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Building a Windows Server Lab with an Intel NUC

Thomas Maurer
Updated
2–3 minutes
35 comments on Building a Windows Server Lab with an Intel NUC
Intel NUC Windows Server

With the release of Windows Server 2019, which includes a ton of Hybrid Cloud integration features, it was time to build a new lab environment. The plan is to create a lab and demo environment for my presentations and workshops. Until today, I was still using my hardware from 2011, which was built from Cisco C200 and HPE ProLiant servers. This was datacenter grade hardware, and it was using a lot of electricity and made a lot of noise. Not the machine for a home lab under your desk. With some pretty good deals out there, I decided to buy a brand-new Intel NUC. NUC stands for Next Unit of Computing, which is a small, light, cheap, and not a very noisy computer, which gives you the latest Intel CPUs and ports. The NUC is mostly used as desktop or media computers. However, the price and the features are also making it an excellent option for a lab running Hyper-V.

If I look at the hardware our customers are using today. There is not really a good way to build a cheap home lab based on datacenter hardware. And with my workloads mostly running in Azure anyway, the Intel NUC seems to be a great option. For most of my demos, a single server running Hyper-V should be enough. For demos on Storage Spaces Direct or Clustering, I can still use Azure with Nested Virtualization.

Intel NUC Windows Server LAB

I decided to get an Intel NUC NUC8i7BEH – Bean Canyon with the following specs:

  • Intel Core i7-8559U
  • 32GB DDR4 RAM
  • 1TB M.2 Samsung 970 EVO
  • Intel Wireless-AC 9560 + Bluetooth 5.0
  • Gigabit LAN
  • USB-A and USB-C ports
  • Thunderbolt 3 port

If you want to know how to install the network adapter driver for Windows Server 2019 on your Intel NUC, check out my blog post here.

Unfortunately, the Intel NUC is limited to 32GB of RAM, and this version does not have a TPM chip. The good thing, it runs Windows Server 2019 and Windows Admin Center just fine. So far, I don’t have any issues, except that there are some missing drivers for Windows Server 2019. We will see how it works out in the next couple of months.

You can download Windows Server 2019 Evaluation version from the Microsoft Evaluation Center.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.

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Thomas Maurer
Thomas is the EMEA Global Black Belt (GBB) for Sovereign Cloud at Microsoft, helping organizations across the region harness Microsoft’s sovereign, hybrid, multicloud, and edge solutions. He works directly with C-level leaders and technical teams to remove roadblocks, accelerate digital transformation, and shape long-term cloud strategies that meet business and regulatory needs. With over 15 years of experience in cloud and datacenter, including his previous role as Principal Program Manager and Chief Evangelist for Azure Hybrid, he combines deep technical expertise with a passion for customer success. He specializes in creating scalable architectures, solution accelerators, and thought leadership that drive adoption and innovation on Azure. Thomas is a passionate community advocate and frequently speaks at industry events such as Microsoft Ignite and Microsoft TechDays. He shares his expertise through his Cloud and Datacenter Blog at www.thomasmaurer.ch and on LinkedIn and X.com www.twitter.com/thomasmaurer.

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35 responses

  1. ne Avatar
    ne

    No ECC

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Correct, but I don’t see the need for this in my lab :)

      Reply
  2. Willem Avatar
    Willem

    Why not something like this:
    https://www.supermicro.com/products/system/Mini-ITX/SYS-E200-8D.cfm

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Absolutely I was also looking at this. The main reason was I was a little afraid of the Power and noise of these things. I think the NUC is better if you are having it sitting next to you. However, I agree that these is also a great option, especially if you need more memory.

      Reply
  3. Andre van den Berg Avatar
    Andre van den Berg

    You get the network running, you have to do things with signing drivers.

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Yep absolutely, as mentioned drivers are still a bit of a pain. However, there are some tricks to install. I think some WS2016 drivers are available as well.

      Reply
  4. Srdjan Stevic Avatar
    Srdjan Stevic

    Hello Thomas, it seems like a pretty strong lab machine. How much does it cost in Switzerland?

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Without Memory and Disk, it costs around 500 Swiss Francs. However, there was a nice discount on black Friday :)

      Reply
  5. Willem Avatar
    Willem

    True, it isn’t quite as silent as I hoped it would be. An Intel NUC could be a replacement, but I don’t think I’ll replace the SuperMicro very soon.

    Reply
  6. Seth Avatar
    Seth

    Good article! I’dike to point out one item regarding the lack of a TPM. While it doesn’t have a discrete TPM it does have PTT:

    Intel Platform Trust Technology (Intel PTT) is a platform functionality for credential storage and key management used by Windows 8* and Windows 10. Intel PTT supports BitLocker* for hard drive encryption and supports all Microsoft requirements for firmware Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) 2.0.

    Reply
  7. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    Thomas I have this exact setup but i cant get the intel network drivers to load at all. Any advice on how you got yours running with network?

    Reply
  8. Madhu Avatar
    Madhu

    Hi

    How much cost in India.

    Reply
  9. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    @Matt:
    For Ethernet drivers on Windows Server do a Bing or Google search for ‘+”Windows Server 2016″ +NUC +drivers +struggling’ – note the ‘2016’ instead of ‘2019’.

    @Thomas Maurer:
    Did you get the Intel Wireless-AC 9560 drivers installed to a working condition on your NUC? I’m having issues on a similar (non-NUC) environment where the Intel PROSet drivers appear to install just fine but leave unidentified entries for the AC 9560 in Windows Device Manager. :-(

    Reply
  10. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    @Matt:
    Do a Bing or Google search for ‘+”Windows Server 2016″ +NUC +drivers +struggling’ – note the ‘2016’ instead of ‘2019’!

    @Thomas Mauerer:
    Did you get the Intel AC 9560 drivers installed into a working condition? I’m having issues with a similar (non-NUC) setup where the Intel PROSet drivers appear to install but leave unidentified entries for the AC 9560 in Windows Device Manager. :-(

    Reply
  11. Lukasware Avatar
    Lukasware

    Add a $169 B&H Qnap Thunderbolt SFP+ adapter
    $10 SFP+ cable to SFP+ port on $300-$500 switch

    Now your nuc (hopefully 2x 970 EVO in RAID-0) is connected with 10GbE for less than $200

    But RAID-0 970 EV0 is 5GB/s so overkill for a 10GbE link

    Reply
  12. haft Avatar
    haft

    So I can’t find anywhere that the new Bean Canyon NUCs offer two M.2 slots like the previous models. Am I missing something?

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      I currently traveling, so I can’t check. :) But I will when I am home.

      Reply
  13. bob Avatar
    bob

    To install the NIC drivers on Server OS’s, extract the driver zip, then in device manager, right click device, properties, choose update driver, browse my computer for driver, let me pick from a list, have disk, browse to LAN_Server2016_23.5.2\PRO1000\Winx64\NDIS68, Open, OK, choose I219-LM, next, yes to warning, close, you are done.

    Reply
  14. Robert Avatar
    Robert

    Now that you have been using the system for a couple of months, can you post an update? Would you buy it again?

    Reply
  15. Andy Avatar
    Andy

    Actually the NUC8i7BEH is working just fine with 64GB RAM. Samsung release 32GB stick (code: M471A4G43MB1-CTD).
    I am using it right now with ESXi 6.7 U2. Also, check this post for confirming: https://www.virtuallyghetto.com/2019/03/64gb-memory-on-the-intel-nucs.html

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Nice! I need to have a closer look at that!

      Reply
  16. Michael Williams Avatar
    Michael Williams

    Hi,

    I just finished installing Server 2019 with the HyperV Role.
    The statement that NUC 8’th generation does not support TPM 2.0 are not true – and also – the NUC (even the 7’th generation) actually supports 64GB Memory (Intel says otherwise – but it works).

    The fast way of installing the driver for the i219-V NIC is quite simple.
    Fetch the latest greatest PROSetx64.exe from Intel with Server 2019 drivers for the i219-V adapter.
    Unzip the exe file and find the folder with the actual driver files named PRO1000\Winx64\NDIS68
    Do a manual install of the drivers (Rightclick Update Driver in Device Manager, Browse my computer for computer software”, “Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer”, select “Network Adapter”, Select “Have Disk…” and point to the folder mentioned above. Now select i219-LM (the i219-V is not shown)

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Awesome! thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  17. Gert Ooms Avatar
    Gert Ooms

    Dear Thomas,

    Did you actually got it running ? I mean the 2019 core server with all drivers ? Fully functional.
    Would like to know some more on the networkadaptors. Got the NIC working but not the wireless.

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Hi Gert. I only did the network adapter for Windows Server. I didn’t need the wireless adapter.

      Reply
  18. Ashutosh H Deshpande Avatar
    Ashutosh H Deshpande

    Hi Thomas, Thanks for this one. I did setup a similar LAB on my NUC8i5BEH model with Windows Sevrer 2016 and or 2019.
    I was unable to fix or install or even enable WIRED LAN / Ethernet on same NUC8i5BEH after installed Windows 2016 Server and also tried with Windows 2019 Server.
    The error message says, Device doesnt exist.
    Neither Intel nor Microsoft Support was able to assist.

    Appreciate your guidance / assistance.

    Reply
  19. Boštjan Naraločnik Avatar
    Boštjan Naraločnik

    Hi Thomas, Thanks for your useful isight. I am just now considering the NIC to run Win Hyper V or ESx-i for some Virtual machines (mostly for DCS programming SW testing). I was looking also at i9 intel nuc which supports more than 32 GB ram but the price is a litle steep.

    Reply
  20. Andi Avatar
    Andi

    You can get NUC8i7BEH which runs on i7 and it works with 64GB Samsung memory (2x32GB). I am using a few for my Kubernetes lab and they are small and quiet but you will have some limitation on the NICs. If you need more NICs, you can either try the Skull version, NUC8i7HNK which has 2 Intel NICs or just use the first one with 1 or 2 Anker USB3 Ethernet adapters. With some minor tweaks they work very nice with ESXi 6.7.
    First one has a NVMe port for a SSD and a SATA 2.5 inch SSD and the second NUC model has the option of 2 x NVMe disks. I don’t see the need for such a powerfull CPU in a lab.

    Hope it helps you.

    Reply
  21. Bas Nunnikhoven Avatar
    Bas Nunnikhoven

    Hi man.

    Currently I am in the same situation that everything works just fine but the network adapter is not installing and whatever I try, I can not solve it. Looks like the drivers for the ethernet network adapter are not compable for windows server standard 2019.

    What I found out is that when I add an external USB hub where a lan port is included, I do have acces to the internet. But for a server enviroment I don’t think a USB connection for the network is as smart and reliable then the build in ethernet port on the NUC whenever it works.

    The NUC we are using is: BXNUC10i7FNH2
    Installed is 32 GB of ram and 1TB SSD

    All support is more then welcome since I am trying to fix it for over a week now without result yet.

    Thanks a lot!

    Greeting,
    Bas

    Reply
  22. Michael Williams Avatar
    Michael Williams

    My description from the 31’th of October 2019 in this thread I gave detailed info on how to make the builtin NIC to work in Microsoft Server.

    Reply
  23. Morten Skov Avatar
    Morten Skov

    @Michael Williams – how do you get the Nic to work in a hyper-v server 2016 core installation?

    Reply
  24. Michael Williams Avatar
    Michael Williams

    I haven’t done this on a Server Core – only on a full GUI (2016 & 2019). But if you can select your own driver in Server Core then you should be able to follow the same description;

    “Fetch the latest greatest PROSetx64.exe from Intel with Server 2019 drivers for the i219-V adapter.
    Unzip the exe file and find the folder with the actual driver files named PRO1000\Winx64\NDIS68
    Do a manual install of the drivers (Rightclick Update Driver in Device Manager, Browse my computer for computer software”, “Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer”, select “Network Adapter”, Select “Have Disk…” and point to the folder mentioned above. Now select i219-LM (the i219-V is not shown but is the same as i219-LM)”

    I upgraded my NUCs a few month ago to generation 10 – I could get almost the same of money for my generation 8. I just transferred the RAM and the M.2 to the new and everything worked right away – now with 6 cores :-)
    Mine is currently still running with Server 2019 – including the HyperV role.

    Reply
  25. little fooch Avatar
    little fooch

    Hardware aside, has anyone been able to replicate the ethernet/tb networking as discussed in the 2014 White Paper from Intel, called “Thunderbolt™ Networking Bridging and Routing Instructional White Paper”, thanks

    Reply
  26. Ray Kay Avatar
    Ray Kay

    I have been using intel nuc7i7dnhe models, these have native Windows 2019 support for their lan ports.
    That combined with internal-usb-connected expansion slot LAN ports {realtek] for management, I’m a happy camper [no dongles] with my intel HyperV hosts, now looking at a separate DC NUC to complete my cluster.

    Running these for more than 2 years non stop now [short pause when reinstalling to windows 2019 datacenter], no issues. All the essential drivers for devices work, not every driver, i.e. no BT/Wifi. and i spent nu time getting them to work, not neccessary for what I want with it. Clustered Hyper-V.

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      awesome!

      Reply

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