HCL Domino System Requirements Explained
To meet the official HCL Domino 14 system requirements, your server must be running a 64-bit OS like Windows Server 2022 or RHEL 9. Moreover, it must have at least 8GB of RAM (though 16GB is recommended) and also fully support OpenJDK 17.
That is the short answer I give to IT admins who are in a hurry. However, if you want to unlock the full potential of HCL Domino, getting just the minimum specs isn’t enough.
Many who are new to Domino assume that it is like any other typical software program. Meaning the requirements are just recommendations, and with a few tweaks during setup, they will be able to run the latest version on the same old hardware. However, they can’t be more wrong. Domino is an enterprise-grade solution, so your underlying hardware is crucial.
If you think that not upgrading the RAM or disk I/O will save you money upfront, the decision will come back to haunt you in the future in the form of database corruption. Moreover, even within a specific version, there is a lot of variation.
Don’t worry, in this guide, I not only explain the exact specs for the latest iteration but also cover all the previous editions going back to v9. This will help you understand the full picture of how Domino server requirements have evolved over the years. First, take a look at the comparison table I have made for you.
HCL Domino System Requirements Cheat Sheet
Save this for future reference. I have borrowed these directly from the official HCL source:
| Feature | Domino v14.5 (Latest) | Domino v12.0.2 (Stable) | Domino v11 (EOS) |
| Status | Active / Recommended | Active / Supported | End of Service |
| Windows OS | Server 2019, 2022, 2025 | Server 2019, 2022 | Server 2016, 2019 |
| Linux OS | RHEL 9, RHEL 10 | RHEL 8, RHEL 9 | RHEL 7, RHEL 8 |
| Architecture | 64-bit Only | 64-bit Only | 64-bit Only |
| Java Runtime | OpenJDK 21 | Java 1.8 | Java 1.8 |
| Real RAM | 16GB – 32GB | 8GB – 16GB | 8GB |
| Disk (Binaries) | 3 – 4 GB | 2 – 4 GB | 1.5 GB |
View the HCL Domino 14 System Requirements in Detail
To all those who are looking for a fresh deployment, choose the latest 14.5 Fix Pack 1, whose minimum specs are as follows:
Operating System: HCL Domino now officially supports Windows Server 2025. Moreover, if you run Linux, you can use RHEL 10.0+ (Red Hat Enterprise Linux)
Mandatory Java Factor: The v14 of HCL Domino now requires you to have Java 21 on your machine. Additionally, if you are on AIX, make sure that the libc++.rte library is present; otherwise, your deployment will fail.
Hardware Reality: Due to the new 64-bit only modern Java architecture, the 4 GB minimum memory is no longer sufficient. I have seen many administrators who ignored this warning face memory shortage issues later. So, I strongly recommend you get at least 16GB and, if possible, bump it up to 32GB of RAM.
What System Specs Do Users of Domino 12 Need?
Many organizations may not want to make too many hardware purchases that the latest Domino Server requires. For them, it makes more sense to check out the minimum requirement for the previous but still supported Domino v12.
Key Specs are as follows:
- Windows: Fully supports Windows Server 2019 and 2022.
- Linux: Runs beautifully on RHEL 8 and 9 (check KB0101447 for kernel specifics).
- Security: This version enforces TLS 1.2/1.3 heavily.
Do Specs Matter When I Move From A Different Platform?
Yes, if you currently operate an MS Exchange Server and are looking to adopt a Domino Server, then knowing the Hardware requirements is a must.
Once you have all the necessary infrastructure, the SysTools Exchange to Domino Transfer Tool can help you move all your data pretty easily.
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Conclusion
Here, I explained the HCL Domino system requirements in descending order. I hope you know what upgrades you need to make to your existing infrastructure if you choose Domino for your enterprise.
FAQs on HCL Domino System Requirements
Q. Why does documentation say I need 4GB of storage, but 16 or 32 GB of memory?
This mismatch confuses a lot of people. The 4GB disk requirement is just for the installation files. The 16 GB RAM requirement is the actual memory where the application files run. Think of it as the storage is at the cook book where as the memory is the countertop. The cookbook is small, counting just the instructions, but when you assemble all the ingredients for a recipe, you require way more space.
When the Domino Server starts, it inflates massively, occupying a lot of memory (many helper functions like JVM, Cache Views, and Buffer management occur in the background), but these don’t take up any disk space themselves.
Q. Is it possible to run Domino 14.5 on Windows Server 2016?
No. Support for it was dropped as the Win Server 2016 does not handle the newer Java 21 runtime libraries very well. So first upgrade to Windows Server 2019 (get the 2022 or 2025 edition if possible) and then install the latest Domino on it.