Yesterday I posted a message about running Quarantine Server on 64 bit and found out apparently it’s hasn’t been updated since few people use it. I ended the message asking if SEPM and the embedded database can be run on Windows 7 (64 bit). One person suggested “a workstation OS is not supported for production, and only for test purposes.” If it works properly, why? If it doesn’t work, then it shouldn’t be used for testing, either. I’ve done some more digging and got more confused. I’ve been looking at the Installation Guide for 11.0.5 (although page 2 says version 11.00.05.00.00). Table 2-1 (page 25) “System requirements for the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager and embedded database” lists Win XP SP1 or later, but it doesn’t list Vista or Windows 7. Table 2-2 (page 28) “System requirements for the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager and console” lists Win XP SP1 or later, and it lists Windows 7, but not Vista. This is not the requirements for the Remote Console (Table 2-3, page 31). It also doesn’t list any database (embedded or SQL). Does this mean the embedded database won’t work on 7, but the rest of the SEPM will? SQL Server Express run on Windows 7, so I assume that configuration would work, even if the embedded database doesn’t. Is SQL Server Express’s 4 GB database limit going to be a problem for a small network (113 clients)? To confuse me further, Table 2-9 (page 42) discusses VMware support. Under “Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager, console, and database components” it lists Win XP (Home/Pro, x86 and x64) and Vista (x86 and x64), but no mention of Windows 7. A couple of other quotes from the Installation Guide: Table 2-1 and 2-2 “Note: Windows XP supports a limited number of concurrent users if the clients are in "push" mode. Use "pull" mode on Windows XP servers for up to 100 clients. For more information, search for Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager 11.x communication troubleshooting on the Symantec Support Web site.” Why 100 clients? Is that a hard limit or a suggestion? I’ve got 113 on my 10.2 server. I’d hate to learn SEPM will work with Windows 7 up to 100 clients, but for 113 I have to use Windows Server. Table 2-2 under “Other requirements”: “If using Internet Information Services 7.0 or later (Windows 7, Windows Server 2008), CGI, ASP.net, and IIS 6.0 Management Compatibility must also be installed.” So it looks like Windows 7 IIS 7 will work. I’m still in the dark about the database, though. So…does SEPM work on Windows 7 or not? With the embedded database? Would I need a SQL server? Table 2-1 implies it doesn’t (since it doesn’t list 7 or Vista). Table 2-2 says it does (although it doesn’t say anything about a database, nor does it mention Vista). Table 2-9 implies it doesn’t since 7 isn’t listed, but it does mention Vista, but this is on VMware (which I plan on using). I’m hoping that these apparent (to me) contradictions are just oversights the people editing the documentation didn’t review, and that Windows 7 is supported for management and database. Confused? So am I.