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INFO2142Installing Windows Server 2008 Core

A Windows Server 2008 Server Core installation provides a minimal environment forrunning specific server roles, which reduces the maintenance and managementrequirements and the attack surface for those server roles. The advantages of Server Coreare: security improvement (reduced attack surface), needs less system resources(occupies only one third disk space), patching is easier, boots up faster.

A server running a Server Core installation supports the following server roles:

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) DHCP Server DNS Server File Services Print Services Streaming Media Services Internet Information Services (IIS) Windows Virtualization

In Windows Server 2008, Server Core installation does not include the traditional fullgraphical user interface (GUI).

Installing Server Core is pretty straightforward. However, please note the following:

1. There is no way to upgrade from a previous version of the Windows Server operatingsystem to a Server Core installation. Only a clean installation is supported.

2. There is no way to upgrade from a full installation of Windows Server 2008 to aServer Core installation. Only a clean installation is supported.

3. There is no way to upgrade from a Server Core installation to a full installation ofWindows Server 2008. If you need the Windows user interface or a server role thatis not supported in a Server Core installation, you will need to install a full installationof Windows Server 2008.

Follow this procedure to install a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008:

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1. Login to the VMware Lab Manager. Click Main and click on your livelinkservers.

2. Click Add Virtual Machines

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3. Click the dropdown box on the source and select W2K8-Shell as the source. TypeSCDCxx as the name of the virtual server you are going to install. Everything elseshould be left as default. Click OK. W2K8-Shell is an empty template with nooperating system installed in the template. Click OK

4. Click Main, hover your pointer on your livelink servers and select Show Consoles

5. Scroll down to SCDCxx. Hover your pointer on SCDCxx and select Deploy..

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6. Read the Deploy Virtual Machine SCDCxx window and click OK. Do not make anychanges here.

7. Hover your pointer on SCDCxx and select Insert CD..

8. Click the drop down on Select an ISO image and select the following. Click OK

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9. Hover your pointer on SCDCxx and select Ctrl-Alt-Delete

10. When prompted for an installation language and other regional options, make yourlanguage selection and press Next.

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11. Next, press Install Now to begin the installation process.

12. You will be prompted to select your correct version in the next screen. SelectWindows Server 2008 Enterprise (Server Core Installation) and click Next.

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13. Read and accept the license terms by clicking to select the checkbox and pressingNext.

14.In the "Which type of installation do you want" window, click the Custom (Advanced)option.

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15. In the "Where do you want to install Windows", if you're installing the server on aregular IDE hard disk, click to select the first disk, usually Disk 0, and click Next.

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16. The installation now begins. The time it takes to install server core is significantlyshorter than installation of a full server.

17.The installation process will reboot your computer. Click OKto change users passwordbefore logging on for the 1st time

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18.Type MSPress#1 for the password and click on the arrow

19.Click OK. FYI.. To release the cursor from the console, press Ctrl-Alt

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20. You will then notice how, incredibly, Windows creates the user profile and preparesfor the first logon. The Preparing your desktop message appears for a few moments,which is quite funny, mostly because there IS NO DESKTOP in server core

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21. Finally, the command prompt appears and that's it, you're logged on and can beginworking.

FYI.. When you are complete with an assignment , always log off, and shut down the VM. Ifit is ever necessary to undeploy a VM:

a. On the Virtual Machines tab, move the pointer over your machine name and selectUndeploy. If the virtual machine is powered off, you can only select Undeploy

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because no state information is available to save or discard.

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