How do I perform ACTIVATION on the windows SERVER CORE?

 

To perform the ACTIVATION on the windows SERVER CORE type the following at the command prompt:

slmgr.vbs –ato

If activation is successful, no message will return in the command prompt.

 

OR

 

You can also activate by phone, using a Key Management Service (KMS) server, or remotely by typing the following command at a command prompt of a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008:

cscript windows\system32\slmgr.vbs <ServerName> <UserName> <password>:-ato

Prerequisites for installing a server role on a server running Server Core installation…

Prerequisites for installing a server role on a server running Server Core installation

• A computer on which you have installed and configured a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008.
• An administrator user account and password for the server running the Server Core installation.
• If installing and configuring a print server, another computer running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 on which
• you can run the Print Management Console to remotely configure the print server.
• If installing and configuring a DHCP server, the information required to configure a DHCP scope.
• If installing and configuring a DHCP server, you must configure the server running the Server Core installation to use a static IP address.
• If installing and configuring a DNS server, the information required to configure a DNS zone.
• If installing and configuring an Active Directory environment, the information required to either join an existing domain or to create a new domain.
• If you are going to promote the server running the Server Core installation to be a domain controller in an Active Directory domain, a domain administrator user name and password.

How do I install the DHCP Server role on the SERVER CORE ?

To install the DHCP Server role on the SERVER CORE

• At a command prompt, type:

start /w ocsetup DHCPServerCore

• Configure a DHCP scope at the command prompt by using netsh, or by remotely using the DHCP snap-in from Windows Server 2008.

If the DHCP server is installed in an Active Directory domain, you must authorize it in Active Directory.

• The DHCP Server service does not start automatically by default. Use the following procedure to configure it to start automatically and to start the service for the first time.To configure and start the DHCP Server service

At a command prompt, type:

sc config dhcpserver start= auto

Start the service by typing:

net start dhcpserver

• Typing the following at the command prompt will uninstall the DHCP Server role

start /w ocsetup DHCPServerCore /uninstall

How do I install the DNS server role on the SERVER CORE ?

To install the DNS Server role on the SERVER CORE

• At a command prompt, type:

start /w ocsetup DNS-Server-Core-Role

Note: Using /w prevents the command prompt from returning until the installation completes. Without /w, there is no indication that the installation completed.

• Configure a DNS zone at the command prompt by typing:

dnscmd

OR

by remotely using the DNS MMC snap-in.

Note: Typing start /w ocsetup DNS-Server-Core-Role /uninstall at the command prompt will uninstall the DNS Server role.

How do I join the “SERVER CORE” into an existing “DOMAIN” ?

To join the “SERVER CORE” into an existing DOMAIN:

• At a command prompt, type:
  

netdom join <ComputerName> /domain:<DomainName> /userd:<UserName> /password:*

ComputerName is the name of the server that is running the Server Core installation.
DomainName is the name of the domain to join.
UserName is a domain user account with permission to join the domain.

• When prompted to enter the password, type the password for the domain user account specified by

UserName

• If you need to add a domain user account to the local Administrators group, type the following command:

net localgroup administrators /add <DomainName>\<UserName>

• Restart the computer. You can do this by typing the following at a command prompt:
  

shutdown /r /t 0

What Server Roles would a Server running a Windows Server 2008 SERVER CORE installation support ?

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
• Web Server (IIS)

To accomplish this, the Server Core installation option installs only the subset of the binary files that are required by the supported server roles

Introduction to Windows 2008 SERVER CORE

The Server Core installation option is a new option that you can use for installing Windows Server 2008. A Server Core installation provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles, which reduces the maintenance and management requirements and the attack surface for those server roles.

 

To accomplish this, the Server Core installation option installs only the subset of the binary files that are required by the supported server roles. For example, the Explorer shell is not installed as part of a Server Core installation. Instead, the default user interface for a server running a Server Core installation is the command prompt.

How to Configure the Network Settings on Windows Server 2008 / Server Core using the COMMAND PROMPT

• At a command prompt, type the following:

netsh interface ipv4 show interfaces

• Make a note of the number shown in the Idx column of the output for your network adapter. If your computer has more than one network adapter, make a note of the number corresponding to the network adapter for which you wish to set a static IP address.
• At the command prompt, type:

netsh interface ipv4 set address name="<ID>" source=static address=<StaticIP> mask=<SubnetMask> gateway=<DefaultGateway>

Where:

ID is the number from step 2 above

StaticIP is the static IP address that you are setting

SubnetMask is the subnet mask for the IP address

DefaultGateway is the default gateway

• At the command prompt, type:

netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name="<ID>" address=<DNSIP>index=1

Where:

ID is the number from step 2 above

DNSIP is the IP address of your DNS server

• Repeat step 4 for each DNS server that you want to set, incrementing the index= number each time.

Notes:

If you set the static IP address on the wrong network adapter, you can change back to using the DHCP address supplied by using the following command:

netsh interface ipv4 set address name="<ID>" source=dhcp

where ID is the number of the network adapter from Step 2.