SC'enarios™, Server Core Scenarios
Technology is all about putting it to good use. This is why I'm starting a new series of blog posts on Server Core usage scenarios aimed to putting Windows Server 2008 Server Core installations to good use! Server Core is coming to you this Easter!
Showcasing the Server Core potential
Microsoft's original aim was to make a version of Windows Server that would be ideal for datacenter deployment scenarios as Neil Hutson points out over at TechNet Edge:
The main reason for this capability stemmed from feedback we got from some of our larger customers. They were all moving to global datacenter models, with a very small number of datacenters which needed to be managed 24x7 worldwide. They wanted to be able to procure a new operating system instance quickly, download across the wide-area-network (so it had to be small) and have a reduced attack surface and reduced patching. A Server Core installation only requires about 1 gigabyte (GB) of disk space to install and approximately 2 GB for operations after the installation.
I feel the potential of Server Core is bigger than the potential Neil describes. Large deployments at datacenters sound really appealing, but we don't all own datacenters or have the need for one (or multiple). Surely in this era of Virtualization we'll find more dedicated virtual servers performing one or only a limited amount of Server Roles, but the needs for these environments are smaller than the needs of datacenter customers.
I believe one can deploy Server Core is many more everyday deployment scenarios that will showcase Server Core as the premium operating system to perform a combination of tasks while proving a lean, mean server system. I call these scenarios Server Core scenarios, or SC'enarios™ for short.
Benefits
Each SC'enario™ will have one or more of benefits, showcasing the potential of Server Core in that specific deployment scenario:
- Not easy to use by a click-and-drop Systems Administrator
Reason: No Explorer, no Internet Explorer, No Event Viewer, No Pop-up balloons
- Not easy to compromise
Reason: Small attack surface, due to absence of Managed Code and .Net Framework Reason: No or limited third party software, setup patched through Microsoft Update
- Not interesting enough for malware writers
Reason: Small percentage of Systems Admin capable of deploying Server Core
- High Performance
Reason: No CPU cycles wasted on a Fancy Schmancy Graphical User Interface
- Less Hardware required
Reason: Server Core only requires 2 GB of disk space for normal operation
- No reason for high bandwidth needs
Reason: Smaller amount of patches, compared to Full Installations
Reason: Smaller backups, compared to Full Installations
- Deploy and forget
Reason: Typical deployments that require initial configuration once
- Less downtime
Reason: Smaller amount of patches, compared to Full Installations
- Improved Business Agility
Reason: Quicker deployment, compared to Full Installations
- Reduced Network complexity
Reason: Server Core as specifically targeted single-role Infrastructure Servers.
Lay-out for each SC'enario™
Every SC'enario™ will contain a piece of text showing why that specific scenario showcases the potential of Server Core. It will also contain a Pros and Cons section to make clear what you can expect from Server Core in the specific scenario.
Every SC'enario™ will contain a detailed technical description of how to deploy Server Core after the initial configuration steps. (Adding these configuration steps to the post would really make them long!)
Every SC'enario™ will be thoroughly tested and documented so you will be able to use Server Core in the scenario as depicted with enough extra documentation (further reading) to adapt the Scenario™ to your specific needs.
Concluding
Expect my SC'enarios™ these three days of Easter 2008!