System Requirements¶
Section: Getting Started | Article 02
Audience: IT Administrators
Last Updated: 2026-04-06
Server Sizing¶
Choose your deployment size based on the number of users who will use RP-PAM to request and manage privileged access.
Small Deployment (up to 50 users)¶
Single server. Suitable for small organisations or pilot deployments.
Windows Server:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4 cores | 6 cores |
| RAM | 12 GB | 16 GB |
| Disk (OS + RP-PAM) | 60 GB SSD | 80 GB SSD |
| Disk (Database) | 50 GB SSD | 50 GB SSD |
| Nodes | 1 | 1 |
| Redis | Not required | Not required |
Linux (Ubuntu, RHEL, Debian):
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2 cores | 4 cores |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Disk (OS + RP-PAM) | 30 GB SSD | 40 GB SSD |
| Disk (Database) | 50 GB SSD | 50 GB SSD |
| Nodes | 1 | 1 |
| Redis | Not required | Not required |
Docker (any Linux host):
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2 cores | 4 cores |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Disk (Host + volumes) | 40 GB SSD | 60 GB SSD |
| Nodes | 1 | 1 |
| Redis | Not required | Not required |
Why the difference? Windows Server Desktop Experience consumes approximately 2–4 GB of RAM and 20 GB of disk at idle before RP-PAM is installed. Linux distributions typically use under 500 MB RAM and 5 GB disk at idle. Windows Server Core reduces the Windows overhead but still requires more resources than Linux.
Medium Deployment (50–500 users)¶
Two-node high availability. Suitable for most enterprises.
Windows Server:
| Component | Minimum (per node) | Recommended (per node) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8 cores | 8 cores |
| RAM | 20 GB | 24 GB |
| Disk (OS + RP-PAM) | 100 GB SSD | 120 GB SSD |
| Disk (Database) | 100 GB SSD | 100 GB SSD |
| Nodes | 2 (primary + standby) | 2 |
| Redis | Required (1 instance, 2 GB RAM) | Required |
Linux:
| Component | Minimum (per node) | Recommended (per node) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4 cores | 8 cores |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Disk (OS + RP-PAM) | 60 GB SSD | 80 GB SSD |
| Disk (Database) | 100 GB SSD | 100 GB SSD |
| Nodes | 2 (primary + standby) | 2 |
| Redis | Required (1 instance, 2 GB RAM) | Required |
Docker:
| Component | Minimum (per node) | Recommended (per node) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4 cores | 8 cores |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Disk (Host + volumes) | 80 GB SSD | 100 GB SSD |
| Nodes | 2 (primary + standby) | 2 |
| Redis | Required (1 instance, 2 GB RAM) | Required |
Large Deployment (500+ users)¶
Multi-node cluster with dedicated database server. Suitable for large enterprises and MSPs.
Windows Server:
| Component | Minimum (per node) | Recommended (per node) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 12 cores | 16 cores |
| RAM | 32 GB | 48 GB |
| Disk (OS + RP-PAM) | 150 GB SSD | 200 GB SSD |
| Disk (Database) | 250 GB+ SSD (dedicated) | 500 GB+ SSD (dedicated) |
| Nodes | 3+ (primary + standby + witness/DR) | 3+ |
| Redis | Required (dedicated, 4 GB RAM) | Required |
Linux:
| Component | Minimum (per node) | Recommended (per node) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8 cores | 16 cores |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| Disk (OS + RP-PAM) | 80 GB SSD | 120 GB SSD |
| Disk (Database) | 250 GB+ SSD (dedicated) | 500 GB+ SSD (dedicated) |
| Nodes | 3+ (primary + standby + witness/DR) | 3+ |
| Redis | Required (dedicated, 4 GB RAM) | Required |
Docker:
| Component | Minimum (per node) | Recommended (per node) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8 cores | 16 cores |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| Disk (Host + volumes) | 100 GB SSD | 150 GB SSD |
| Nodes | 3+ (primary + standby + witness/DR) | 3+ |
| Redis | Required (dedicated, 4 GB RAM) | Required |
Note: These are requirements for smooth operation at maximum user counts. Under-provisioning will result in slow response times during peak usage. When in doubt, use the "Recommended" column.
Tip: If you are unsure whether to deploy on Windows or Linux, Linux provides significantly better resource efficiency. A Linux deployment with 8 cores / 16 GB RAM handles the same workload as a Windows Server deployment with 12 cores / 24 GB RAM.
Browser-Based Session Overhead¶
If you use browser-based SSH and RDP sessions (see Browser Sessions), add resources based on expected concurrent sessions:
| Concurrent Sessions | Additional RAM | Additional CPU | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 | 256 MB | Negligible | Default for small deployments |
| Up to 25 | 512 MB | 0.5 cores | |
| Up to 50 | 1 GB | 1-2 cores | Default max concurrent limit |
| 100+ | 2+ GB | 2-3 cores | Increase maxConcurrentSessions in config |
SSH sessions are lightweight (~5 MB RAM each). RDP sessions are heavier (~15-30 MB each due to the guacd process handling RDP protocol decoding).
Session Recording Storage¶
Recordings are stored locally by default. Estimated storage:
| Session Type | Storage per Hour | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SSH | 1-5 KB/minute (~300 KB/hour) | Text stream only — very small |
| RDP | 2-10 MB/hour at 2 FPS | Protocol-level updates, not video |
For medium and large deployments, use a dedicated data drive for recordings (configurable in the Setup Wizard or rppam.config). For HA clusters, configure shared storage (NFS, SMB, or S3) so recordings are accessible from any node.
Operating System Requirements¶
| Operating System | Minimum Version | Recommended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Server | 2019 | 2022 | Desktop Experience or Server Core |
| Ubuntu | 22.04 LTS | 24.04 LTS | LTS releases only supported |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 9.0 | 9.x (latest) | CentOS Stream 9 also supported |
| Debian | 12 (Bookworm) | 12 (latest) |
Docker deployments: Any Linux distribution that supports Docker 24+ is suitable. The container image includes all dependencies.
Database Requirements¶
RP-PAM requires one of the following database engines. The database can run on the same server as RP-PAM (small deployments) or on a dedicated server (medium/large deployments).
| Database Engine | Minimum Version | Recommended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft SQL Server | 2019 | 2022 | Express edition is sufficient for small deployments |
| PostgreSQL | 14 | 18 | Latest stable release; pgvector extension recommended for AI features |
PostgreSQL version guidance: - PostgreSQL 12–13: Not supported (end of life). RP-PAM will refuse to start if it detects a version below 14. - PostgreSQL 14–15: Supported. Functional but older; upgrade when possible. - PostgreSQL 16–17: Supported. Good choice for existing deployments. - PostgreSQL 18: Preferred. Latest stable release with the most security patches and performance improvements.
External Database Server Sizing¶
If the database is hosted on a separate server from RP-PAM:
| Deployment | CPU | RAM | Disk | Network Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small (≤50 users) | 2 cores | 4 GB | 50 GB SSD | < 5ms to RP-PAM |
| Medium (≤500 users) | 4 cores | 8 GB | 100 GB SSD | < 5ms to RP-PAM |
| Large (500+ users) | 8 cores | 16 GB | 250 GB+ SSD | < 2ms (dedicated VLAN) |
Additional Infrastructure¶
| Component | When Required | Version | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redis | HA (multi-node) deployments | 6.2 or later | Distributed cache and leader election |
| Ollama | Self-hosted AI only | Latest | Local AI inference (no data leaves network) |
| Load Balancer | HA deployments | nginx, HAProxy, or cloud LB | Distributes traffic across nodes |
Browser Requirements (Web Portal)¶
The RP-PAM web portal requires a modern web browser:
| Browser | Minimum Version |
|---|---|
| Google Chrome | 110 |
| Microsoft Edge | 110 |
| Mozilla Firefox | 115 |
| Apple Safari | 16 |
JavaScript must be enabled.
What's Included in the RP-PAM Package¶
When you install RP-PAM, the following components are included:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| RP-PAM Host | The main application server |
| Web Portal | Browser-based management interface |
| rppam-setup | First-run setup wizard |
| rppam-migrate | Database migration tool |
| rppam-upgrade | Upgrade tool with automatic rollback |
| rppam-module | Module installation tool |
| rppam-breakglass | Break-glass account management tool |
Next Steps¶
- Network and Firewall Requirements — Configure your firewall before installation
- Installation on Windows — Install RP-PAM on Windows Server
- Installation on Linux — Install RP-PAM on Linux
RP-PAM v1.0.0 — Copyright 2026 Ravenphyre. All rights reserved.