IIS7 on Server Core

Server core is a capability included in Server 2008 which installs the bare minimum to have one or more roles function properly.  There were 7 roles available for server core and at TechEd IIS7 was announced as an addition to the list.  IIS7 in server core is available in the June CTP and in all future releases of Windows Server 2008.  Note: the June CTP was released after Beta 3.

So, why should you care about IIS7 on Server core?
Gain the benefits of Server Core:

  • Uses less disk space and memory
    IIS7 runs well starting at only 512 MB of RAM & the entire install takes up only ~1GB of disk space
  • Higher security due to reduced attack surface
  • Less frequent patching 
  • Fewer things to manage

Gain the benefits of IIS7:

  • Choose only the components you want to install 
  • Support for PHP, Fast CGI, ASP, HTTP(S), and FTP(S) with the version included in IIS7 
  • Ability to edit the XML config files, use the IIS cmd-line tool, AppCmd.exe, and WMI and COM APIs 
  • Web hosting shared configuration

What IIS7 features are NOT supported in server core?

  • GUI administration tools - this means no IIS manager or the IIS administration tool. 
  • Remote administration – You can’t use the GUI remote admin capability since it relies on .net. 
  • .NET Framework - which means no ASP.NET.  This is something the .NET team wants to add and hopefully will be available soon.

For more information on managing IIS7 on Server Core, see the information below.

Get Started

Downloads:
The June CTP release of Server 2008 can be found within your MSDN subscription
If you don't have a subscription, you can play with server core in the Windows Server 2008 B3 public download.

Websites:
https://www.iis.net/iis7/servercore
Server Core Product Team Blog - https://blogs.technet.com/server_core/
Server Core Installation Option of Windows Server "Longhorn" Step-By-Step Guide

Webcasts:
The New Server Core Installation Option in Windows Server 2008 (Level 300) Server Management