Server Core Installation Option of Windows Server 2008 Step-By-Step Guide
Microsoft Corporation
Published: February 2008
Author: Jaime Ondrusek
Abstract
This step-by-step guide provides the instructions you need to build a server in your test lab based on the Server Core installation option of the WindowsServer®2008 operating system. This includes installing and performing the initial configuration of the Server Core installation, installing server roles or features, and managing a server that is running a Server Core installation.
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Copyright Information
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© 2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Contents
Server Core Installation Option of Windows Server 2008 Step-By-Step Guide 5
What is a Server Core installation? 5
What’s new in the Server Core installation option? 5
Who should use this guide? 5
Benefits of a Server Core installation 6
In this guide 6
Deploying a Server Core installation: Overview 6
Prerequisites for deploying a Server Core installation 6
Known issues for deploying a Server Core installation 7
Steps for manually installing a Server Core installation 7
Using an unattend file to install a Server Core installation 7
Configuring a Server Core installation: Overview 8
Administrative credentials 8
Known issues for configuring a Server Core installation 8
Steps for configuring a Server Core installation 8
Installing a server role on a server running Server Core installation: Overview 11
Prerequisites for installing a server role on a server running Server Core installation 12
Known issues for installing a server role on a Server Core installation 12
Steps for installing a server role on a Server Core installation 13
Available server roles 13
DNS Server role 13
DHCP Server role 13
File Services role 14
Print Services role 14
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services role 15
Active Directory Domain Services role 15
Streaming Media Services role 16
Web Server (IIS) role 16
Installing Windows Features: Overview 17
Prerequisites for installing an optional feature on a server running a Server Core installation 17
Known issues for installing an optional feature on a server running a Server Core installation 18
Steps for installing an optional feature on a server running a Server Core installation 18
Available optional features 18
Managing a Server Core installation: Overview 19
Prerequisites for managing a server running Server Core installation 19
Known issues for managing a server running a Server Core installation 20
Steps for managing a Server Core installation 21
Administering a Server Core installation 26
Prerequisites for administering a Server Core installation 26
Known issues for administering a Server Core installation 26
Steps for administering a Server Core installation 27
Configuration and installation 27
Networking and firewall 30
Updates, error reporting, and feedback 31
Services, processes, and performance 32
Event logs 33
Disk and file system 33
Hardware 34
Logging bugs and feedback 35
Additional references 35
Appendix A: Sample Server Core installation - Unattend.xml 37
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Server Core Installation Option of Windows Server 2008 Step-By-Step Guide
This step-by-step guide provides instructions for building a server in your test lab that is based on the Server Core installation option of the WindowsServer®2008 operating system. It includes information about installation, initial configuration, and managing a server that is running a Server Core installation.
What is a Server Core installation?
The Server Core installation option is a new option that you can use for installing Windows Server2008. A Server Core installation provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles, which reduces the maintenance and management requirements and the attack surface for those server roles. A server running a Server Core installation supports the following server roles:
· Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS)
· Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS)
· DHCP Server
· DNS Server
· File Services
· Print Services
· Streaming Media Services
· Web Server (IIS)
To accomplish this, the Server Core installation option installs only the subset of the binary files that are required by the supported server roles. For example, the Explorer shell is not installed as part of a Server Core installation. Instead, the default user interface for a server running a Server Core installation is the command prompt.
What’s new in the Server Core installation option?
The Server Core installation option of Windows Server2008 requires initial configuration at a command prompt. A Server Core installation does not include the traditional full graphical user interface. Once you have configured the server, you can manage it locally at a command prompt or remotely using a Terminal Server connection. You can also manage the server remotely using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) or command-line tools that support remote use.
Who should use this guide?
The target audience for the Server Core installation option of Windows Server2008 includes:
· IT planners and analysts who are technically evaluating the product.
· Enterprise IT planners and designers for organizations.
· IT professionals who are managing the ADDS, ADLDS, DHCP Server, DNS Server, File Services, Print Services, Streaming Media Services, and Web Server (IIS) roles.
Benefits of a Server Core installation
The Server Core installation option of Windows Server2008 provides the following benefits:
· Reduced maintenance. Because the Server Core installation option installs only what is required to have a manageable server for the ADDS, ADLDS, DHCP Server, DNS Server, File Services, Print Services, and Streaming Media Services roles, less maintenance is required than on a full installation of Windows Server2008.
· Reduced attack surface. Because Server Core installations are minimal, there are fewer applications running on the server, which decreases the attack surface.
· Reduced management. Because fewer applications and services are installed on a server running the Server Core installation, there is less to manage.
· Less disk space required. A Server Core installation requires only about 1 gigabyte (GB) of disk space to install and approximately 2GB for operations after the installation.
In this guide
· Deploying a Server Core installation: Overview
· Configuring a Server Core installation: Overview
· Installing a server role on a server running a Server Core installation: Overview
· Installing Windows Features: Overview
· Managing a Server Core installation: Overview
· Administering a Server Core installation
· Logging bugs and feedback
· Additional references
· Appendix A: Sample Server Core installation - Unattend.xml
Deploying a Server Core installation: Overview
In this scenario, you will create a server running a Server Core installation. There are no special settings or differences between installing Windows Server2008 and a Server Core installation.
Prerequisites for deploying a Server Core installation
To complete this task, you will need the following:
· The Windows Server2008 installation media
· A valid product key
· A computer on which you can perform a clean Server Core installation
Known issues for deploying a Server Core installation
· There is no way to upgrade from a previous version of the Windows Server operating system to a Server Core installation. Only a clean installation is supported.
· There is no way to upgrade from a full installation of Windows Server2008 to a Server Core installation. Only a clean installation is supported.
· There is no way to upgrade from a Server Core installation to a full installation of Windows Server2008. If you need the Windows® user interface or a server role that is not supported in a Server Core installation, you will need to install a full installation of Windows Server2008.
Steps for manually installing a Server Core installation
Follow this procedure to install a Server Core installation of Windows Server2008.
To install a Server Core installation
1. Insert the appropriate Windows Server2008 installation media into your DVD drive.2. When the auto-run dialog box appears, click Install Now.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.
4. After Setup completes, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, click Other User, type Administrator with a blank password, and then press ENTER. You will be prompted to set a password for the Administrator account.
Using an unattend file to install a Server Core installation
Using an unattend file for a Server Core installation enables you to perform most of the initial configuration tasks during Setup. Performing an unattended Server Core installation provides the following benefits:
· There is no need to perform the initial configuration by using command-line tools.
· You can include the settings in the unattend file to enable remote administration (when Setup is complete).
· You can configure settings that cannot be easily modified at a command prompt, such as display resolution.
To install a Server Core installation by using an unattend file
1. Create a .xml file titled Unattend.xml by using a text editor or Windows System Image Manager.2. Copy the Unattend.xml file to a local drive or shared network resource.
3. Boot your computer to Windows Preinstallation Environment (WindowsPE), Windows Server2003, or WindowsXP.
4. Insert the media disk with the Server Core installation of Windows Server2008 into your disk drive. If the auto-run Setup window appears, click Cancel.
5. At a command prompt, change to the drive that contains the installation media.
6. Type the following at a command prompt:
setup /unattend:path\unattend.xml
where path is the path to your Unattend.xml file.
7. Allow Setup to complete.
Note
Appendix A of this document contains a sample unattend file with comments that explain the settings in the sample configuration. This sample can be modified for use in your environment.
Configuring a Server Core installation: Overview
Because a Server Core installation does not include the Windows user interface, there is no "out-of-box experience" to help you complete the server configuration. Instead you must manually complete the configuration using the command-line tools as outlined in the following steps.
Note
You can use an unattended setup to configure these settings during installation. For more information about unattended settings, see the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81030).
Administrative credentials
If you are going to join a server running a Server Core installation to an existing Windows domain, you need a user name and password for an account that has the administrative credentials to join a computer to the domain.
Known issues for configuring a Server Core installation
· If you close all command prompts, you will have no way to manage the Server Core installation. To recover, you can press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, click Start Task Manager, click File, click Run, and type cmd.exe. Alternatively, you can log off and log back on again.
· Because there is no Web browser, you cannot activate a Server Core installation or access the Internet through a firewall that requires users to log on.
Steps for configuring a Server Core installation
The following procedures explain how to configure a computer running a Server Core installation. The steps include:
· Setting the administrative password
· Setting a static IP address
Note
A DHCP address is provided by default. You should perform this procedure only if you need to set a static IP address.
· Joining a domain
· Activating the server
· Configuring the firewall
To set the administrative password
1. When your computer starts for the first time after the installation completes, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE. Type Administrator for the user name and leave the password blank.2. The system will inform you that the password has expired and will prompt you to enter a new password.
3. Type an appropriate password.
To set a static IP address
1. At a command prompt, type the following:netsh interface ipv4 show interfaces
2. Make a note of the number shown in the Idx column of the output for your network adapter. If your computer has more than one network adapter, make a note of the number corresponding to the network adapter for which you wish to set a static IP address.
3. At the command prompt, type:
netsh interface ipv4 set address name="<ID>" source=static address=<StaticIP> mask=<SubnetMask> gateway=<DefaultGateway>
Where:
ID is the number from step 2 above
StaticIP is the static IP address that you are setting
SubnetMask is the subnet mask for the IP address
DefaultGateway is the default gateway
4. At the command prompt, type:
netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name="<ID" address=<DNSIP>index=1
Where:
ID is the number from step 2 above
DNSIP is the IP address of your DNS server
5. Repeat step 4 for each DNS server that you want to set, incrementing the index= number each time.
Notes