Blogging Windows Server 2003 and beyond!
With the official launch of 2008, Microsoft has also started a set webcasts in their "24 Hours of Windows Server 2008". The series contains 24 sessions covering all aspects of Windows Server 2008. You can check out and download the first session here.
So you installed Server 2008 Core And here’s what you’ve got:
Well now what? To start, check out the commands below:
Show NICs
netsh interface ipv4 show interfaces
Show NIC Configuration
netsh interface ipv4 show config
Configure Static IP
netsh interface ipv4 set address name=”2” source=static address=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx mask=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx gateway xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Add Primary DNS
netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name=”2” address=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx index=1
Add Secondary DNS
netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name=”2” address=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx index=2
Rename server
netdom renamecomputer oldname /NewName:newname
Add to Domain
netdom join servername /domain:domainname /userd:domain\username
/passwordd:*
Activate the Server
cscript slmgr.vbs –ato
Enable Remote Desktop for Administration
cscript scregedit.wsf /AR 0
Allow Remote Admin through Firewall
netsh advfirewall Firewall set rule group=”Remote Administration” new enable=yes
Restart server
shutdown /r t 0
Disable Interface
netsh interface set interface “Local Area Connection 2” disabled
Delete DNS entries
netsh interface delete dnsserver name=”2” address=all
As part of their Solution Accelerator for Virtualization, Microsoft has released an assessment tool that will allow you to assess your IT infrastructure and take that data to assist with modeling your migration to Windows 2008, Hyper-V, Application Virtualization, and Vista. Of course, you could still use this info in planning consolidation to other VM platforms as well.
The Microsoft® Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator (MAP) makes it easy for you to assess your current IT infrastructure and determine the right Microsoft technologies for your IT needs.
MAP is a powerful inventory, assessment, and reporting tool that can securely run in small or large IT environments without requiring the installation of agent software on any computers or devices. The data and analysis provided by this Solution Accelerator can significantly simplify the planning process for migrating to Windows Vista®, Microsoft Office 2007, Windows Server® 2008, Microsoft Application Virtualization (formerly SoftGrid), and Windows Server virtualization technologies including Virtual Server 2005 R2 and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V.
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator expands upon the assessment features included in the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment Solution Accelerator. These features include Windows Vista assessment, Microsoft Office 2007 assessment, and non-Windows device inventory, using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). Reports for these assessment scenarios are localized in French, German, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.
Feature Overview
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator performs three key functions; hardware inventory, compatibility analysis, and readiness reporting.
Secure and Agentless Inventory
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning tool provides secure, agent-less and network-wide inventory that scales from small business to large enterprises. It collects and organizes system resources and device information from a single networked computer. Assessment tools often require users to first deploy software agents on all computers to be inventoried, but this tool does not. MAP uses technologies already available in your IT environment to perform inventory and assessments. These technologies include Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), the Remote Registry Service, SNMP, Active Directory Domain Services, and the Computer Browser service. Assessments can be completed on the following Windows platforms:
- Windows Vista
- Windows XP® Professional
- Windows Server 2003™ or Windows Server 2003 R2
- Windows 2000 Professional or Windows 2000 Server
- Windows Server 2008
Comprehensive Data Analysis
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator performs a detailed analysis of hardware and device compatibility for migration to Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Application Virtualization, and Windows Vista. The hardware assessment looks at the installed hardware and determines if migration is recommended. If it is not recommended then the reports tell you why it is not.
Device assessment looks at the devices installed on a computer and reports availability of drivers for those devices. Device assessment is provided for both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista migration scenarios.
For customers interested in server consolidation and virtualization through technologies such as Hyper-V or Virtual Server 2005 R2, this tool helps to gather performance metrics and generate server consolidation recommendations that identify the candidates for server virtualization and how the physical servers might be placed in a virtualized environment.
In-Depth Readiness Reporting
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator generates reports containing both summary and detailed assessment results for each migration scenario. The results are provided in both Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word documents. Reports are generated for the following scenarios:
- Identification of currently installed Windows Client operating systems, their hardware, and recommendations for migration to Windows Vista.
- Identification of currently installed Windows Server operating systems, their hardware, and recommendations for migration to Windows Server 2008 (including a report detailing currently installed server roles).
- Identification of currently installed Microsoft Office software and recommendations for migration to Microsoft Office 2007.
- Detailed assessment and reporting of server utilization gathered using the Performance Metrics Wizard.
- Recommendations for server consolidation and virtual machine placement using Hyper-V or Virtual Server 2005 R2.
- Assessment of client machines, servers, and the technology environment for the implementation of Microsoft Application Virtualization (formerly SoftGrid).
- Reporting of SNMP-enabled devices found in the environment during inventory.
Download the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator
p2vd.com » Microsoft Virtualization Assessment and Planning Tool
I found this useful list at: The Way I See It
Windows Server 2008 is the best OS to be released till date from Microsoft’s stable. And the moment I got hold of the RTM build I could not resist installing it on my workstation. Due to the nature of my work I always prefer running a Server OS on my main workstation… I have been running Windows 2003 disguised as XP (with all the themes and stuff) all these days.
So here is my tale of how I went about setting up Windows Server 2008 to look and fell like its desktop counterpart Windows Vista.
1. Enable Hardware Virtualization
My workstation is a x64 machine with hardware virtualization capabilities. This means I can run Hyper-V on my machine. Even if your machine’s hardware supports virtualization it is most likely not going to be enabled by default. You have to enable it via your BIOS setup.
2. Install the latest Graphics and Audio drivers
Being a server OS Windows 2008 carries with it basic graphics and audio drivers. To utilize the full strength of your hardware ensure you install the latest drivers for both graphics and audio hardware. Only with the proper graphics drivers will you be able to enable the "Aero" experience on Windows 2008.
3. Desktop Experience Feature
The Desktop Experience Feature enables a bunch of stuff that is by default present on a desktop OS. Most importantly it includes Themes, Windows Media player and the Aero related features. You will have to enable it form the Server Manager. The "Turn Windows features on or off" / "Add remove windows components" has all been rolled into the Server Manager now.
Server Manager > Features > Desktop Experience
Installing the Desktop Experience feature does not enable them. You have to manually set them up.
4. Themes
To enable Themes you will basically have to enable the Themes Service. Again being a server OS it is not enabled by default.
Services.MSC > Themes
Set the start up type to Automatic
Enabling the Aero Theme.
For this go to Control Panel > Personalization >Theme and select Windows Aero
5. Search
Search is also disabled by default on Windows 2008. Searching is important for me as I use it a lot to find my emails. To enable search you will have to add the File Services Role via Server Manager.
Server Manager > Roles > File Services > Windows Search
Outlook relies on this search service.
6. Disable Shutdown Event Tracker
Since I am using it as a workstation I do not want to keep a track of all the Shutdowns. The Shutdown Event Tracker is the pop up that you get asking you for a shutdown reason. To disable it
Open mmc.msc
Add the Group Policy snap-in
Under Administrative Templates expand System
Set Display Shutdown Event Tracer to Disabled
7. Audio
For audio you need to enable the Windows Audio service. You do this by setting the startup type to Automatic.
Services.msc > Windows Audio
Ensure you have proper drivers for your audio hardware… for me the default driver was not enabling the headphones … it started working fine after I got the proper driver.
8. SuperFetch
As a workstation, enabling SupertFetch will give you that additional bit of responsiveness. The SuperFetch services is disabled by default and when you try to enable it you will most likely get an error message "The operating system is not presently configured to run this application"
You will have to make two registry changes to enable this service. I basically copied them over from my Vista machine.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
EnablePrefetcher DWORD 3
EnableSuperfetch DWORD 3
9. Get a codec pack.
For media hungry buffs download a codec pack. This will ensure you can play all media files.
10. Enable Hyper-V
With Hyper-V you can run virtual machines on your workstation. This is useful if you want to run your tests on older OS versions. Enabling Hyper-V is easy
Server Manager > Roles > Hyper-V
Remember you need a Hyper-V enabled Windows 2008 licence and also your hardware has to support virtualization.
Also If you are using an existing VHD it may ask you to re-Activate Windows as it detected hardware changes.
One good thing about Windows Server 2008 is that it no longer asks for the i386 folder like Windows 2003 while you enable features.
11. Processor Scheduling
As pointed out in a comment on my previous post; On Windows Server 2008 background services are given preference over interactive programs. You can change this behavior by
Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Advanced System Settings > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Processor Scheduling
Setting this to Programs will make foreground programs more responsive.
12. Visual Effects
One thing you will notice on Windows Server 2008 is that by default you will not see Preview Thumbnails in your Documents / Music / Video folders. This has to be enabled explicitly.
Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Advanced System Settings > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Visual Effects
Based on your preference you can tweak these settings.
13. Power Options
Do your bit for a Green World! The Balanced (default) power plan on Windows Server 2008 does not turn off hard disks by default. On Vista hard disks are turned off after 20 mins. You can change this by
Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Change plan settings
It does take a bit to kick start the hard disks when you resume work but that’s a sacrifice worth making for a greener world :).
14. IE Enhanced Security
IE Enhanced Security Configuration has been moved from Add Remove Windows Components (on Windows 2003) to the Server Manager on Windows Server 2008.
Server Manager > Security Information > Configure IE ESC
You now have a choice to disable it only for Administrators.
It is amazing how quickly Vista has failed, not only in the home, but more in the business. The main problem with with the business side is that Windows XP is perfect for business, and now with the anticipated release of XP SP3, Vista will shoved to the back of the line with Windows ME, deemed a failure in the eyes of the corporate world.
When Vista was first released and I was playing with the CTP version you could tell that it was not going to be viable in the business world. Why? UI improvements would make end-user training a nightmare. I still like the idea out there that Microsoft should release Windows Workstation 2008. Make a true business-class, with a modular approach, rather than giving me WDS, Aero, and all the other bells and whistles that slow down Vista. Until then, if you would like to run Windows Server 2008 as a "Super Workstation", check out what you would need to do here.
Now that Microsoft has announced the availability of the RC version of Service Pack 3 for our old friend, XP, I’m delighted to tell you all that not only is this upgrade substantial and extremely helpful. Believe it or not, this upgrade creates the best Windows experience I have ever used.
Now, as you may be aware, Vista is, well, crap. Sure, SP1 is on the way early next year and the hope is still there that Microsoft may be able to turn it around, but let’s face it — the chances of Vista becoming a wanted OS are dwindling by the minute.
Windows Vista has the built-in ability to automatically reduce the potential of security breeches in the system. It does that by automatically enabling a feature called User Account Control (or UAC for short). The UAC forces users that are part of the local administrators group to run like they were regular users with no administrative privileges.
Although UAC clearly improves the security on Windows Vista, under some scenarios you might want to disable it, for example when giving demos in front of an audience (demos that are not security related, for example). Some home users might be tempted to disable UAC because of the additional mouse clicking it brings into their system, however I urge them not to immediately do so, and try to get used to it instead.
Anyway, if required, you can disable UAC by using one of the following methods:
Launch MSCONFIG by from the Run menu.
Click on the Tools tab. Scroll down till you find "Disable UAP" (this should probably change to UAC in next Vista beta builds and in the RTM version). Click on that line.
Press the Launch button.
A CMD window will open. When the command is done, you can close the window.
Close MSCONFIG. You need to reboot the computer for changes to apply.
Note that you can re-enable UAC by selecting the "Enable UAP" line and then clicking on the Launch button.
Open Registry Editor.
In Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
Locate the following value (DWORD):
EnableLUA
and give it a value of 0.
Note: As always, before making changes to your registry you should always make sure you have a valid backup. In cases where you’re supposed to delete or modify keys or values from the registry it is possible to first export that key or value(s) to a .REG file before performing the changes.
Close Registry Editor. You need to reboot the computer for changes to apply.
In order to re-enable UAC just change the above value to 1.
This can be done via Local Group Policy or via Active Directory-based GPO, which is much more suited for large networks where one would like to disable UAC for many computers at once.
If using Local Group Policy you’ll need to open the Group Policy Editor (Start > Run > gpedit.msc) from your Vista computer.
If using in AD-based GPO, open Group Policy Management Console (Start > Run > gpmc.msc) from a Vista computer that is a member of the domain. In the GPMC window, browse to the required GPO that is linked to the OU or domain where the Vista computers are located, then edit it.
In the Group Policy Editor window, browse to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options.
In the right pane scroll to find the User Access Control policies (they’re down at the bottom of the window). You need to configure the following policies:
You’ll need to reboot your computers.
Open Control Panel.
Under User Account and Family settings click on the "Add or remove user account".
Click on one of the user accounts, for example you can use the Guest account.
Under the user account click on the "Go to the main User Account page" link.
Under "Make changes to your user account" click on the "Change security settings" link.
In the "Turn on User Account Control (UAC) to make your computer more secure" click to unselect the "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer". Click on the Ok button.
You will be prompted to reboot your computer. Do so when ready.
In order to re-enable UAC just select the above checkbox and reboot.
$strComputer = "."
$colItems = get-wmiobject -class "Win32_QuickFixEngineering" -namespace "root\CIMV2" `
-computername $strComputer
foreach ($objItem in $colItems) {
write-host "Caption: " $objItem.Caption
write-host "CS Name: " $objItem.CSName
write-host "Description: " $objItem.Description
write-host "Fix Comments: " $objItem.FixComments
write-host "HotFix ID: " $objItem.HotFixID
write-host "InstallationDate: " $objItem.InstallDate
write-host "Installed By: " $objItem.InstalledBy
write-host "Installed On: " $objItem.InstalledOn
write-host "Name: " $objItem.Name
write-host "Service Pack In Effect: " $objItem.ServicePackInEffect
write-host "Status: " $objItem.Status
write-host
}
$now=get-date
$MachineName=read-host "Please Enter Machine Name you wish to reboot :"
$When=read-host "Please enter time when you wish to reboot the server Later THAN ($now) :"
$results=$now.subtract($when)
#write-host $Results Results
$time2act=$now.Subtract($results)
#Write-host $time2act is time2act
$action=$time2act.subtract($now)
$Sec2Act= $action.totalseconds
$totalsecs="{0:N0}" -f $Sec2Act
$SecINint=[int]$totalsecs
write-host $testint
if($results -le 0)
{
write-host "done"
Write-host $MachineName "will Reboot in next " $SecINint Seconds
shutdown -s -m $machineName -t $SecINint
}
else {
write-host "Time entered has already past,please enter time later than " [$now] -Background "RED"
}
$a = New-Object -comobject Excel.Application
$a.visible = $True
$b = $a.Workbooks.Add()
$c = $b.Worksheets.Item(1)
$c.Cells.Item(1,1) = "Machine Name"
$c.Cells.Item(1,2) = "IP Address"
$c.Cells.Item(1,3) = "MAC Address"
$c.Cells.Item(1,4) = "Last Boot Time"
$d = $c.UsedRange
$d.Interior.ColorIndex = 19
$d.Font.ColorIndex = 11
$d.Font.Bold = $True
$d.EntireColumn.AutoFit()
$m = 2
$x = get-content C:\Myworkplace\Clientlist.txt
foreach ($i in $x)
{$y = get-wmiobject Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration -computername $i -Filter "IPenabled = ‘True’"
foreach ($j in $y)
{$c.Cells.Item($m, 1) = $j.DNSHostName
$c.Cells.Item($m, 2) = $j.IPAddress
$c.Cells.Item($m, 3) = $j.MACAddress}
$date = new-object -com WbemScripting.SWbemDateTime
$z = get-wmiobject Win32_OperatingSystem -computername $i
foreach ($k in $z)
{$date.value = $k.lastBootupTime
If ($k.Version -eq "5.2.3790" )
{$c.Cells.Item($m, 4) = $Date.GetVarDate($True)}
Else
{$c.Cells.Item($m, 4) = $Date.GetVarDate($False)}
}
$m = $m + 1
}
Server Consolidation and Resource Optimization—Hyper-V
Most servers operate at far below their capacities, with as much as 80 to 90 percent of their processing power unused, on average. With Hyper-V, the Windows Server 2008 virtualization solution, a single physical server can host the workloads of multiple Line of Business servers. Hyper-V helps organizations to achieve optimal use of their hardware resources and provides the agility needed to adapt to changing IT needs. New management tools simplify the deployment process and allow IT departments to manage virtual servers with the same familiar tools that they use to manage the physical servers in the network.
Flexible Application Access for Remote Users—TS RemoteApp
Windows Server 2008 provides improvements and innovations to Terminal Services with solutions, like Terminal Services RemoteApp (TS RemoteApp), that allow users to access individual applications, instead of a computer desktop in a Terminal Server session. These applications run on the host computer and send only the application windows to the user, requiring fewer resources on the client side, and reducing administration and deployment costs.
Modular, Minimal Installation—Server Core
Many network servers perform specific dedicated and mission-critical roles within the network. The new Server Core installation option provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles. This helps improve reliability and efficiency, giving the IT department the ability to better utilize existing hardware. It also simplifies ongoing administration and patch management requirements by reducing the need to update unneeded files and functionality.
For network servers that perform specific network infrastructure roles, the new Server Core installation option offers a highly reliable and efficient platform. Because Server Core loads the fewest operating system components required to run core infrastructure roles, patch requirements are reduced. This provides higher reliability and security for core network infrastructure roles.
Delivering Rich Web Content and Applications—IIS 7.0
As Web content gets richer and the Web becomes a viable platform for delivering business applications, the Web server is moving to the center of many networks. IIS 7.0 delivers solutions for today’s demanding content, including streaming media and Web applications in Active Server Pages and PHP. With an updated interface that makes administration easier, the new modular design of IIS 7.0 enables administrators to minimize the attack surface of the Web server by installing only the needed components.
Improved Network Performance and Control—New TCP/IP Stack
The efficient use of bandwidth has a direct impact on the productivity of users working in remote locations that rely on WAN connections to the organization’s central servers. The redesigned “next generation” TCP/IP included in Windows Server 2008 provides vastly improved performance in a remote location scenario, offering faster throughput and more efficient routing of network traffic. Using the combination of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista in a branch office scenario can provide as much as a threefold improvement in throughput over the WAN connection.
Preventing Unhealthy Devices from Connecting to the Network—NAP
With the increasing number of mobile users and corporate partners that must connect to an organization’s network, protecting the security of that network from outside threats is an ongoing challenge. Network Access Protection (NAP) in Windows Server 2008 helps prevent non-compliant computers from accessing an organization’s network. NAP can verify the health of connecting computers and enforce compliance with an organization’s security standards.
Supporting Business Continuity for Demanding Workloads—High Availability Features
Windows Server 2008 provides increased scalability for the most demanding business solutions and helps keep businesses operating through unplanned downtime with high availability features. With support for failover clusters, Network Load Balancing, dynamic hardware partitioning, robust storage options, and advanced machine-check architecture, Windows Server 2008 helps safeguard against single-point-of-failure problems. Simplified deployment and management help organizations of all sizes take advantage of these features to improve availability and reliability.
Enabling Secure Collaboration—Active Directory Federated Rights Management
Companies need to share information with partners and clients without losing control over that information. Rights Management Services enables organizations to control how documents are used—including who can view them, whether they can be printed, even whether they can be forwarded or deleted—both internally and externally.
Connecting Heterogeneous Environments
Windows Server 2008 includes Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (SUA), a multi-user UNIX environment that supports more than 300 UNIX commands, utilities, and shell scripts. Users can maintain one user name and password for Windows domains and UNIX systems, synchronizing the credentials automatically when one changes. SUA runs on Windows-based servers without any emulation, providing for native UNIX performance and enabling UNIX applications to leverage Windows APIs and components.
Enabling Top-Shelf Service and Support for Remote Sites
Remote sites, such as branch offices, can be an IT challenge. Often, there is no local IT staff, making the deployment of software and security updates expensive and time-consuming. It can be difficult to enforce security and IP standards in a remote site. Windows Server 2008 enables remote management that’s almost as good as being physically located onsite, allowing administrators to correct many problems using remote management. The new Read-Only Domain Controller provides a safer way to provide Active Domain administration in the remote infrastructure.
Easing Administration, Management, and Automation—Server Manager and PowerShell
The Server Manager Console provides a single, unified console for managing a server’s configuration and system information, displaying server status, identifying problems with server role configuration, and managing all roles installed on the server. Built on the Service Modeling Language (SML) platform, Server Manager allows administrators to complete tasks with fewer clicks without having to navigate between multiple tools and interfaces. Server Manager also interfaces directly with PowerShell, the command-line shell and scripting language for automation. All Server Manager functions that can be used in the interface are available to PowerShell scripts. The interface even helps write those scripts, showing administrators exactly what commands are behind each button and control, and allowing administrators to record actions in the UI and save a script based off of those actions.
Recent Comments