Optional requirements

The following are optional requirements for Windows Server installation; they are convenient to have but not are required:

• Optical drive: DVD drive, if you are installing Windows Server 2016 from a disk
• Video: SVGA 1024x768 video resolution
• Input devices: Keyboard and mouse
• Internet: Recommended
• Other: UEFI firmware and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip

The optional requirements are exactly that, options, and are not necessarily needed to install Windows Server 2016 because the server administration should be performed almost exclusively remotely. Specific features may require additional hardware, such as BitLocker Drive Encryption, which requires a TPM chip. If you plan to use BitLocker, then hardware-based TPM chip must adhere to version 2.0 of the TPM specification. Additionally, it needs to support the SHA-256 encryption and the EK certificate.

Both Windows Server 2016 editions support a maximum of 24 TB of RAM, 12 TB of RAM per generation 2 VM (1 TB of RAM per generation 1 VM), 64 of 64-bit sockets, 512 physical (host) logical processors, and 240 virtual processors per VM.