Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed (25 page)

calculate project costs.

. Detail the level of redundancy and security that is required and that the solution

will ultimately provide.

. Present the design and migration documents to the project stakeholders for review.

The Migration Planning Phase

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. Create a migration document containing the details of the steps required to reach

the end state with minimal risk or negative impact to the network environment.

. Create a project plan that provides a list of the tasks, resources, and durations

required to implement the solution.

The Prototype Phase

. Create a lab environment in which the key elements of the design as defined in the

design document can be configured and tested.

. Isolate the lab environment from the production network so that any problems

created or encountered in the process don’t affect the user community.

. Thoroughly test all applications.

The Pilot Phase

. Identify the first group of users who will be moved to the new Windows Server 2008

R2 environment. Users with a higher tolerance for pain are a better choice than the

key stakeholders, for the most part.

. Clarify a rollback strategy, just in case unexpected problems occur.

. Test the disaster recovery and redundancy capabilities thoroughly.

. Fine-tune the migration processes and nail down time estimates.

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CHAPTER 2

Planning, Prototyping, Migrating, and Deploying Windows Server 2008

R2 Best Practices

The Migration/Implementation Phase

. Verify that applications have been thoroughly tested, help desk and support person-

nel have been trained, and common problem resolution is clearly documented.

. Conduct a checkpoint for end-user satisfaction.

. Allocate time to ensure that ongoing support and maintenance of the new environ-

ment are being conducted before the last users are rolled into the new networking

environment.

. Plan a project completion party.

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CHAPTER 3

IN THIS CHAPTER

Installing Windows
. Preplanning and Preparing a

Server Installation

Server 2008 R2 and
. Installing a Clean Version of

Windows Server 2008 R2

Operating System

Server Core
. Upgrading to Windows Server

2008 R2

. Understanding Server Core

This chapter describes the step-by-step process for

Installation

installing a clean version of the Windows Server 2008 R2

operating system, upgrading an existing system to Windows

. Managing and Configuring a

Server 2008 R2, and, finally, installing a Windows Server

Server Core Installation

2008 R2 Server Core installation.

. Performing an Unattended

Windows Server 2008 R2

Even though the installation process is very intuitive and

Installation

has been simplified, an administrator must make several

key decisions to ensure that the completed installation will

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meet the needs of the organization. For example, is it bene-

ficial to upgrade an existing system to Windows Server 2008

R2, or is it preferred to conduct a clean install from scratch?

What are the ramifications of these alternatives? Will I lose

my existing settings, programs, and configurations? This

chapter covers these prerequisite planning tasks to address

administrators’ questions and concerns.

In addition, this chapter also focuses on how to install and

manage Server Core on Windows Server 2008 R2.

Preplanning and Preparing a

Server Installation

Before you begin the actual installation of Windows Server

2008 R2, you must make several decisions concerning prereq-

uisite tasks. How well you plan these steps will determine

how successful your installation is—as many of these deci-

sions cannot be changed after the installation is complete.

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CHAPTER 3

Installing Windows Server 2008 R2 and Server Core

Verifying Minimum Hardware Requirements

Whether you are installing Windows Server 2008 R2 in a lab or production environment,

you need to ensure that the hardware chosen meets the minimum system requirements.

In most situations, the minimum hardware requirements presented will not suffice; there-

fore, Table 3.1 provides not only the minimum requirements, but also the recommended

and maximum system requirements for the hardware components.

TABLE 3.1

Windows Server 2008 R2 System Requirements

Component

Minimum

Recommended

Maximum

Requirement

Processor

1.4GHZ 64-bit

2GHZ or faster

Not applicable

Memory

512MB RAM

2GB RAM or greater

32GB RAM Standard Edition

2TB RAM Enterprise and Datacenter

Editions

Disk Space

32GB

40GB Full installation

Not applicable

or

10GB Server Core

installation

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Take note: When designing and selecting the system specifications for a new server solution, even

the optimal system requirements recommendations from Microsoft might not suffice. It is a best

practice to assess the server specifications of the planned server role while taking the load during

the time of deployment and future growth into consideration. For example, a Windows Server 2008

R2 system running the Exchange Server 2010 Mailbox Server role will require much more than

2GB of RAM to run adequately. In addition, SQL Server 2008 R2 running on a Windows Server

2008 R2 server that is providing business intelligence solutions for 10,000 users might require

32GB of RAM. Therefore, size the system accordingly and test the load before going live into

production.

CAUTION

Windows Server 2008 R2 ONLY supports 64-bit processor architectures. A server run-

ning 32-bit processors is NOT supported.

Choosing the Appropriate Windows Edition

There are four main editions in the Windows Server 2008 R2 family of operating systems.

The editions include Windows Server 2008 R2, Standard Edition; Windows Server 2008 R2,

Enterprise Edition; Windows Server 2008 R2, Datacenter Edition; and Windows Server

2008, Web Edition. An organization or administrator must understand their workload

needs and requirements when selecting the operating system to utilize. For example, the

Enterprise Edition might be selected if there is a need to sustain a 16-node failover cluster

or autoenrollment with Microsoft Certificate Services. Or the Standard Edition could be

utilized if there is a need to implement virtualization with Hyper-V.

Preplanning and Preparing a Server Installation

85

Each edition supports a Server Core version. For a full list of Windows Server 2008 R2

features and functionality, see Chapter 1, “Windows Server 2008 R2 Technology Primer.”

This chapter covers the editions in their entirety.

Choosing a New Installation or an Upgrade

If you have an existing Windows environment, you might need to perform a new installa-

tion or upgrade an existing server. There are benefits to each of these options. The next

two sections outline the benefits for each.

3

Should You Perform a New Installation?

The primary benefit of a new installation is that, by installing the operating system from

scratch, you are starting with a known good server. You can avoid migrating problems that

might have existed on your previous server—whether due to corrupt software, incorrect

configuration settings, or improperly installed applications. Keep in mind, however, that

you will also lose all configuration settings from your previous installation. In addition,

required applications on the legacy server will need to be reinstalled after the installation

of the new operating system is complete. Make sure you document your server configura-

tion information, have all the appropriate software you plan on reinstalling, and back up

any data that you want to keep.

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When performing a new installation, you can install on a new hard drive (or partition) or

in a different directory on the same disk as a previous installation. Typically, most new

installations are installed on a new or freshly formatted hard drive. Doing so removes any

old software and gives you the cleanest installation.

Should You Upgrade an Existing Server?

Upgrading, on the other hand, replaces your current Windows files but keeps existing

users, settings, groups, rights, and permissions intact. In this scenario, you don’t have to

reinstall applications or restore data. Before choosing this option, keep in mind that you

should test your applications for compatibility before migration. Just because they

worked on previous versions of Windows does not mean they will work on Windows

Server 2008 R2.

As always, before performing any type of server maintenance such as a Windows Server

2008 R2 installation, you should perform a complete backup of any applications and data

that you want to preserve. Do not forget to include the System State when backing up the

legacy Windows operating system. It is required when performing a restore if you want to

maintain the existing Windows settings.

To upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2, you must be running a server-level operating

system. You cannot upgrade Workstation or Home Editions of operating systems such as

Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Microsoft’s latest desktop operating system, Windows 7 to

Windows Server 2008 R2. To upgrade your existing server, you must be running Windows

Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003. An upgrade from Windows NT 4.0 and Windows

2000 Server are not supported. Table 3.2 lists the available upgrade paths to Windows

Server 2008 R2.

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CHAPTER 3

Installing Windows Server 2008 R2 and Server Core

TABLE 3.2

Windows Server 2008 R2 Upgrade Paths

Previous Operating System

Upgrade to Windows Server

2008 R2

Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard, Enterprise, or

Yes, fully supported

Datacenter Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard, Enterprise, or

Yes, fully supported to

Datacenter Server Core Edition

Server Core

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2, Standard, Enterprise, or

Yes, fully supported

Datacenter Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating systems with Service

Yes, fully supported

Pack 1 (SP1), Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating systems with Service

Yes, fully supported

Pack 2 (SP2), Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter Edition

Windows NT 4.0

Not supported

Windows 2000 Server

Not supported

Windows XP

Not supported

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Windows Vista

Not supported

Any 32-Bit Windows Edition

Not supported

NOTE

A direct upgrade from any version of Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008

R2 Server Core is not supported. If a Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core is warrant-

ed, a fresh Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core install or an upgrade from Windows

Server 2008 Server Core is necessary.

NOTE

If there is a need to preserve settings and upgrade a legacy operating system such as

Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Server, the system should first be upgraded to

Windows Server 2003 and then again to Windows Server 2008 R2. Typically, this is not

the recommended approach as the hardware is typically outdated; however, the multiple

upgrade approach is doable.

Determining the Type of Server to Install

You have the choice of making your server an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), a

member server, a standalone server, or a Server Core installation. After you determine the

tasks the server will perform, you can determine the role or roles that you will assign to it.

Domain controllers and member servers play a role in a new or existing domain. Stand-

alone servers are not joined to a particular domain. Finally, Server Core installations were

Preplanning and Preparing a Server Installation

87

introduced with the release of the Windows Server 2008 family of operating systems and

only consist of a minimal installation footprint. On a Server Core installation, the tradi-

tional graphical user interface (GUI) tools are not available and some of the roles that are

supported include Active Directory Domain Services, Active Directory Lightweight

Directory Services (AD LDS), DHCP Server, DNS Server, File Services, Print Server,

Streaming Media Services, and Web Server (IIS) roles. Type oclist at a Server Core

command prompt to determine the available server roles. However, with the release of

Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft has introduced a new command called SCONFIG that

allows for an easier configuration of a Server Core installation.

As in earlier versions of Windows, you are able to promote or demote server functions as

3

you desire. Standalone servers can be joined to the domain to become member servers.

Using the dcpromo utility, you can promote member servers to domain controllers. And,

by uninstalling the Active Directory Domain Services role from a domain controller, you