As Microsoft's recommendations, we should install most of Dynamics AX2012 server components on Windows 2008 R2(64bit).

Microsoft's AX2012 virtual machine needs 8GB memory to run. (As my try, it is very slow when we use AX2012 in a 8GB memory PC).

As some try, we can install most of components of Dynamics AX2012 on Windows 7(64bit) for our learnings.

1, System environment

1.1 Hard environment

　　8GB Memory

　　I7 2620M CPU

　　At least 40GB free disk space.

1.2 Software environment

　　Windows 7 SP1 (64bit) It joined into a Domain

　　SQL2008 SP2 (64bit)

　　IIS7

　　Office 2007 SP2

1.3 Permission

　　Database permission, you can refer MS's document

　　Components services permission, at least local admin

2, Pre-installation

First, you can select all components of AX2012 for prerequisite validation. The below is my validation result after i installed some componnents/prerequirements.

* Security Updates for Microsoft Office System: i can't install this item although i download it from MS. It made i can't install the component for my Office 2007 SP2: Office Add-ins of AX2012

*Sharepoint needs to install on Win2008 Server. So EP referred i can't install on Win 7.

*BI, Report server& project server referred, i haven't try them.

*If any pre-requirements missed on your Win7, you can download them from MS and try to install. Then revalidate.

At last, I installed below components:

　　　　Databases

　　　　AOS

　　　　Clients

　　　　Remote Desktop Services integration

　　　　Developer tools (Debuger, VS tools& trace parse)

　　　　Web services on IIS

　　　　.Net business connector

　　　　Management utilities

　　　　BI(Reports&Analysis)

Not installation:

　　　　Web server componnents (EP, Enterprice search&Help server)

　　　　Office Add-ins

　　　　Project server referred

3. After below components installation completed, we can learn AX2012 now although some components can't be installed.

3.1 Install AOS instance

　　You need to install AOS one by one using Setup.exe of AX2012.

3.2 How to manage AX2012

　　AOS services are in services.msc. Each AOS instance has one services.

　　In Administative tools, It has three AX2012 toos (Run as administrator):

　　　　AX2012 configuration: A tool to configure client users access AOS.

　　　　AX2012 management shell

　　　　AX2012 server configuration: Setup AOS

3.3 Configuration for clients

　　In connection tab, you need to entry Server name, AOS name, Ports (If multi AOS for cluster, you only need list all AOS information here.)

3.4 Configuration AOS

　　Define TCP/IP|Services WSDL port for AOS

　　List Database Server name, Database name and baseline database name 

3.5 AOS cluster configuration

　　Sys admin module->Setup->System->Cluster configuration

　　Create a Cluster name: AOSC and you have installed AOS1, AOS2 and AOS3 on your PC.

　　Map AOS instances to cluster, you can change cluster name to AOSC.

　　If you want to a load balancer, you can check it, the AOS will not load users but only for loading balance and its max concurrent sessions will be Zero. Other AOS will load all users.

　　A AOS is loading balancer, it shoudln't be a batch server.

　　AOS is a member of AOS cluster can be a batch server.

　　After cluster configuration completed, All AOS need to restart.

3.6 User configuration for AOS cluster

　　If no load balancer, configuration needs to list all member AOS of the cluster.

　　If it has a load balancer, configuration only needs to list the load balancer AOS settings.

　　For AOS cluster, network should allow some ports access by TCP/IP/UDP.