Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 System Requirements

Microsoft Corporation
Published: February 2012
Microsoft Dynamics AX

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 Microsoft Dynamics AX

Table of Contents
System requirements for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 ....................................................................................................... 4
Network requirements ................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Network response time ............................................................................................................................................................. 4
Local area network (LAN) environments ............................................................................................................................ 4
Wide area network (WAN) environments .......................................................................................................................... 4
Domain requirements .................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Minimum hardware ......................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Software requirements for all computers ............................................................................................................................... 6
Software requirements for server computers ....................................................................................................................... 7
Supported server operating systems ................................................................................................................................... 7
Software requirements for database servers .................................................................................................................... 8
Software requirements for other Microsoft Dynamics AX server components .................................................. 8
Virtual server support.............................................................................................................................................................. 11
Software requirements for client computers ..................................................................................................................... 12
Supported client operating systems ................................................................................................................................. 12
Software requirements for the Microsoft Dynamics AX client ............................................................................... 12
Software requirements for other client components ................................................................................................. 13
Virtual client support ............................................................................................................................................................... 14
Hardware and software requirements for Retail components .................................................................................... 15
Hardware requirements for communications servers ................................................................................................ 15
Hardware requirements for the store database computer ...................................................................................... 15
Hardware requirements for a point-of-sale computer .............................................................................................. 16
Supported peripheral devices for Retail .......................................................................................................................... 16
Supported operating systems for Retail components ............................................................................................... 17
Database requirements for the retail store database................................................................................................. 17
64-bit operating system support ............................................................................................................................................ 18

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Microsoft Dynamics AX

System requirements for Microsoft Dynamics AX

2012
Before you install Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, make sure that the system that you are working with
meets or exceeds the minimum network, hardware, and software requirements.

Network requirements
Microsoft Dynamics AX can operate on networks that use Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) or Internet
Protocol Version 6 (IPv6).
Consider the network environment when you plan the system, and use the following guidelines.

Network response time

The following table lists the minimum network requirements for the connection between the client and
the Application Object Server (AOS) and the connection between the AOS and the database in a Microsoft
Dynamics AX system.

Value Client to AOS AOS to database

Bandwidth (b) 100 megabits per second (Mbps) 100 Mbps

The total response time for running a task in Microsoft Dynamics AX is expressed by the following
formula:
Response time = (Number of calls to and from the server * Latency) + Number of bytes sent/b

Important:
The higher the latency, the higher the response time. You are responsible for making sure that the
response time caused by latency in your network is acceptable for your business.

Local area network (LAN) environments

Connect directly through a Microsoft Dynamics AX Windows client. Windows Server Terminal Services is
not required.

Wide area network (WAN) environments

Terminal Services is not required when bandwidth constraints do not exist, and when user interactions on
the client require 6 or fewer round trips. With an average of 100 milliseconds latency, we expect a delay of
approximately 600 milliseconds. Customizations and data configurations will require optimization to
reduce round trips to 6 or fewer round trips per user interaction.
In a WAN environment that uses legacy X++ reporting, connect by using Windows Server Terminal
Services or another remote connection product, regardless of network latency.

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 Microsoft Dynamics AX

In a WAN environment that has greater than 100 milliseconds peak latency, you must use Terminal
Services to deploy Microsoft Dynamics AX Windows clients.

Notes:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services, or Terminal Services, includes TS RemoteApp,
TS Easy Print, and TS Web Access. For more information about how to use Terminal Services, see
the Terminal Services site on Microsoft TechNet.
Other Terminal Emulation software, within the Microsoft Support policy, may also be used where
Terminal Services is allowed.

Domain requirements
Consider the following domain requirements when you install Microsoft Dynamics AX:
 Computers that run Microsoft Dynamics AX components must belong to an Active Directory domain,
and Active Directory must be configured in native mode.
 Computers that run Microsoft Dynamics AX components must have access to other computers in
Active Directory. These computers may be either in the same domain or in another trusted domain.
 To support e-mail alerts in Microsoft Dynamics AX, an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server
must be present in the environment.

Minimum hardware
The following table lists the minimum hardware that is required to install and run Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Item Requirement

Processor Intel Pentium/Celeron family or compatible Pentium III Xeon or higher processor. We recommend
a processor speed of 1.1 GHz or higher.

Important:
Microsoft Dynamics AX is not supported on Itanium 64-bit processors.

RAM We recommend 4 GB or more of RAM for server computers.

We recommend 2 GB or more of RAM for client computers.

Monitor Super VGA (1024x768) or higher resolution monitor

Other A DVD drive is required for an installation from a DVD.

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Microsoft Dynamics AX

Actual requirements vary, based on the system configuration and based on the applications and features
that you decide to install. The following are some of the many factors that affect the choice of appropriate
hardware for a Microsoft Dynamics AX installation:
 The number of transactions per hour
 The number of concurrent users
 The number of concurrent users of Enterprise Portal for Microsoft Dynamics AX
 The number of remote connections
 The number of locations

Software requirements for all computers

The following software must be present on a computer before any Microsoft Dynamics AX components
can be installed:
 Microsoft .NET Framework
Most Microsoft Dynamics AX components, including the Setup wizard, require .NET Framework 3.5
with Service Pack 1. For those components that require .NET Framework 4.0, it is listed as an
additional requirement in this document.
 Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1 or Windows Installer 4.0

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Software requirements for server computers

The following Microsoft Dynamics AX components require a server installation:
 Databases
 Application Object Server (AOS)
 Enterprise Portal
 Enterprise Search
 Help Server
 Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services extensions
 Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services configuration
 Web services on Internet Information Services (IIS)
 Synchronization proxy for Microsoft Project
 Synchronization service for Microsoft Project
 Management utilities

Supported server operating systems

The following table lists the server operating systems that are supported for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
components.

Operating system Notes

Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition, Enterprise

Edition, Web Edition, or Datacenter Edition

Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, Only 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 are
Web Edition, or Datacenter Edition, with Service Pack 2 supported.

Note:
Although a server operating system is required for most Microsoft Dynamics AX server
components, you can also install some server components on supported client operating systems.
However, this type of installation is supported only for demonstration or development. In a
production environment, you must install the server components on a supported server operating
system.

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Microsoft Dynamics AX

Software requirements for database servers

The following table lists the software requirements for servers where you install the Microsoft Dynamics
AX databases.

Requirement Notes

Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Standard or Enterprise  Only 64-bit versions of SQL Server are supported.
edition, with Service Pack 1  For the minimum hardware requirements for SQL
–or– Server, see
SQL Server 2008 R2, Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter http://www.microsoft.com/sql/default.mspx.
edition. Service Pack 1 is supported, but not required.  In a production environment, we recommend that
you install the latest Cumulative Update for the
version of SQL Server that you are using.

Collation Microsoft Dynamics AX supports Unicode collations that

are case-insensitive, accent-sensitive, kana-sensitive, and
width-insensitive. The collation must match the
Microsoft Windows locale of the computers that are
running instances of the AOS. If you are setting up a new
installation, we recommend that you select a Windows
collation instead of a SQL Server collation. For more
information about how to select a collation for a SQL
Server database, see the SQL Server documentation.

Software requirements for other Microsoft Dynamics AX server

components
Some Microsoft Dynamics AX server components have additional requirements. The following table lists
these requirements.

Component Additional requirements Notes

Application Object Server (AOS)  .NET Framework 4.0, with the Install SQL Server Native Client on the
hotfix from Knowledge Base AOS server if the AOS server is separate
article 2390372. from the database server.
 SQL Server 2008 Native Client

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Component Additional requirements Notes

Enterprise Portal  Web server role SharePoint Server 2010, Standard Edition
 IIS 7.0 or IIS 7.5 or Enterprise Edition, can support
Enterprise Portal and Enterprise Search. If
 ASP.NET 2.0
you plan to use SharePoint Foundation
 Microsoft SharePoint
2010 for Enterprise Portal, you must also
Foundation 2010
install one of the search server
–or– applications that are listed for Enterprise
Microsoft SharePoint Server Search.
2010, Standard Edition or
Enterprise Edition
(recommended)
 SQL Server 2008 R2 Analysis
Management Objects (AMO)

Enterprise Search  Web server role

 IIS 7.0 or IIS 7.5
 ASP.NET 2.0
 Windows PowerShell 2.0
 Microsoft Search Server 2010
–or–
Microsoft Search Server Express
2010
–or–
Microsoft Fast Search Server
2010
–or–
SharePoint Server 2010,
Standard Edition or Enterprise
Edition (recommended)

Help Server  Web server role

 IIS 7.0 or IIS 7.5
 ASP.NET 4.0

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Component Additional requirements Notes

Reporting Services extensions  If you are using SQL Server 2008  The Reporting Services integration is
R2, Cumulative Update 3 or a not supported on a report server that
later update is required. is configured to run in SharePoint
 SQL Server 2008 Reporting integrated mode.
Services  The Reporting Services integration is
 Windows PowerShell 2.0 not supported on computers where
instances of Reporting Services 2005
and Reporting Services 2008 are
installed side by side.
 By default, Windows PowerShell 2.0
is installed on Windows Server 2008
R2. On Windows Server 2008 Service
Pack 1, Windows PowerShell 2.0
must be installed manually. Before
you install version 2.0, make sure
that version 1.0 has been removed.

Analysis Services integration  SQL Server 2008 Analysis The Analysis Services integration is not
Services supported on computers where instances
 SQL Server Management Studio of Analysis Services 2005 and Analysis
Services 2008 are installed side by side.
 SQL Server Business Intelligence
Development Studio

Web services on IIS  Web server role The Windows SDK contains tools that
 .NET Framework 4.0 make it easier to configure Web services.
In particular, the Windows
 IIS 7.0 or IIS 7.5
Communication Foundation (WCF)
 If you use web services to
Configuration Editor Tool,
exchange documents with
SvcConfigEditor.exe, provides a graphical
external partners, we
user interface (GUI) that you can use to
recommend that you install the
create and modify configuration settings.
Windows SDK.
Therefore, you do not have to directly
modify XML configuration files.

Synchronization proxy for The environment must include a To use the integration with Project Server,
Microsoft Project computer that is running the the synchronization proxy must be
synchronization service and a installed on the same computer as the
computer that is running Microsoft Project Server Interface (PSI) Web service.
Project Server 2010.

Synchronization service for Message Queuing, which is also Message Queuing must be installed on
Microsoft Project known as MSMQ the computer where you are installing the
synchronization service.

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Component Additional requirements Notes

Management utilities Windows PowerShell 2.0 By default, Windows PowerShell 2.0 is

installed on Windows Server 2008 R2. On
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 1,
Windows PowerShell 2.0 must be
installed manually. Before you install
version 2.0, make sure that version 1.0
has been removed.

Virtual server support

Microsoft Dynamics AX is certified on Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V Virtualization, and will support
other virtualization solutions that participate in the Server Virtualization Validation Program, consistent
with the guidelines that are listed for all Microsoft software as part of Knowledge Base article 897615.
To use Hyper-V in a production environment, you must download the update for Windows Server 2008
that is described in Knowledge Base article 950050. The beta version of Hyper-V, which is included by
default with Windows Server 2008, is not supported.

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Microsoft Dynamics AX

Software requirements for client computers

The following Microsoft Dynamics AX components can be installed on a client computer:
 Windows client
 Office Add-ins
 Remote Desktop Services integration
 Debugger
 Microsoft Visual Studio Tools
 Trace Parser
 .NET Business Connector

Note:
These components can also be installed on any of the supported server operating systems.

Supported client operating systems

The following table lists the client operating systems that are supported for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Operating system Notes

Windows 7 Professional Edition, Ultimate Edition, or Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 are
Enterprise Edition supported.

Windows Vista Business Edition, Ultimate Edition, or Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista are
Enterprise Edition, with Service Pack 2 supported.

Software requirements for the Microsoft Dynamics AX client

The following table lists the software requirements that Microsoft Dynamics AX client computers must
meet.

Requirement Notes

.NET Framework 4.0

Internet Explorer 9.0 A Web browser is required for client computers that access
–or– Enterprise Portal.

Internet Explorer 8.0 Note:

–or– Web browser clients can run on many operating
Mozilla Firefox 3.5 systems. However, those configurations are supported
only for issues that can be reproduced when the
browser runs on an operating system that is supported
for Microsoft Dynamics AX.

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Requirement Notes

2007 Microsoft Office release, Service Pack 2 Office is required for Outlook, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft
–or– Excel integrations with Microsoft Dynamics AX.

2010 Office release

SQL Server 2008 R2 Analysis Management  AMO is required on client computers that are used to
Objects (AMO) administer the OLAP database.
 x86 download:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=188447
 x64 download:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=188448

Software requirements for other client components

Some Microsoft Dynamics AX client components have additional requirements. The following table lists
these requirements.

Component Additional requirements Notes

Office Add-ins  Word or Excel Although Office is recommended for all

 Open XML SDK for Microsoft client computers, you must install Word
Office 2.0 or Excel to use the Office Add-ins. For
information about the supported
 Visual Studio Tools for the
versions, see Software requirements for
Microsoft Office System (VSTO) 4.0
the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.

Remote Desktop Services No additional software requirements

integration

Debugger No additional software requirements

Visual Studio Tools  Windows PowerShell 2.0

 Visual Studio 2010, Standard
Edition or Professional Edition,
with Service Pack 1

Trace Parser No additional software requirements

.NET Business Connector No additional software requirements

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Microsoft Dynamics AX

Virtual client support

The Windows client for Microsoft Dynamics AX is certified to work as a virtual application on Microsoft
Application Virtualization (App-V) 4.6.
App-V transforms applications into virtual services. When an application is virtual, it is no longer installed
on a user's computer. Therefore, the application does not conflict with other applications. Updates are
centrally managed, so that users are not prompted for updates or restarts.

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Hardware and software requirements for Retail

components
The following sections list the hardware and software requirements for computers that are required to
implement Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail.
We recommend a minimum of four computers at the head office: the AOS computer, the database server,
a communications server, and at least one client computer. At the store, we recommend a
communications server, one computer for each register, and a database server. For more information
about the recommended topologies for Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail, see the Retail Deployment
Guide: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.
The following components are included in the Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail solution:
 Retail Headquarters
 Retail POS (point of sale)
 Retail Store Connect
 Retail Transaction Service
 Retail Store Database Utility
 Retail POS Plug-Ins

Hardware requirements for communications servers

The following table lists the hardware requirements for a communications server at the head office or at
the store.

Item Requirement

Processor Minimum: Intel/AMD compatible 1.1 GHz (x86) or 1.4 GHz (x64) processor.
Recommended: Intel/AMD compatible 2 GHz processor

RAM Minimum: 1 GB
Recommended: 2 GB

Available hard disk space Minimum: 1.5 GB

Hardware requirements for the store database computer

The store database computer hosts a SQL Server database, and therefore must meet SQL Server hardware
requirements. For more information, see Hardware and Software Requirements for Installing SQL Server
2008 R2 and Hardware and Software Requirements for Installing SQL Server 2008.

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Microsoft Dynamics AX

Hardware requirements for a point-of-sale computer

The following table lists the hardware requirements for a point-of-sale register. The requirements apply
whether or not an offline database is installed on the register computer. Each register computer that will
be used to process card payments must also have Internet access.

Item Requirement

Processor Minimum: Intel/AMD compatible 1.4 GHz processor

Recommended: Intel/AMD compatible 2 GHz processor

RAM Minimum: 1 GB
Recommended: 2 GB

Available hard disk space Minimum: 1.5 GB

Monitor Super VGA (1024 × 768) or higher-resolution monitor or a touch screen

monitor

Mouse Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device

Supported peripheral devices for Retail

Each store must have enough peripheral devices—such as receipt printers, cash drawers, magnetic stripe
reader (MSR) devices, and personal identification number (PIN) pad devices—for each register in the store
Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail supports the following types of OLE for Retail (OPOS) devices for
registers:
 Cash drawers
 Receipt printers
 Line or pole displays
 Dual displays (with a second monitor that faces the customer)
 Magnetic stripe readers (MSRs)
 Bar code scanners
 Scales
 Keylocks (keyboard locks for manager override keys)
 Keyboards
 PIN pads

Important:
OPOS Common Control Objects, version 1.13, are required for peripheral devices. After using an
installation utility provided by a hardware manufacturer, confirm that the Common Control
Objects have not been overwritten by an earlier version. To help avoid performance issues, verify
that you are using the correct service objects for the hardware devices that you are using.

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Supported operating systems for Retail components

The following table lists the operating systems that are supported for Retail components. Unless
otherwise indicated, you must install the latest service pack for each operating system.

Note:
The Retail Headquarters component must be installed on a computer where the Microsoft
Dynamics AOS or client is installed. Therefore, the supported operating systems for Retail
Headquarters are the same as those for the AOS and client.

Operating system Notes

Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition, Enterprise

Edition, Web Edition, or Datacenter Edition

Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition, Enterprise Only 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 are
Edition, Web Edition, or Datacenter Edition supported.

Windows 7 Professional Edition, Ultimate Edition, or Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 are
Enterprise Edition supported.

Windows Embedded POSReady 7 Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Embedded
–or– POSReady are supported.

Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 Note:

Windows Embedded POSReady is supported only for
register computers in the store. Retail Headquarters
is not supported on this operating system.

Database requirements for the retail store database

The following table lists the supported software for the retail store database.

Requirement Notes

SQL Server 2008 R2, Express, Standard, Enterprise, or Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of SQL Server are
Datacenter edition supported.
–or–
Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Express, Standard, or
Enterprise edition, with Service Pack 2

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64-bit operating system support

The following table summarizes how Microsoft Dynamics AX components run on 64-bit operating
systems.

Component Runs on a 32-bit Runs on a 64-bit Notes

operating system operating system

Application Object Server Not recommended Yes A 64-bit operating system is required if
(AOS) you must complete a full generation of
Common Intermediate Language (CIL),
such as in a development environment.

Windows client Yes Yes The Windows client runs in 32-bit

mode on 64-bit operating systems.

Office Add-ins Yes Yes

Remote Desktop Services Yes Yes

integration

Enterprise Portal No Yes

Help Server No Yes

Reporting Services Not recommended Yes The 32-bit version of Reporting

extensions Services can be installed on a 64-bit
operating system. However, the
Microsoft Dynamics AX Reporting
Services extensions are not supported
in this scenario.

Synchronization service Yes Yes

Synchronization proxy No Yes

Web services on IIS Yes Yes

.NET Business Connector Yes Yes Both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of
.NET Business Connector are installed
when you use a 64-bit operating
system.

Debugger Yes Yes

Visual Studio Tools Yes Yes Visual Studio Tools runs in 32-bit mode
on 64-bit operating systems.

18 Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 System Requirements