<img src="http://t.cbsimg.net/i/z/200606/how_110x85.jpg" align="right" border="0" height="85" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="110" />With the imminent launch of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 coming on February 27, 2008, I want to show you a feature I am fond of in this new operating system. With Windows Server 2008, you have the option of performing a Windows Server Core installation, which provides you with the minimum set of tools to run Windows.
With the imminent launch of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 coming on February 27, 2008, I want to show you a feature I am fond of in this new operating system. With Windows Server 2008, you have the option of performing a Windows Server Core installation, which provides you with the minimum set of tools to run Windows.
You are provided with a kernel and a command line to manage the server. It is slim and bare bones and allows you to configure Windows concisely. This type of installation is perfect for a datacenter. I am really excited about this feature.
This blog post is also available as a TechRepublic gallery and TechRepublic download.
Installation
When you first run through the installation of Windows Server 2008, you have two options for installation. They are:
- Windows Server 2008 Enterprise (Full Installation)
- Windows Server 2008 Enterprise (Server Core Installation)
Figure A
Figure B
Figure C
Figure D
Figure E
Figure F
Figure G
Figure H
Figure I
Figure J
Figure K
Figure L
Figure M
Let's move on and change the server name. The default name is a bunch of random letters and numbers and I would like to change the name to a local standard. You can view the current hostname by typing the following:
c:windowssystem32hostnameNow let's use the name ssw-svr15. We will perform this option in the command line (Figure O) by typing the following:
c:windowssystem32netdom renamecomputer %computername% /NewName:ssw-svr15
Figure N
After choosing to proceed, the task completes successfully. You now need to reboot the server using the shutdown command. For the proper syntax, type:
shutdown /?After reviewing the syntax, (Figure N) I will type the following: shutdown /r (switch for shutting down and restarting the computer) /t 10 (wait 10 seconds to shutdown and restart) /c "Changed Server Name" (add comment of max 512 characters). They total syntax will look as follows:
shutdown /r /T 10 /C "Changed Server Name"
Figure O
netsh interface ipv4 show interface
Figure P
netsh interface ipv4 set address name="2" source=static address=192.168.1.199 mask=255.255.255.0 gateway=192.168.1.1
Figure Q
netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name="2" address=192.168.1.1 index=1
Figure R
Figure S
netdom join ssw-svr15 /domain:watchtower /userd:Administrator /passwordD:Password01Note: Do not forget to reboot the server using the following command:
shutdown /r /T 10 /C "Added to domain"
Figure T
slmgr.vbs -ato
Figure U
This doesn't even scratch the surface of what you can do with a Windows Server Core installation but it begins to show you how powerful command line is with a small Windows kernel. With the popularity of virtualization and server consolidation, having the ability to virtualize a server core installation and attach a single role will become very popular with the datacenter. My next test will be to try to install Virtual Server on my server core installation. Wish me luck!