Installing and configuring

servers
⚫Installing new Windows servers on your
network is not something to be done casually,
you must plan the installation well in advance.
⚫You must decide what edition of the operating
system to install, whether you are installing
the full GUI or the Server Core option, what
your virtualization strategy will be, if any, and
what roles you intend to implement on the
server.
⚫If you are installing Windows Server 2012 for
the first time, you might also have to decide
whether to add the server to your production
network or install it on a test network.
Planning for a server installation
⚫In previous versions of Windows Server,
installation planning could become a complex task.
⚫You had to decide from the outset what edition of
the operating system to install, whether to install
the 32-bit or 64-bit version, and whether you
should perform a Server Core installation or use
the full graphical user interface (GUI).
⚫All of these decisions affected the server hardware
requirements, and all of them were irreversible. To
change the edition, the platform, or the interface,
you have to reinstall the server from scratch.
 Planning for a server installation
⚫ With Windows Server 2012, the options are reduced
substantially, and so are the installation decisions. There
is no 32-bit version of Windows Server 2012; only a 64-bit
operating system is available, reflecting the fact that
most major applications are now 64-bit and that modern
server configurations are typically supported on
hardware that requires 64 bits.
⚫ There are now only four Windows Server 2012 editions
to choose from, down from six in Windows Server 2008
R2.
⚫ The Server Core and full GUI installation options still
remain, along with a third option, called the Minimal
Server Interface. However, it is now possible to switch
among these options without having to reinstall the
operating system.
 Selecting a Windows Server 2012 edition
⚫ Microsoft releases all of its operating systems in multiple
editions, which provides consumers with varying price points
and feature sets. When planning a server deployment, the
operating system edition you choose should be based on
multiple factors, including the following:
⚫ The roles you intend the servers to perform
⚫ The virtualization strategy you intent to implement
⚫ The licensing strategy you plan to use
⚫ Compared with Windows Server 2008, Microsoft has
simplified the process of selecting a server edition by
reducing the available products. As with Windows Server
2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 requires a 64-bit processor
architecture. All of the 32-bit versions have been eliminated,
and for the first time since the Windows NT Server 4.0
release, there will be no build supporting Itanium processors.
 Selecting a Windows Server 2012 edition
⚫Windows Server 2012 Datacenter -The
Datacenter edition is designed for large and
powerful servers with up to 64 processors and
fault-tolerance features such as hot add
processor support. As a result, this edition is
available only through the Microsoft volume
licensing program and from original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs), bundled with a server.
⚫Windows Server 2012 Standard - The
Standard edition includes the full set of Windows
Server 2008 features, differing from the
Datacenter edition only in the number of virtual
machine (VM) instances permitted by the license.
 Selecting a Windows Server 2012 edition
⚫Windows Server 2012 Essentials - The
Essentials edition includes nearly all of the features
in the Standard and Datacenter editions, except for
Server Core, Hyper-V, and Active Directory
Federation Services. The edition is limited to one
physical or virtual server instance and a maximum
of 25 users.
⚫Windows Server 2012 Foundation - A reduced
version of the operating system designed for small
businesses that require only basic server features
such as file and print services and application
support. The edition includes no virtualization
rights and is limited to 15 users.
 Supporting server roles
⚫Windows Server 2012 includes predefined
combinations of services called roles that
implement common server functions.
⚫Computers running the Windows Server 2012
operating system can perform a wide variety of
tasks, using both the software included with the
product and third-party applications.
⚫The activities Windows Server 2012 performs for
network clients are known as roles.
⚫After you install the Windows Server 2012
operating system, you can use Server Manager or
Windows PowerShell to assign one or more roles to
that computer.
 Supporting server roles
⚫Some of the Windows Server 2012 editions
include all of these roles, whereas others include
only some of them.
⚫Selecting the appropriate edition of Windows
Server has always been a matter of anticipating
the roles that the computer must perform.
⚫At one time, this was a relatively simple process.
You planned your server deployments by deciding
which ones would be domain controllers, which
ones would be web servers, and so forth. Once
you made these decisions, you were done,
because server roles were largely static.
 Supporting server roles
⚫With the increased focus on virtualization in
Windows Server 2012, however, more
administrators will be forced to consider not only
what roles a server must perform at the time of the
deployment, but what roles they will perform in the
future as well.
⚫Using virtualized servers, you can modify your
network’s server strategy at will, to accommodate
changing workloads and business requirements, or
to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.
⚫Therefore, the process of anticipating the roles a
server will perform must account for the potential
expansion of your business, as well as possible
emergency needs.
 Supporting server virtualization
⚫The Windows Server 2012 Datacenter and Standard
editions both include support for Hyper-V, but they vary
in the number of VMs permitted by their licenses.
⚫Each running instance of the Windows Server 2012
operating system is classified as being in a physical
operating system environment (POSE) or a virtual
operating system environment (VOSE).
⚫When you purchase a Windows Server 2012 license,
you can perform a POSE installation of the operating
system, as always. After installing the Hyper-V role, you
can then create VMs and perform VOSE installations on
them. The number of VOSE installations permitted by
your license depends on the edition you purchased
 Physical and virtual instances supported by
Windows Server 2012 editions

The limitations specified in Table are those of

the license, not the software. You can, for
example, create more than four VMs on a copy
of Windows Server 2012 Enterprise, but you
must purchase additional licenses to do so.
 Server licensing

⚫Microsoft provides several different sales

channels for Windows Server 2012 licenses,
and not all of the editions are available through
all of the channels.
⚫Licensing Windows Server 2012 includes
purchasing licenses for both servers and
clients, and there are many options for each
one.
Windows Server sales channel availability, by
edition
 Installation requirements
⚫If your computer has less than the following
hardware specifications, Windows Server 2012
will not install correctly (or possibly at all):
⚫1.4 GHz 64-bit processor
⚫512 MB RAM
⚫32 GB available disk space
⚫DVD drive
⚫Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution
monitor
⚫Keyboard and mouse (or other compatible
pointing device)
⚫Internet access
Choosing installation options
⚫Server Core
⚫Minimal Server
Interface
⚫Features on Demand
⚫Upgrade servers
 Using Server Core
⚫When you select the Windows Server Core
installation option, you get a stripped-down
version of the operating system.
⚫There is no Start menu, no desktop Explorer
shell, no Microsoft Management Console, and
virtually no graphical applications. All you see
when you start the computer is a single
window with a command prompt.
⚫Server Core is not a separate product or
edition. It is an installation option included
with the Windows Server 2012 Standard and
Datacenter editions.
 The advantages of running servers using
Server Core
⚫ Hardware resource conservation - Server Core eliminates some
of the most memory and processor-intensive elements of the
Windows Server 2012 operating system, thus devoting more of the
system hardware to running essential services.
⚫ Reduced disk space - Server Core requires less disk space for the
installed operating system elements, as well as less swap space,
which maximizes the utilization of the server’s storage resources.
⚫ Reduced patch frequency - The graphical elements of Windows
Server 2012 are among the most frequently patched, so running
Server Core reduces the number of patches that administrators must
apply. Fewer patches also mean fewer server restarts and less
downtime.
⚫ Reduced attack surface - The less software there is running on
the computer, the fewer the entrances there are for attackers to
exploit. Server Core reduces the potential openings presented by the
operating system, increasing its overall security.
 SERVER CORE DEFAULTS
⚫ In Windows Server 2012, Microsoft is attempting to
fundamentally modify the way that administrators work
with their servers.
⚫ In Windows Server 2012, Server Core is now the default
installation option, because in the new way of managing
servers, administrators should rarely, if ever, have to work
at the server console, either physically or remotely.
⚫ Windows Server has long been capable of remote
administration, but this capability has been a piecemeal
affair. Some Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-
ins enabled administrators to connect to remote servers,
and Windows PowerShell 2.0 provided some remote
capabilities from the command line, but Windows Server
2012, for the first time, includes comprehensive remote
administration tools that virtually eliminate the need to
work at the server console.
 SERVER CORE DEFAULTS
⚫ The new Server Manager application in Windows
Server 2012 enables administrators to add servers
from all over the enterprise and create server groups
to facilitate the configuration of multiple systems
simultaneously. The new Windows PowerShell 3.0
environment increases the number of available cmdlets
from 230 to more than 2,430.
⚫ With tools like these, it is possible for administrators to
install their servers using the Server Core option,
execute a few commands to join each server to an
Active Directory Domain Services domain, and then
never touch the server console again. They can
perform all subsequent administration tasks, including
the deployment of roles and features, using Server
Manager and PowerShell from a remote workstation.
 SERVER CORE CAPABILITIES

⚫In addition to omitting most of the

graphical interface, a Server Core
installation omits some of the server roles
found in a Server with a GUI installation.
⚫However, the Server Core option in
Windows Server 2012 includes 13 of the
19 roles, plus support for SQL Server
2012, as opposed to only 10 roles in
Windows Server 2008 R2 and nine in
Windows Server 2008.
Windows Server 2012 Server Core roles
Windows Server 2012 Server Core roles
 Using the Minimal Server Interface
⚫ If the advantages of Server Core sound tempting, but there are
traditional server administration tools you don’t want to give up,
Windows Server 2012 provides a compromise called the Minimal
Server Interface.
⚫ The Minimal Server Interface is a setting that removes some of the
most hardware-intensive elements from the graphical interface.
These elements include Internet Explorer and the components that
make up the Windows shell, including the desktop, Windows
Explorer, and the Windows 8 desktop apps. Also omitted are the
Control Panel items implemented as shell extensions, including the
following:
⚫ Programs and Features
⚫ Network and Sharing Center
⚫ Devices and Printers Center
⚫ Display
⚫ Firewall
⚫ Windows Update
⚫ Fonts
⚫ Storage Spaces
Using the Minimal Server Interface
⚫What’s left in the Minimal Server
Interface are the Server Manager and
MMC applications, as well as Device
Manager and the entire PowerShell
interface.
⚫This provides administrators with
most of the tools they need to manage
local and remote servers
To configure a Windows Server 2012 Server with a
GUI installation to use the Minimal Server Interface
1. Log on to the server running Windows Server 2012 using
an account with Administrative privileges. The Server
Manager window opens.
2. Click Manage > Remove Roles And Features. The
Remove Roles and Features Wizard opens, showing the
Before You Begin page.
3. Click Next to open the Server Selection page.
4. In the Server Pool list, select the server you want to
modify and click Next. The Remove Server Roles page
opens.
5. Click Next to open the Remove Features page.
6. Scroll down the Features list and expand the User
Interfaces And Infrastructure feature
 Con’t
⚫7. Clear the Server Graphical Shell
check box and click Next. The Confirm
Removal Selections page opens.
⚫8. Click Remove to open the Removal
Progress page.
⚫9. When the removal is complete, click
Close.
⚫10. Restart the server.
 Using Features on Demand
⚫During a Windows Server 2012 installation, the
Setup program copies the files for all of the
operating system components from the installation
medium to a directory called WinSxS, the side-by-
side component store. This enables
administrators to activate any of the features
included with Windows Server 2012 without
having to supply an installation medium.
⚫The drawback of this arrangement is that the
WinSxS directory occupies a significant amount of
disk space, much of which is, in many cases,
devoted to data that will never be used.
 Using Features on Demand
⚫With the increasing use of VMs to distribute server
roles, enterprise networks often have more copies
of the server operating system than ever before,
and therefore more wasted disk space. In addition,
the advanced storage technologies often used by
today’s server infrastructures, such as SANs and
solid state drives (SSDs), are making that disk
space more expensive.
⚫Features on Demand, new to Windows Server 2012,
is a third state for operating system features that
enables administrators to conserve disk space by
removing specific features, not only from operation,
but also from the WinSxS directory.
 Using Features on Demand
⚫ This state is intended for features that administrators have no
intention of installing on a particular server. If, for example,
you want to disable the Server Graphical Shell feature in
Windows Server 2012, to prevent Internet Explorer, Windows
Explorer, and the desktop shell from running, and you want to
remove the files that provide those features from the disk
completely, you can do so with Features on Demand. By
removing all the disk files for all of your unused features on all
of your VMs, you can achieve substantial savings in disk space.
⚫ Features on Demand provides a third installation state for each
of the features in Windows Server 2012. In previous versions of
the operating system, features could be Enabled or Disabled.
Windows Server 2012 provides the following three states:
⚫ Enabled
⚫ Disabled
⚫ Disabled with payload removed
 Using Features on Demand
⚫ To implement this third state, you must use the Windows
PowerShell Uninstall-WindowsFeature cmdlet, which now
supports a new –Remove flag. Thus, the PowerShell
command to disable the Server Graphical Shell and remove
its source files from the WinSxS directory would be as
follows:

⚫ Once you delete the source files for a feature from the
WinSxS folder, they are not irretrievably gone. If you
attempt to enable that feature again, the system will
download it from Windows Update or, alternatively, retrieve
it from an image file you specify using the –Source flag with
the Install-WindowsFeature cmdlet. This enables you to
retrieve the required files from a removable disk or from an
image file on the local network. Administrators can also use
Group Policy to specify a list of installation sources.
 Upgrading servers
⚫ An in-place upgrade is the most complicated form of
Windows Server 2012 installation. It is also the
lengthiest, and the most likely to cause problems
during its execution. Whenever possible, Microsoft
recommends that administrators perform a clean
installation, or migrate required roles, applications, and
settings instead.
⚫ Although in-place upgrades often proceed smoothly, the
complexity of the upgrade process and the large
number of variables involved means that there are
many things that can potentially go wrong. To minimize
the risks involved, it is important for an administrator
to take the upgrade process seriously, prepare the
system beforehand, and have the ability to troubleshoot
any problems that might arise.
 Upgrade paths
⚫ If you have a 64-bit computer running Windows Server 2008
or Windows Server 2008 R2, then you can upgrade it to
Windows Server 2012, as long as you use the same operating
system edition.
⚫ Windows Server 2012 does not support the following:
⚫ Upgrades from Windows Server versions prior to Windows
Server 2008
⚫ Upgrades from pre-RTM editions of Windows Server 2012
⚫ Upgrades from Windows workstation operating systems
⚫ Cross-edition upgrades, such as Windows Server 2008
Enterprise Edition to Windows Server 2012 Datacenter Edition
⚫ Cross-platform upgrades, such as 32-bit Windows Server 2008
to 64-bit Windows Server 2012
⚫ Upgrades from any Itanium edition
⚫ Cross-language upgrades, such as from Windows Server 2008,
U.S. English to Windows Server 2012, French
 Preparing to upgrade
Before you begin an in-place upgrade to Windows
Server 2012, you should perform a number of
preliminary procedures to ensure that the process
goes smoothly and that the server data is protected.
⚫ Check hardware compatibility - Make sure that the
server meets the minimum hardware requirements for
Windows Server 2012.
⚫ Check disk space - Make sure that there is sufficient
free disk space on the partition where the old
operating system is installed. During the upgrade
procedure, sufficient disk space is needed to hold both
operating systems simultaneously. After the upgrade is
complete, you can remove the old files, freeing up
some additional space.
 Preparing to upgrade
⚫ Confirm that software is signed - All kernel-mode
software on the server, including device drivers, must be
digitally signed, or the software will not load. This can result
in an aborted upgrade process, hardware failures after the
upgrade is completed, or failure of the system to start after
the upgrade. If you cannot locate a software update for the
application or driver that is signed, then you should uninstall
the application or driver before you proceed with the
installation.
⚫ Save mass storage drivers on removable media - If a
manufacturer has supplied a separate driver for a device in
your server, save the driver to a CD, a DVD, or a USB flash
drive in either the media root directory or the /amd64 folder.
To provide the driver during Setup, click Load Driver or press
F6 on the disk selection page. You can browse to locate the
driver or have Setup search the media.
 Preparing to upgrade
⚫ Check application compatibility - The Setup program displays a
Compatibility Report page that can point out possible application
compatibility problems. You can sometimes solve these problems by
updating or upgrading the applications. Create an inventory of the
software products installed on the server and check the
manufacturers’ websites for updates, availability of upgrades, and
announcements regarding support for Windows Server 2012. In an
enterprise environment, you should test all applications for
Windows Server 2012 compatibility, no matter what the
manufacturer says, before you perform any operating system
upgrades.
⚫ Ensure computer functionality - Make sure that Windows
Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 is running properly on the
computer before you begin the upgrade process. You must start an
in-place upgrade from within the existing operating system, so you
cannot count on Windows Server 2012 to correct any problems that
prevent the computer from starting or running the Setup program.
 Preparing to upgrade
⚫ Perform a full backup - Before you perform any upgrade procedure
you should back up the entire system, or at the very least the essential
data files. Your backup should include all data and configuration
information that is necessary for your target computer to function.
When you perform the backup, be sure to include the boot and system
partitions and the system state data. Removable hard drives make this a
simple process, even if there is not a suitable backup device in the
computer.
⚫ Disable virus protection software - Virus protection software can
make installation much slower by scanning every file that is copied
locally to your computer. If installed, you should disable this software
before performing the upgrade.
⚫ Disconnect the UPS device - If you have an uninterruptible power
supply (UPS) connected to your target computer, disconnect the cable
before performing the upgrade. Setup automatically attempts to detect
connected devices, and UPS equipment can cause issues with this
process.
⚫ Purchase Windows Server 2012 - Be sure to purchase the
appropriate Windows Server 2012 edition for the upgrade, and have the
 Migrating roles
⚫ Migration is the preferred method of replacing an existing server with one
running Windows Server 2012. Unlike an in-place upgrade, a migration
copies vital information from an existing server to a clean Windows Server
2012 installation.
⚫ When migrating, virtually all of the restrictions listed earlier in regard to
upgrades do not apply. Using the Windows Server Migration Tools and
migration guides supplied with Windows Server 2012, you can migrate
data between servers under any of the following conditions:
⚫ Between versions - You can migrate data from any Windows Server version
from Windows Server 2003 SP2 to Windows Server 2012. This includes
migrations from one server running Windows Server 2012 to another.
⚫ Between platforms - You can migrate data from an x86- or x64-based server
to an x64-based server running Windows Server 2012.
⚫ Between editions - You can migrate data between servers running different
Windows Server editions.
⚫ Between physical and virtual instances - You can migrate data from a
physical server to a virtual one, or the reverse.
⚫ Between installation options - You can migrate data from a server running
Windows Server 2008 R2 to one running Windows Server 2012, even when one
server is using the Server Core installation option and the other uses the
Server with a GUI option.
 Migrating roles
⚫Migration at the server level is different from any
migrations you might have performed on
workstation operating systems. Instead of
performing a single migration procedure that
copies all of the user data from the source to the
destination computer at once, in a server
migration you migrate roles or role services
individually.
⚫Windows Server 2012 includes a collection of
migration guides that provide individualized
instructions for each of the roles supported by
Windows Server 2012. Some of the roles require
the use of Windows Server Migration Tools; others
do not.
 Installing Windows Server Migration Tools
⚫Windows Server Migration Tools is a Windows Server
2012 feature that consists of PowerShell cmdlets and
help files that enable administrators to migrate
certain roles between servers.
⚫Before you can use the migration tools, however, you
must install the Windows Server Migration Tools
feature on the destination server running Windows
Server 2012, and then copy the appropriate version of
the tools to the source server.
⚫Windows Server Migration Tools is a standard feature
that you install on Windows Server 2012 using the
Add Roles and Features Wizard in Server Manager
 Using migration guides
⚫ Once you have installed the Windows Server Migration Tools on
both the source and the destination servers, you can proceed to
migrate data between the two.
⚫ Using the migration tools, administrators can migrate certain
roles, features, shares, operating system settings, and other data
from the source server to the destination server running Windows
Server 2012. Some roles require the use of the migration tools,
whereas other do not, having their own internal communication
capabilities.
⚫ There is no single procedure for migrating all of the Windows
Server roles, whether they have their own migration tools or not.
Instead, Microsoft provides detailed migration guides for
individual roles, and sometimes for individual role services within
a role.
⚫ Up-to-date migration guides are available at the Windows
Server Migration Portal at the Windows Server 2012
TechCenter(http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj134
039).