task View, the Microsoft Edge web browser, support for fingerprint and face recognition login, voice-based search (Cortana), new security features for enterprise environments, and DirectX 12 and WDDM 2.0 to improve the operating system's graphics capabilities for games.

Windows 10

Hyper-V is a native hypervisor; it can create virtual machines on x86-64 systems and supersedes Windows Virtual PC as the hardware virtualization component of the client editions of Windows NT. A server computer running Hyper-V can be configured to expose individual virtual machines to one or more networks. Hyper-V Server supports remote access via Remote Desktop Connection. Administration and configuration of the host OS and the guest virtual machines is generally done over the network.

Hyper-V

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform and infrastructure for building, deploying and managing applications and services through datacenters. It provides both platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) services and supports many different programming languages, tools and frameworks, including both Microsoft-specific and third-party software and systems. Cloud Services is a PaaS environment and can be used to create scalable applications and services; there are specific software development kits (SDKs) provided by Microsoft for Python, Java, Node.js and .NET. Azure also has file and storage services, data management, analytics and DNS services.

Azure

Windows Server 2016 is the successor to Windows Server 2012 R2. Built upon the same core code as Windows 10, Windows Server 2016 brings enhancements in security, servicing, and connectivity. A particular focus on this release was hybrid-cloud scenarios, and has close ties to Azure and other Microsoft cloud initiatives. This does not detract from the many improvements that are available for on-premises-only deployments

Windows Server 2016 comes in Datacenter, Standard, and Essentials editions, and for servicing, has adopted windows 10's cumulative model. The new nano-server install is designed to be remotely managed and is designed to be kept current through continuous feature updates. The full GUI install operates similarly to windows 10's "Long Term Servicing Branch" (LTSB) model with cumulative security updates.

Windows Server 2016 has also shifted from a per-processor-and-CAL licensing model to a per-core-and CAL licensing model. This brings Windows Server's licensing more in line with Microsoft's other products and makes hybrid-cloud license planning easier as well.