Planning for Single-Server Deployment

A logical Team Foundation Server consists of an application-tier server (made up primarily of Web services) and a data-tier server (made up primarily of SQL Server 2005 databases). In the single-server configuration, the application-tier and data-tier services and programs are hosted on the same computer. Single-server deployments are designed for deployments that have fewer than 100 users.

Considerations for Single-Server Deployments

You must decide whether a single-server deployment is the correct choice for your business needs. When planning for Team Foundation Server and considering whether to deploy a single-server or dual-server deployment, ask yourself the following questions:

  • How many users do I need to support?   If you plan to have more than 100 users, consider whether a dual-server deployment might better suit your needs.

  • How many projects will I be supporting with Team Foundation Server?   If you are supporting a large number of projects, consider whether a dual-server Team Foundation Server deployment might better suit your business needs.

  • Do I have a server I can dedicate to Team Foundation Server?   The server in a single-server Team Foundation Server deployment should be dedicated to Team Foundation Server functionality. The Team Foundation server should not serve any other purpose, such as a mail server, file server, or database server for other applications.

  • When will the deployment need to be available for production use?   Plan for at least a whole day for Team Foundation Server installation and setup, and at least another day for configuration of the Team Foundation server.

In addition to these questions, you should consider your computer network when planning your single-server deployment. If you plan on including a test rig or a build computer in your Visual Studio Team System deployment, the Team Foundation server should be a member of the same domain or workgroup as those servers. If it is possible, the servers should all be on the same network segment.

Advantages of Single-Server Deployments

Advantages of single-server deployments include the following:

  • Simplicity   You can manage all aspects of Team Foundation Server deployment on a single server. You can configure all access rights and permissions for users and groups on one server. You only have one server to schedule for backup and maintenance.

  • Availability   Because both the application tier and the data tier are present on a single server, you do not have to consider network restrictions or network latency between the application tier and data tier when planning your deployment.

Disadvantages of Single-Server Deployments

Disadvantages of single-server deployments include the following:

  • Insufficient scalability   Single-server deployments are designed for up to 100 users. If your deployment grows beyond that number, you might have to add another Team Foundation Server deployment. Remember that Team Foundation Server can only support 500 users per server, and that interdependent projects that share resource files cannot be split across more than one Team Foundation Server.

  • **Access control   **All Team Foundation Server users must have access and the appropriate permissions on the single Team Foundation Server. There is no separation of services in a single server Team Foundation Server deployment.

  • **No fail-over   **Because all your Team Foundation Server components are on a single server, you cannot redirect the application-tier server to a different data-tier server in case of maintenance or repairs, and you cannot configure and deploy an additional server that can act as a standby or fail-over application-tier server.

Requirements for Single-Server Deployments

The following table shows the recommended hardware requirements for deploying Team Foundation Server on a single server, depending on the number of users.

Configuration Tiers CPU HD Memory

Fewer than 20 users

Application and data tier server

single processor, 2.2 GHz

8 GB

1 GB

20 to 50 users

Application and data tier server

single processor, 2.2 GHz

30 GB

1 GB

50 to 100 users

Application and data tier server

single processor, 3.4 GHz

30 GB

1 GB

100 to 200 users

Application and data tier server

single processor, 3.4 GHz

40 GB

2 GB

200 to 400 users

Application and data tier server

dual processors, 3.4 GHz

80 GB

2 GB

The guidelines presented here are appropriate for most single-server deployments. They are designed for environments that contain fewer than 100 users on a single Team Foundation Server. The server that is running Team Foundation Server should have a reliable network connection with a minimum bandwidth of 1 Mbps and a latency maximum of 350ms.

If your environment does not meet these criteria, you should carefully consider the implications before you deploy Team Foundation Server. Consider whether a dual-server deployment of Team Foundation Server might better suit your business needs.

See Also

Concepts

Planning for Dual-Server Deployment
Server Requirements for Team System
Client Requirements for Team System

Other Resources

Managing Users and Groups