Let me start this blog post with the explanation why I am writing about connecting App Controller 2012 R2 with SCVMM 2016 TP4. It is not about that I like App Controller more than Windows Azure Pack or something else.
The reason is that I presented last week my session “What’s new in System Center 2016 Virtual Machine Manager?” to the audiences at the Microsoft Technical Summit 2015 and Experts Live 2015. It is quite funny that I got the same question by one attendee at each event at the end of my session, if App Controller 2012 R2 will be running with SCVMM 2016.
My answer was that it might be possible, but when it is not supported. Nevertheless I had to try it in my home lab to verify my own statement.
As you can see it in the screenshot above it is possible. You only have to verify the following terms.
- Install App Controller 2012 R2 on Windows Server 2012 R2. The App Controller 2012 R2 setup will fail on Windows Server 2016.
- Install the SCVMM 2016 console on the App Controller server otherwise you run into a timeout during the setup connection process between App Controller and SCVMM 2016 with the SCVMM 2012 R2 console.
Why was this question so important for both attendees? Because System Center 2016 does not contain a new App Controller version.
-> https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt162212.aspx
The other reason is Microsoft Azure Stack. Both attendees or in other words their companies will not invest in Windows Azure Pack to replace App Controller, when Microsoft Azure Stack is on the far horizon. But they want to use SCVMM 2016 and Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V.