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Server Core Installation Option of Windows Server 2008 Step-By-Step Guide
Server Core Installation Option of Windows Server 2008 Step-By-Step Guide
Server Core Installation Option of Windows Server 2008 Step-By-Step Guide
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 Windows Server® 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.
Copyright Information
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Active Directory, Microsoft, MS-DOS, Visual Basic, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows NT,
Windows Server, and Windows Vista are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
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• Enterprise IT planners and designers for organizations.
• IT professionals who are managing the AD DS, AD LDS, DHCP Server, DNS Server,
File Services, Print Services, Streaming Media Services, and Web Server (IIS) roles.
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
6
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 Server 2008 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 Server 2008. 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 Server 2008.
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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.
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.
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Notes
• If you set the static IP address on the wrong network adapter, you can
change back to using the DHCP address supplied by using the following
command:
• netsh interface ipv4 set address name="<ID>" source=dhcp
• where ID is the number of the network adapter from Step 2.
To join a domain
1. At a command prompt, type:
netdom join <ComputerName> /domain:<DomainName> /userd:<UserName>
/password:*
Where:
ComputerName is the name of the server that is running the Server Core installation.
DomainName is the name of the domain to join.
UserName is a domain user account with permission to join the domain.
2. When prompted to enter the password, type the password for the domain user
account specified by UserName.
3. If you need to add a domain user account to the local Administrators group, type
the following command:
net localgroup administrators /add <DomainName>\<UserName>
4. Restart the computer. You can do this by typing the following at a command
prompt:
shutdown /r /t 0
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Notes
• You can also activate by phone, using a Key Management Service (KMS)
server, or remotely by typing the following command at a command prompt of a
computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008:
• cscript windows\system32\slmgr.vbs <ServerName> <UserName>
<password>:-ato
Notes
• You can also use the Windows Firewall snap-in from a computer running
Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 to remotely manage the firewall on a
server running a Server Core installation. To do this, you must first enable remote
management of the firewall by running the following command on the computer
running a Server Core installation:
• netsh advfirewall set currentprofile settings remotemanagement enable
Note
This section includes a procedure for each server role in the previous list. You need to
complete the procedure(s) for only the server roles that you want to install.
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Prerequisites for installing a server role on a server running
Server Core installation
To complete this task, you need the following:
• A computer on which you have installed and configured a Server Core installation of
Windows Server 2008.
• An administrator user account and password for the server running the Server Core
installation.
• If installing and configuring a print server, another computer running Windows Vista
or Windows Server 2008 on which you can run the Print Management Console to
remotely configure the print server.
• If installing and configuring a DHCP server, the information required to configure a
DHCP scope.
• If installing and configuring a DHCP server, you must configure the server running the
Server Core installation to use a static IP address.
• If installing and configuring a DNS server, the information required to configure a
DNS zone.
• If installing and configuring an Active Directory environment, the information required
to either join an existing domain or to create a new domain.
• If you are going to promote the server running the Server Core installation to be a
domain controller in an Active Directory domain, a domain administrator user name and
password.
Note
Ocsetup.exe syntax is case sensitive so be sure to follow the examples explicitly.
Note
Using /w prevents the command prompt from returning until the installation
completes. Without /w, there is no indication that the installation completed.
2. Configure a DNS zone at the command prompt by typing dnscmd or by remotely
using the DNS MMC snap-in.
Note
Typing start /w ocsetup DNS-Server-Core-Role /uninstall at the command prompt will
uninstall the DNS Server role.
The DHCP Server service does not start automatically by default. Use the following procedure to
configure it to start automatically and to start the service for the first time.
Note
Typing start /w ocsetup DHCPServerCore /uninstall at the command prompt will
uninstall the DHCP Server role.
Note
Uninstall any file server role options by using these commands with the /uninstall option.
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start /w ocsetup Printing-LPDPrintService
Notes
• Uninstall the AD LDS role by typing the following at a command prompt:
• start /w ocsetup DirectoryServices-ADAM-ServerCore /uninstall
Note
Dcpromo.exe can also be used to demote a domain controller to a server.
Notes
• To uninstall the Web Server (IIS) role, use the following command:
• start /w pkgmgr /uu:IIS-WebServerRole;WAS-
WindowsActivationService;WAS-ProcessModel
Note
Failover Clustering is not available in Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition.
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Note
For more information about the hardware that is required for optional features, see the
Additional References section at the end of this document.
There are no prerequisites for the following optional features:
• Subsystem for UNIX-based applications
• Backup
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• Windows Internet Name Service (WINS)
• Telnet client
Note
The Ocsetup.exe syntax is case sensitive so be sure to follow the examples explicitly.
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• Removable Storage: Microsoft-Windows-
RemovableStorageManagementCore
• Bitlocker Drive Encryption: BitLocker
Notes
To install the remote administration tool for BitLocker, type the following at a command
prompt:
start /w ocsetup BitLocker-RemoteAdminTool
• Backup: WindowsServerBackup
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): SNMP-SC
• Windows Internet Name Service (WINS): WINS-SC
• Telnet client: TelnetClient
Note
To remove an optional feature, use start /w ocsetup with the appropriate role name and
the /uninstall switch.
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• An administrator user account and password for a server running a Server Core
installation.
Note
You can use this command with the /cli option to display a list of common command-line
tools and their usage.
• If you close all Command Prompt windows and want to open a new Command
Prompt window, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, click Start Task Manager, click File, click
Run, and then type cmd.exe. Alternatively, you can log off and log back on.
• Any command or tool that attempts to launch Windows Explorer will not work. For
example, start . used from a command prompt will not work.
• TheRunonce feature is not supported in Server Core installations.
• There is no support for HTML rendering or HTML help in Server Core installations.
• Server Core installations do not support running managed code. Any management
tools and utilities that run locally on a server running a Server Core installation must be
written in native Win32 code.
• Server Core installations do not generate any notifications for activation, new
updates, or password expiration because these notifications require the Windows
Explorer shell, which is not part of the Server Core installation.
• If you need to write a script for managing a server running a Server Core installation,
which requires the secure inclusion of an administrative password, see the scripting
column on Microsoft TechNet (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=56421).
• Server Core installations support Windows Installer in quiet mode so that you can
install tools and utilities from Windows Installer files.
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• Windows Firewall can be configured at a command prompt by using netsh
advfirewall.
• When installing Windows Installer packages on a server running a Server Core
installation, use the /qb option to display the basic user interface.
• To change the time zone on a computer running a Server Core installation of
Windows Server 2008, run control timedate.cpl.
• To change international settings on a computer running a Server Core installation of
Windows Server 2008, run control intl.cpl.
• To use the Disk Management MMC snap-in remotely, start the Virtual Disk Service on
a server running a Server Core installation. To do this, type the following at a command
prompt:
net start VDS
• Control.exe will not run on its own. You must run it with either Timedate.cpl or Intl.cpl.
• Winver.exe is not available in Server Core installations. To obtain version information
use Systeminfo.exe.
Notes
• For more information about command-line tools, see "Steps for administering
a Server Core installation" later in this document.
• You can find further information at the Command-Line Reference A-Z ().
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To manage a server running a Server Core installation by using a terminal server
1. On the server running a Server Core installation, type the following command at
a command prompt:
cscript C:\Windows\System32\ Scregedit.wsf /ar 0
This enables the Remote Desktop for Administration mode to accept connections.
2. On another computer, click Start, click Run, type mstsc, and then click OK.
3. In Computer, enter the name of the server running a Server Core installation,
and click Connect.
4. Log on using an administrator account.
5. When the command prompt appears, you can manage the computer using the
Windows command-line tools.
6. When you have finished remotely managing the computer, type logoff in the
command prompt to end your Terminal Server session.
Notes
• If you are running the Terminal Services client on a previous version of
Windows, you must turn off the higher security level that is set by default in
Windows Server 2008. To do this, after step 1, type the following command at the
command prompt:
• cscript C:\Windows\System32\Scregedit.wsf /cs 0
Notes
• For more information about command-line tools, see "Steps for administering
a Server Core installation" later in this document.
• You can find further information at the Command-Line Reference A-Z ().
Often it is useful to run Cmd.exe in a Command Prompt window on your local computer, rather
than in the Terminal Services client. To do this, you need a standard Windows Server 2008
installation and the latest Terminal Services client.
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To manage a server running a Server Core installation by using the Windows Remote
Shell
1. To enable Windows Remote Shell on a server running a Server Core installation,
type the following command at a command prompt:
WinRM quickconfig
2. On another computer, at a command prompt, use WinRS.exe to run commands
on a server running a Server Core installation. For example, to perform a directory
listing of the Windows folder, type:
winrs -r:<ServerName> dir c:\windows
Where:
ServerName is the name of the server running a Server Core installation.
Note
The WinRM quickconfig setting enables a server running a Server Core installation to
accept Windows Remote Shell connections. This setting can also be set in an unattend
file. See the example in Appendix A at the end of this document.
Important
• For more information about using different security credentials to run
commands, see the command-line help for WinRS.exe by typing winrs -? at a
command prompt.
To manage a server that is running a Server Core installation and is a domain member
using an MMC snap-in
1. Start an MMC snap-in, such as Computer Management.
2. In the left pane, right-click the top of the tree and click Connect to another
computer. (In the Computer Management example, you would right-click
Computer Management (Local).)
3. In Another computer, type the computer name of the server running a Server
Core installation and click OK.
4. You can now use the MMC snap-in to manage the server running a Server Core
installation as you would any other computer running a Windows Server operating
system.
To manage a server that is running a Server Core installation and is not a domain
member using an MMC snap-in
1. If the server running a Server Core installation is not a member of a domain,
establish alternate credentials to use to connect to the Server Core installation by
typing the following command at a command prompt on your client computer:
cmdkey /add:<ServerName> /user:<UserName> /pass:<password>
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Where:
ServerName is the name of the server running a Server Core installation.
UserName is the name of an administrator account.
To be prompted for a password, omit the /pass option.
2. When prompted, type the password for the user name that is specified in the
previous step.
3. If the firewall on the computer running a Server Core installation is not already
configured to allow MMC snap-ins to connect, follow the steps in "To configure
Windows Firewall to allow MMC snap-in(s) to connect." Then return to this procedure.
4. On a different computer, start an MMC snap-in, such as Computer Management.
5. In the left pane, right-click the top of the tree and click Connect to another
computer. (In the Computer Management example, you would right-click
Computer Management (Local).)
6. In Another computer, type the computer name of the server running a Server
Core installation and click OK.
7. You can now use the MMC snap-in to manage the server running a Server Core
installation as you would any other computer running a Windows Server operating
system.
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MMC snap-in
Rule group
Event Viewer
Remote Event Log Management
Services
Remote Services Management
Shared Folders
File and Printer Sharing
Task Scheduler
Remote Scheduled Tasks Management
Disk Management
Remote Volume Management
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Notes
• Some MMC snap-ins do not have a corresponding rule group that allows
them to connect through the firewall. However, enabling the rule groups for Event
Viewer, Services, or Shared Folders will allow most other snap-ins to connect.
• Additionally, certain snap-ins require further configuration before they can
connect through the firewall:
• Device Manager. You must first enable the Allow remote access to the PnP
interface policy setting. To do this, on a computer running Windows Vista or a full
installation of Windows Server 2008, open the Local Group Policy Editor MMC snap-in,
connect to the computer running a Server Core installation, navigate to Computer
Configuration\Administrative Templates\Device Installation, and then enable Allow
remote access to the PnP interface. Restart the computer running a Server Core
installation.
Note that when Device Manager is used remotely, it is read-only.
• Disk Management. You must first start the Virtual Disk Service (VDS) on the
computer running a Server Core installation.
• IP Security Monitor. You must first enable remote management of this snap-in. To
do this, at a command prompt, type:
Cscript \windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /im 1
• Reliability and Performance. The snap-in does not require any further
configuration, but when you use it to monitor a computer running a Server Core
installation, you can only monitor performance data. Reliability data is not available.
26
To obtain a list of drivers that are installed on the server running a Server Core
installation
• At a command prompt, type:
sc query type= driver
Note
You must include the space after the equal sign for the command to complete
successfully.
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• To use the Disk Management MMC snap-in remotely, start the Virtual Disk Service on
a server running a Server Core installation. To do this, type the following at a command
prompt:
net start VDS
• If you need to write a script for managing a server running a Server Core installation,
which requires the secure inclusion of an administrative password, see the scripting
column on Microsoft TechNet (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=56421).
Task Steps
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Task Steps
29
Task Steps
30
Note
If Slmgr.vbs fails to activate the computer, the resulting error message advises you to run
Slui.exe, along with the error code for more information. Slui.exe is not included in Server
Core installations—it is available in Windows Vista and full installations of Windows
Server 2008.
Task Steps
Note
Server Core installations cannot access
the Internet through a proxy that
requires a password to allow
connections.
Configure your server to bypass the proxy for At a command prompt, type:
internet addresses. netsh winttp set proxy <servername>:<port
number>bypass-list="<local>"
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Task Steps
pathping
Task Steps
serverWerOptin /query
• To automatically send detailed
reports, type:
serverWerOptin /detailed
• To automatically send summary
reports, type:
serverWerOptin /summary
• To disable error reporting, type:
serverWerOptin /disable
Task Steps
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Task Steps
Event logs
Task Steps
Task Steps
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Task Steps
mountvol /?
Hardware
Task Steps
Add a driver for a new hardware device. 1. Copy the driver to a folder at
%homedrive%\<driver folder>.
2. At a command prompt, type:
pnputil -i -a %homedrive%\<driver
folder>\<driver>.inf
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Task Steps
Additional references
The following resources provide additional information about the Server Core installation of
Windows Server 2008:
• If you need product support, see the Microsoft Connect Web site
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=49779)
• To access newsgroups for Server Core installation, follow the instructions that are
provided on the Microsoft Connect Web site
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=50067).
• If you are a beta tester and part of the special Technology Adoption Program (TAP)
beta program, you can contact your appointed Microsoft development team member for
assistance.
The following resources provide additional information about some of the commands that are
used to install and configure Server Core installations and server roles:
Active Directory
Windows Server 2003 Active Directory
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=19802)
Backup
Backing Up and Recovering Data
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=22347)
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BitLocker Drive Encryption
BitLocker Drive Encryption Overview
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=62724)
Failover Clustering
Clustering Services
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=50520)
DHCP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=56423)
Dfscmd
Dfscmd Overview
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=49658)
DNS
Windows Server 2003 Domain Name System (DNS)
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=56422)
Dnscmd
Dnscmd Overview
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=49656)
Dnscmd Syntax
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=49659)
Dnscmd Examples
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=49660)
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File Server
File and Storage Services
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=26716)
Multipath I/O
Microsoft Storage Technologies: Multipath I/O
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=50521)
Netsh
Netsh Overview
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=49654)
Removable Storage
Removable Storage
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=62728)
Note
See the unattend file documentation for more information about unattend file settings.
Windows System Image Manager, which is provided as part of the Windows Automated
Installation Kit, provides an excellent environment for authoring unattend files.
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend" xmlns:ms="urn:schemas-microsoft-
com:asm.v3" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State">
<!-- Do not have empty elements. Delete such elements instead. Values should be assumed
to be case sensitive. Boolean types have valid values as true,false,0,1 and are case
sensitive. Other examples of case sensitive values are Drive Letters (only upper case C-Z
supported), Format, Type. -->
<settings pass="windowsPE">
38
<UserData>
<AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
<FullName>MyFullName</FullName>
<Organization>MyOrganizationName</Organization>
<ProductKey>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
<Key>Sensitive*Data*Deleted</Key>
</ProductKey>
</UserData>
<ImageInstall>
<OSImage>
<WillShowUI>Never</WillShowUI>
<InstallTo>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
</InstallTo>
<InstallFrom>
<MetaData>
<Key>/IMAGE/Name</Key>
<!—Specify that this is a Server Core installation. To install server, the value is
Windows Longhorn Server%SKU%core. This example is for the Standard edition -->
</MetaData>
</InstallFrom>
</OSImage>
</ImageInstall>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="specialize">
<ComputerName>MyCompName</ComputerName>
</component>
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<component name="Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-RDP-WinStationExtensions"
publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS"
processorArchitecture="x86">
<!-- Enable support for pre-Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services
clients -->
<UserAuthentication>0</UserAuthentication>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager"
publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS"
processorArchitecture="x86">
<fDenyTSConnections>false</fDenyTSConnections>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Web-Services-for-Management-Core"
publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS"
processorArchitecture="x86">
<ConfigureWindowsRemoteManagement>true</ConfigureWindowsRemoteManagement>
</component>
<Identification>
<Credentials>
<Domain>UserDomain</Domain>
<Username>UserName</Username>
<Password>UserPassword</Password>
</Credentials>
<JoinDomain>DomainToBeJoined</JoinDomain>
<!-- You can either have JoinDomain or JoinWorkgroup but not both.
<JoinWorkgroup>work</JoinWorkgroup>
-->
</Identification>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="oobeSystem">
<Display>
40
<HorizontalResolution>1024</HorizontalResolution>
<VerticalResolution>768</VerticalResolution>
<ColorDepth>16</ColorDepth>
</Display>
<UserAccounts>
<DomainAccounts>
<DomainAccountList>
<Domain>DOMAIN</Domain>
<DomainAccount>
<Name>TestAccount1</Name>
<Group>Administrators</Group>
</DomainAccount>
</DomainAccountList>
</DomainAccounts>
</UserAccounts>
</component>
</settings>
</unattend>
Note
For <computername>, if you use * the name will be randomly generated.
41