Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed (30 page)

NOTE

If you plan to change the IP address settings on more than one interface, take note of

all the interface names and Idx unique IDs.

Now that you have captured the names and IDs, utilize the following syntax to change

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the IP address for a desired interface.

netsh interface ipv4 set address name=”” source=static address=

mask= gateway=

Replace the ID argument with the network interface name or ID. In addition, enter the

static IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway in subsequent arguments. An example

is netsh interface ipv4 set address name=”1” source=static

address=192.168.115.10 mask=255.255.255.0 gateway=192.168.115.1.

The final step when configuring the network interface is to enter a primary and secondary

DNS entry for the interface. Do this by using the following syntax:

netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name=”” address=index=1

The same command is utilized and repeated when entering more than one DNS entry.

However, increment the index each time. When finalized, run IP Config /all to verify the

IP address settings.

Adding the Server Core System to a Domain

The following script illustrates the basic syntax of how to add a Server Core system to a

Windows domain:

Netdom join /domain: /userd:\ /password:*

Input the domain name and supply the user account and password for an account that

has permissions to add computers to the domain.

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Activating the Server Core System

Activating a Server Core system can be achieved in two easy steps. The first step includes

entering a product key and the second step requires you to activate the server. The syntax

for entering a product key is as follows:

slmgr.vbs –ipk

Once the product key has been successfully entered, you activate the server by typing in

the following command:

slmgr.vbs -ato

Server Core Roles and Feature Installations

The typical Windows server roles can be configured on a Server Core installation. The

following bullets list the server roles that are currently supported on a Server Core

installation:

. Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)

. Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS)

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. Active Directory Certificate Services

. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Server

. DNS Server

. File Services

. Print Server

. Streaming Media Services

. Web Server (IIS)

. Hyper-V

The following are optional features that are also supported on a Server Core installation:

. Microsoft Failover Cluster

. Network Load Balancing

. Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications

. Windows Backup

. Multipath I/O

. Removable Storage Management

. Windows Bitlocker Drive Encryption

. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Managing and Configuring a Server Core Installation

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. Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS)

. Telnet Client

. Quality of Service (QoS)

. .NET Framework

. PowerShell

NOTE

3

The following command lists all of the potential server roles and associated features:

Dism /online /get-features /format:table

The OCSetup command-line program is responsible for setting up and configuring the

server roles and features on a Server Core installation. You can configure the OCSetup

command-line options using the following syntax:

ocsetup.exe [/?] [/h] [/help] component [/log:file] [/norestart] [/passive]

[/quiet] [/unattendfile:file] [/uninstall] [/x: parameter]

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Use Table 3.3 to understand each of the options that are available when using the

OCSetup command-line program.

TABLE 3.3

Available Command Options for OCSetup

Parameter

Description

/?, /h, /help

Explains all the options available for OCSetup

component

Represents the name of the component you plan on installing, such as

DNS, DHCP, Web Server (IIS), and more

/log:file

Specifies the log file location if you do not want to take advantage of the

default location

/norestart

Does not reboot the computer after the installation

/passive

Suppresses unnecessary noise and only includes progress status

/quiet

Does not require user interaction

/unattendfile:file

Requires additional configurations

/uninstall

Removes server components

/x: parameter

Supplies additional configuration parameters

Performing a Server Role Installation on a Server Core Installation

Table 3.4 outlines basic server role installation examples based on the use of the OCSetup

command-line tool.

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TABLE 3.4

Server Role Installation Command Lines with OCSetup

Server Role

Command

DNS Server role

ocsetup DNS-Server-Core-Role

DHCP Server role

ocsetup DHCPServerCore

File Server role

ocsetup FRS-Infrastructure

Print Server role

ocsetup Printing-ServerCore-Role

Active Directory Lightweight Directory

ocsetup DirectoryServices-ADAM-ServerCore

Server role

Windows Deployment Server (Windows DS)

ocsetup Microsoft-Windows-Deployment-

role

Services

Web Server (IIS) role

ocsetup IIS-WebServerRole

Streaming Media Services role

ocsetup MediaServer

Hyper-V role

ocsetup Microsoft-Hyper-V

The previous sections are a prelude to some of the common Server Core command-line

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arguments for installing and configuring elements on a Windows Server 2008 R2 Server

Core installation. For a full list of command-line arguments, visit the Microsoft website

and conduct a search for Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core.

Installing the Active Directory Domain Services Role

Even though Active Directory Domain Services is just another server role, you cannot

install it with ocsetup on Server Core. You must use the dcpromo utility. The problem is

that dcpromo normally starts a wizard with a graphical user interface and Server Core does

not support GUIs. You have to provide the input for dcpromo by supplying the operation

parameters or by using an answer file.

There are 40 different operation parameters that the dcpromo utility can accept. While

this may seem like a dizzying array of options, few command lines will utilize all of them.

Please refer to the TechNet dcpromo command reference at

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732887(WS.10).aspx for a complete list and

explanation of each parameter. You can use this reference to build the correct dcpromo

command line or create an unattend file suitable for your core domain controller.

The following example creates a domain controller for a new Active Directory forest. It

installs and configures the DNS Server service and configures the forest and domain func-

tional levels to Windows Server 2008 R2:

[DCInstall]

; New forest promotion

ReplicaOrNewDomain=Domain

NewDomain=Forest

Summary

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NewDomainDNSName=companyabc.com

ForestLevel=4

DomainNetbiosName=COMPANYABC

DomainLevel=4

InstallDNS=Yes

ConfirmGc=Yes

CreateDNSDelegation=No

DatabasePath=”C:\Windows\NTDS”

LogPath=”C:\Windows\NTDS”

SYSVOLPath=”C:\Windows\SYSVOL”

3

; Set SafeModeAdminPassword to the correct value prior to using the unattend file

SafeModeAdminPassword=

; Run-time flags (optional)

RebootOnCompletion=Yes

Use the following steps to run dcpromo with an unattend file:

1. Copy or create the unattend.txt file to the root of the C: drive.

2. Enter the command dcpromo.exe /unattend:C:\unattend.txt and press Enter. The

installation will proceed.

3. At the end of the installation, the server will automatically reboot.

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Performing an Unattended Windows Server 2008

R2 Installation

In many large enterprise environments, it is necessary to automate the installation of

Windows Server 2008 R2. This is because there might be more than 10,000 servers within

the organization and installing each server manually is not a practical or efficient way of

utilizing resources or capital expenditures. Windows Deployment Services is a great tool

offered by Microsoft to automate the installation process of Windows Server 2008 R2

when trying to achieve economies of scale.

For more information on Windows Deployment Services and performing an unattended

installation of Windows Server 2008 R2, see Chapter 26, “Windows Server 2008 R2

Administration Tools for Desktops.”

Summary

The Windows Server 2008 R2 installation process and deployment tools bear similarities to

those found in previous versions of Windows. However, feature and performance

enhancements have improved the installation experience—whether you are installing a

single system by hand or deploying thousands of systems across your corporate environ-

ment with Windows Deployment Services.

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The new Windows Server Core supported roles and features such as Hyper-V and

PowerShell have been a much anticipated feature set for the Windows Server 2008 R2

family of operating systems. Server Core installations can further meet today’s administra-

tors’ and organizations’ needs by providing a mechanism of utilizing the Windows Server

2008 R2 operating system with the fewest amount of binaries, in the most highly secured

fashion, while also reducing management overhead.

Best Practices

The following are best practices from this chapter:

. Verify that your hardware, devices, and drivers are supported by Windows Server

2008 R2.

. Stick to using the recommended or optimal hardware and software requirements.

. Make sure you document your server configuration information and perform a

backup of any data that you want to keep.

. Use the Windows Server 2008 R2 Initial Configuration Tasks Wizard to conduct

postinstallation tasks.

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. Utilize Windows Server Core installations when the highest level of security is

warranted.

. Use a consistent naming convention to name the servers and client machines.

. Use only Internet-standard characters in your computer name. This includes the

letters A–Z (upper- and lowercase), the numbers 0–9, and the hyphen (-).

. Periodically verify that system backups can be used to recover a system in a lab

environment.

. As soon as you complete the installation, rename the administrator account and

assign a strong password, for the sake of security.

. Automate installation by using Windows Deployment Services.

. Choose and install Windows Server 2008 R2 roles and features to a server to take

advantage of new capabilities built in to Windows Server 2008 R2.

CHAPTER 4

IN THIS CHAPTER

Active Directory
. Examining the Evolution of

Directory Services

Domain Services Primer
. Understanding the

Development of AD DS

. Examining AD DS’s Structure

. Outlining AD DS’s Components

. Understanding Domain Trusts

Microsoft’s Active Directory technologies have come a

. Defining Organizational Units

long way since their original release with Windows 2000

Server. From a single product referred to simply as Active

. Outlining the Role of Groups in

Directory (AD), Windows Server 2008 R2 now encompasses

an AD DS Environment

a total of five separate Active Directory technologies. Each

. Explaining AD DS Replication

of these technologies is similar—they all exist to supply

directory services and to serve as a platform for future inte-

. Outlining the Role of DNS

in AD DS

gration of Microsoft technologies. The additional four

Active Directory services roles in Windows Server 2008 R2

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. Outlining AD DS Security

include Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD

. Outlining AD DS Changes in

LDS), Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS), Active

Windows Server 2008 R2

Directory Certificate Services (AD CS), and Active Directory

Rights Management Services (AD RMS).

The focus of this chapter is on the traditional Active

Directory service, Active Directory Domain Services (AD

DS), and touches upon the information needed to under-

stand what AD DS is and how it has become the most

common enterprise directory platform in use today. This

chapter initially focuses on describing a history of directory

services in general. It then proceeds to give a primer on AD

DS itself as a technology. Finally, specific changes made to

Active Directory technologies in general are outlined at the

end of the chapter, including all new improvements intro-