Planning and preparation: Cayosoft Guardian system requirements
NOTE: Installing the Administrator Service and Cayosoft Guardian on the same server is not supported. Cayosoft strongly recommends installing them on separate servers to ensure optimal performance.
Hardware Requirements
|
Component |
Requirements |
|---|---|
|
Platform |
2 GHz or higher Intel-compatible dual or quad-core CPU |
|
Memory |
8 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended NOTE: For environments with 100k user accounts or more, 32 GB RAM or more is recommended. |
|
Disk |
180 GB or more of free disk space |
|
Machine |
Physical, on-premises virtual, Azure VM, or AWS virtual server NOTE: For Azure recovery-site deployments, use Windows Server with Desktop Experience even if the source server is Server Core. |
To help you determine the optimal hardware requirements for your environment, check the hardware configuration calculator.
Software Requirements
|
Component |
Requirements |
|---|---|
|
OS |
Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025
NOTE: When
deploying domain controllers with Windows Server 2025 in
AWS-based Forest Recovery scenarios, ensure that the selected
EC2 instance types support UEFI boot mode. Older instance
types such as t2.medium are not compatible and will result
in provisioning errors. Cayosoft Guardian now defaults to
t3 instances, which are supported. However, customers using
legacy recovery plans may need to manually update the instance
type to avoid deployment issues. Windows 10 Pro |
|
Active Directory Forest Functional level |
2012R2, 2016, 2025
|
|
Active Directory Domain Functional level |
2012R2, 2016, 2025 |
|
Web browsers |
IMPORTANT: Microsoft
Internet Explorer is not supported. |
|
Database |
Cayosoft Guardian includes a built-in SQL Server Express LocalDB option for local deployments. Starting with Cayosoft Guardian 7.2, Cayosoft Guardian uses the latest supported SQL Server Express LocalDB version 2025 for the built-in database, increasing the default maximum local database size to 50 GB (previously 10 GB). This applies to new installations and upgrades that use the built-in database. SQL Server 2017 or later, Azure SQL/Azure SQL PaaS, or SQL Server on AWS is strongly recommended for production workloads.
SQL Server 2017 or later, Azure SQL/Azure SQL PaaS, or SQL Server on AWS is strongly recommended for production workloads. Azure SQL standard database must be created with one of the following configurations:
SQL Server on AWS must be created with at least db.m5.large model. |
|
Required ports |
|
| Virtual address network space |
When configuring the virtual network for the standby recovery site, the address space must be /24 or larger. This requirement ensures that the virtual network has enough IP addresses to support all deployed components during the recovery operation. NOTE: Smaller subnets, such as /27 (32 IP addresses), will result in deployment failure. |
Permissions required for Cayosoft Guardian
The following permissions have been moved into dedicated articles. Use these references to plan least-privilege access for each functional area.
| Area | Description | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Change monitoring and rollback | Roles and scopes required for collecting changes across AD and Entra ID, and for performing safe rollback operations. | |
| Communication Channel permissions | Minimum permissions for sending notifications and integrating with external services such as Microsoft Teams, Exchange Online, SMTP. | Permissions for Communication channels in Cayosoft Guardian |
| Forest Recovery permissions | Required accounts, roles, and cloud provider privileges for performing backup, standby site preparation, and automated forest recovery. | Permissions for Forest Recovery in Cayosoft Guardian |
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