Executive Summary:
Windows Server 2008's Server Core edition is a stripped-down version of the OS—a kind of Windows lite that you control from the command line rather than from a GUI. Are the benefits of reduced resource utilization and improved security offset by a server that some might see as hard to set up and administer? A look at the installation process and some basic configuration commands will help you get Server Core running and connected to your network so that you can begin to answer that question for yourself. |
Windows Server 2008’s Server Core edition is a stripped-down version
of the OS—a kind of Windows lite that you control from the command
line rather than from a GUI. What are the benefits of such a
configuration? Server Core’s footprint is about 3MB, considerably less than
a full installation of Windows Server. Of course, 3MB is just to host the
OS and any server roles—it doesn’t include additional data, such
as Active Directory (AD) databases, that you might need for a
particular server role. Server Core installs only the necessary
components for any of its supported server roles. This reduces the
attack surface of the OS, improves its security, and makes it easier to
maintain and manage (albeit with a reduced armory of tools). New technologies
in Server 2008, notably BitLocker and the read-only domain controller (RODC) functionality, can be
used in combination with Server Core to provide even better security.
Are the benefits of reduced resource utilization and improved security offset by a server that some
might consider hard to set up and administer? A look at the installation process and some basic configuration
commands will help you get Server Core
running and connected to your network
so that you can begin to answer that question
for yourself.
Installation and Setup
Installing Server Core is essentially the
same as installing the full version of Server
2008; you simply need to select the Server
Core entry instead of the Server option
in the installation program (as Figure 1 shows). Not only is Server Core installation
extremely simple but, as you might expect, much faster than installing the
full edition of the server.
After installation has finished, you’re asked
to press the usual key sequence of Ctrl+Alt+Del
to open the logon dialog box. It might be a
little disconcerting to then be presented with
the option of logging on as Other User. Only
one user is enabled by default in Server
Core, and that’s the administrator. Initially,
no password is defined for the administrator
account; you must set it the first time you log
on. To do so:
- Click Other User.
- In the dialog box shown in Figure 2,
enter administrator as the username in the
upper box, and leave the lower (password)
box empty. Click the arrow to the right of the
boxes.
- Enter a password.
To log off, simply type logoff at the command
prompt.
Give Server Core an IP
Address and Host Name
You can assign a static IP address and DNS
server to a network adapter by using the netsh
command, the same way you would with the
full version of Server 2008. To assign an IP
address, use a command like
netsh interface ipv4 add address
“Local Area Connection”
192.168.1.100 255.255.255.0
192.168.1.11
where 192.168.1.100 is the IP address,
255.255.255.0 is the subnet mask, and
192.168.1.11 is the gateway address. Of course,
you should enter the full command without
line breaks on the command line.
To assign a DNS server, type
netsh interface ipv4 set dnsserver
“Local Area Connection”
static 192.168.1.101
where 192.168.1.101 is the DNS server’s IP
address.
Rename and Activate the
Server
If you want to rename the server, you first need
to determine the name that was automatically
assigned during the installation process. Type
hostname at the command prompt to return
the server’s name, then issue the following two
commands to change the name and reboot
the server:
netdom renamecomputer
%computername%
/newname:servercore1
shutdown /r
Once Server Core is connected to the Internet,
you can activate the server by running the
following command:
cscript c:\windows\system32
slmgr.vbs –ato
Enable Remote Desktop
Probably the two most crucial remote
tools that you’ll want to use with Server
Core for administration initially are
Remote Desktop and the Microsoft
Management Console (MMC) Windows
Firewall with Advanced Security
snap-in. First, I’ll show you how
to enable and use Remote Desktop,
then I’ll address accessing Server Core
remotely with MMC and the Windows
Firewall with Advanced Security
snap-in.
Although it’s possible to make a Telnet
connection to Server Core, Remote
Desktop is the preferred method
because it provides encryption, network level
authentication, and other conveniences such
as cut and paste. But don’t get too excited—
Remote Desktop won’t give you a full-fledged
Windows Desktop from which you can administer
the server. You’ll just see a command
prompt as you would from the console.
Because there’s no command-line tool
or MMC snap-in from which you can enable
Remote Desktop on Server Core, you’ll need to
run the scregedit.wsf script that’s provided as
part of Server Core. Scregedit contains various
functions that are the only means of performing
some tasks such as setting the size of the
page file, enabling Terminal Services, and
product activation. To run scregedit on Server
Core, use the command
cscript c:\windows\system32
scregedit.wsf /AR 0
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