Windows Server Core Installation Tips and Tricks

Finally, let’s conclude this chapter with a list of 101 things (well, not really 101) you might want to know about or do with a Windows server core installation of Windows Server 2008. Some of these are tips or tricks for configuring or managing a Windows server core server; others are just things you might want to make note of. They’re all either interesting, useful, or both. Here goes....

First, if you want quick examples of a whole lot of administrative tasks you can perform from the command line, just type cscript scregedit.wsf /cli at the command prompt:

C:\Windows\System32\>cscript scregedit.wsf /cli Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.7Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.  To activate:    Cscript slmgr.vbs –ato  To use KMS volume licensing for activation:    Configure KMS volume licensing:    cscript slmgr.vbs -ipk [volume license key]    Activate KMS licensing    cscript slmgr.vbs -ato    Set KMS DNS SRV record    cscript slmgr.vbs -skma [KMS FQDN] Determine the computer name, any of the following:    Set c    Ipconfig /all    Systeminfo  Rename the Server Core computer:    Domain joined:    Netdom renamecomputer %computername% /NewName:new-name    /UserD:domain-username /PasswordD:*    Not domain joined:    Netdom renamecomputer %computername% /NewName:new-name  Changing workgroups:    Wmic computersystem where name="%computername%" call     joindomainorworkgroup name="[new workgroup name]"   Install a role or optional feature:    Start /w Ocsetup [packagename]    Note: For Active Directory, run Dcpromo with an answer file. View role and optional feature package names and current installation state:    oclist Start task manager hot-key:     ctrl-shift-esc  Logoff of a Terminal Services session:    Logoff  To set the pagefile size:    Disable system pagefile management:     wmic computersystem where name="%computername%" set     AutomaticManagedPagefile=False    Configure the pagefile:    wmic pagefileset where name="C:\\pagefile.sys" set     InitialSize=500,MaximumSize=1000 Configure the timezone, date, or time:    control timedate.cpl Configure regional and language options:    control intl.cpl Manually install a management tool or agent:    Msiexec.exe /i [msipackage]  List installed msi applications:    Wmic    product Uninstall msi applications:    Wmic product get name /value     Wmic product where name="[name]" call uninstall To list installed drivers:    Sc query type= driver Install a driver that is not included:    Copy the driver files to Server Core    Pnputil –i –a [path]\[driver].inf Determine a file’s version:    wmic datafile where name="d:\\windows\\system32\\ntdll.dll" get version List of installed patches:    wmic qfe list Install a patch:    Wusa.exe [patchame].msu /quiet Configure a proxy:    Netsh winhttp proxy set [proxy_name]:[port] Add, delete, query a Registry value:    reg.exe add /?    reg.exe delete /?    reg.exe query /?

Now here are a bunch of random insights into and tips for running a Windows server core installation of Windows Server 2008:

The SMS 2005 and MOM 2005 agents should run fine on Windows server core servers, but for best systems management functionality you probably want to use the upcoming Microsoft System Center family of products instead.

You can deploy the Windows server core installation option using Windows Deployment Services (WDS) just like the full installation option of Windows Server 2008. It’s the same product-just a different setup option to choose.

To install the Windows server core installation option on a system, the system needs a minimum of 512 MB RAM. That’s not because Windows server core servers need that much RAM, however-in fact, they need just over 100 MB of RAM to run with no roles installed. But the setup program for installing Windows Server 2008 requires 512 MB or more of memory or setup will fail. You can install the Windows server core installation option on a box with 512 MB RAM and then after installation pull some of the RAM, but at the time of this writing, this procedure is not supported.

The Windows server core installation option uses much less disk space than a full installation of Windows Server 2008. We’re talking roughly 1 MB vs. 5 MB here, and that shows you how much stuff has been pulled out of Windows server core to slim it down.

When patching Windows server core servers, you actually don’t need to presort patches into those that apply to the Windows server core installation option and those that don’t apply. Instead, you can just go ahead and patch, and only updates that apply to Windows server core servers will actually be applied.

You can manage Windows server core servers remotely using the RSAT, but you can’t install the RSAT on Windows server core to manage the server locally.

The Windows server core installation option does support Read Only Domain Controllers (RO DC). This support makes Windows server core servers ideal for branch office scenarios, especially with BitLocker installed as well.

You won’t get any User Account Control (UAC) prompts if you log on to a Windows server core server as a nonadministrator and try to perform an administrative task. Why not? UAC needs the desktop shell to function.

One way of seeing how slimmed-down Windows server core is is to compare the number of installed and running services on the two platforms. Table 6-3 shows a rough comparison, assuming no roles have been installed.

Table 6-3: Comparison of default number of services for server core installation vs. full installation
Open table as spreadsheet

Feature compared	Server core	Server
Number of services installed by default	~40	~75
Number of services running by default	~30	~50

If you’re trying to run the Windows Remote Shell from another machine and use it to manage a Windows server core server and it doesn’t work, you might not have the right credentials on the Windows server core server to manage it. If this is the case, first try connecting to the Windows server core server from your machine using the net use \\<server_name>\ipc$ / u:<domain>\<user_name> command using a user account that has local admin privileges on the Windows server core server. Then try running your WinRS commands again. Note that this tip also applies to using MMC admin tools to remotely manage a Windows server core installation since the MMC doesn’t let you specify different credentials for connecting remotely.

If you’re trying to use Computer Management on another machine to manage the disk subsystem on your Windows server core server using Disk Management and you can’t, type net start vds at the command prompt on your Windows server core server to start the Virtual Disk Service on the server. Then you should be able to manage your server’s disks remotely using Disk Management.

If you’ve enabled Automatic Updates on your Windows server core server and you want to check for new software updates immediately, type wuauclt /detectnow at the command prompt.

And yes, the Windows server core installation option does support clustering. A clustered file server running on Windows server core servers would be cool.

Our last tip will be provided by one of our experts:

From the Experts: What Time Is It?

Here is a flash back to the old MS-DOS days. Because Windows server core does not have the system tray, there is no clock. If you are used to having the time available on the screen, you can add it to your prompt in the command prompt window.

Entering the following:

prompt [$t]$s$p$g

will display:

[14:27:06.28] C:\users\default>

–Andrew Mason

Program Manager, Windows Server