Introduction

Microsoft has updated their product stack in their operating system, data storage and software development tools with the 2012 offerings. The focus of this document is to address the support that K2 offers with regards to these Microsoft product offerings and how to configure them to work with K2.

The Microsoft products that previous K2 blackpearl installations operate with were systems that utilize Windows Server 2008 as the base operating system, SQL 2008 for data storage, and Visual Studio 2008 as the process design tool. Currently Windows Server 2008 or 2012 is the base operating system with SQL Server 2008 SP1 or later for data storage and Visual Studio 2010 or later as one of the process design tools (the other tools being K2 studio, K2 Designer for SharePoint and K2 Forms).

Before you begin ensure that you have read this document in full before attempting your K2 installation on Windows Server 2012. Many of the configuration steps MUST be performed prior to installing K2 blackpearl.

If more information is required then refer to the following Microsoft site links for information on the respective products:

For more information on Windows Server 2012, as well as on server roles and technologies, see the TechNet page: Windows Server 2012
SQL Server 2012: http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/default.aspx
Microsoft Visual Studio 2012: http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng

Windows Server 2012

Windows Server 2012 delivers valuable new functionality and powerful improvements to the core Windows Server operating system to help organizations of all sizes increase control, availability, and flexibility for their changing business needs. New Web tools, virtualization technologies, security enhancements, and management utilities help save time, reduce costs, and provide a solid foundation for your information technology (IT) infrastructure. The latest version of the Windows Server operating system offers businesses and hosting providers a scalable, dynamic, and multi tenant-aware infrastructure that is optimized for the cloud.

Windows Server 2012 supersedes Windows Server 2008 as the server-based operating system. Windows Server 2012 is strongly recommended for new machines and new system infrastructure. Windows Server 2012 also introduces IIS 8 to the production environments; IE 10 is also fully supported.

Before you install K2 blackpearl, there are several configuration steps that you need to complete:

Running K2HostServer in console mode

When running the K2HostServer in console mode on a Windows Server 2012 machine, the K2 Service Account user must be a local administrator on that machine AND the K2HostServer console application needs to be run using the "Run As Administrator" option.