Just Spreading the Love of Windows Server 2008 Core

  • Article

windows-microsoft-servers-virtualization-vmware-workstation_6_crm[1]Well It has been a fantastic week so far here at Teched 2007 in Florida. I have been honored to be working on the Technical Learning Center Booth being the Technical Expert on Server Core. Well that is what it says on my badge :). I have had awesome exposure to the latest information of what is coming through with Windows Server 2008. It is amazing the amount of Customer interest in Server core. The number who have attended Teched is in excess of 12000 people I have met some great people from all walks of the I.T. industry both from the U.S.A and other parts of the World.

 On the Core front some of the key thing to remember are;

1. It is an installation option not a separate sku

2. The roles that you can install for server core are currently running around 22 with Beta 3, with IIS7 being announced this week in the Teched Keynote and Windows Server Virtualization adhering to previously announced timescale's.

3. The Server Core Environment is a bare metal headless server environment designed to provide minimal attack vector opportunities.

4. An Ideal Server Role for Server core can be  RODC in a Branch Office Deployment, or Remote Infrastructure deployment as we are now marketing it. This is to emphasize the Appliance potential of Server Core.

5. The following components are NOT currently  available in a Server Core installation of BETA 3 Windows Server 2008:

  • Desktop shell  - Explorer.exe is not installed,
  • .Net Framework (i.e. no support for managed code, including Windows PowerShell) MMC console or snap-ins Control Panel applets, with the following 2 exceptions:
  • Intl.cpl (Regional and Language Options) Timedate.cpl (Date and Time) Internet Explorer, Media Player, Themes, Windows Mail, Paint, Search window, GUI Help, etc.

Note that the list above is not complete and we are in Beta 3 and obviously subject to change prior to RTM. 

  • List of DLLs that are installed on a Server Core installation

https://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms723876.aspx

Common commands to run on Server Core

  1. oclist ( this lists all the currently available server roles to install)
  2. start /w ocsetup (name of server role) not the server role name is case sensitive
  3. cscript scregedit.wsf /cli - this lists the most common server command prompt commands you would use. E.G. if you want to change the time and date type the following command;
  4. Control timedate.cpl

 

Finally before I go and soak my sore feet and have a well deserved beer. An excellent blog on server core can be found here.

https://blogs.technet.com/server_core/default.aspx

Technorati tags: Windows Server 2008