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We are planning to upgrade our environment to SailPoint IdentityIQ 8.5p1.
For IQService, the only Windows platform available to us is Windows Server 2019 Core (Server Core installation, no Desktop Experience).
We would like to confirm whether IQService shipped with IdentityIQ 8.5p1 is officially supported on Windows Server 2019 Core, or if a full Windows Server (Desktop Experience) installation is required.
Specifically, we are looking for guidance on:
Compatibility of IQService with Windows Server 2019 Server Core
Any dependencies on Windows GUI components, .NET Framework, or services that may not be available on Server Core
Any known limitations or documented restrictions for running IQService on Server Core in IdentityIQ 8.5.x
At this stage, we have not encountered any runtime errors; this is a pre-upgrade validation request to ensure platform compatibility before proceeding.
Any confirmation from SailPoint or from users with hands-on experience would be greatly appreciated.
I do not have an answer whether the 2019 Core is supported. It might be hinted by the support matrix where supported OS is marked as Windows 2022 and 2025.
For IdentityIQ 8.5p1, IQService is supported on Windows Server 2019, but SailPoint’s documentation only covers the full Desktop Experience installation. Server Core isn’t listed as a supported platform, and IQService relies on components like .NET Framework 4.8, WMI providers, and certain COM libraries that aren’t always available or fully functional on Core.
In practice, some teams have managed to run IQService on Server Core with extra manual configuration, but it’s not an officially supported setup. That means if anything breaks, SailPoint Support may not be able to assist.
If you want to be fully aligned with the support matrix for 8.5p1, the safest path is to use Windows Server 2019 with Desktop Experience for IQService. If Server Core is your only option, I’d recommend opening a SailPoint Support ticket to get written confirmation before moving forward.
We are currently running IdentityIQ 8.3p2, and our IQService is deployed on Windows Server 2019 Core servers and has been operating without any issues.
As we are planning to upgrade to IdentityIQ 8.5p1, we would like to confirm whether the same Windows Server 2019 Core machines can continue to be used for IQService after the upgrade.
Since you’re already running IQService on Windows Server 2019 Core with IdentityIQ 8.3p2, it’s very likely that it will continue to run the same way after upgrading to 8.5p1. The IQService architecture hasn’t changed in a way that would break Server Core specifically.
That said, SailPoint still doesn’t list Server Core as an officially supported platform for IQService in 8.5.x. So while it may work just as it does today, it won’t be a fully supported configuration if you run into issues later.
If you want to stay within the official support matrix, Desktop Experience is the safe option. If you prefer to keep using Server Core, what I would do is getting written confirmation from SailPoint Support before the upgrade so your covered.
@sabareeswaran_asokan Since your current 8.3p2 environment is stable on Core, the upgrade is unlikely to break existing functionality, but it could be an “unsupported configuration” from Sailpoint Support perspective. To mitigate risk, you must verify that .NET Framework 4.8 is present and perform a full validation in a sandbox environment using the 8.5p1 binaries. Ultimately, obtaining written confirmation from SailPoint Support is the only way to ensure you are covered for future troubleshooting or patches.
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Windows Server 2019 is an officially supported OS for IQService with IdentityIQ 8.5p1, but the Server Core installation option is not explicitly supported in the SailPoint product documentation.
IQService itself does not depend on a GUI, but there may be indirect dependencies on full .NET and Windows APIs that Server Core omits.
Community experience indicates IQService can run on Server Core, especially if it worked in your 8.3p2 environment, but this remains an unsupported configuration from SailPoint Support’s perspective unless explicitly validated.
Best practice: validate in a non-production environment and confirm with SailPoint Support before upgrading.
, 
, etc.) with an emoji to show your appreciation or message me directly if your problem requires a deeper dive.