Windows Server 2012 is a major leap forward for Server Core installations of Windows Server. Not only are Full installations of Windows Server convertible back and forth to Server Core installations without reinstallation, a whole slew of new Server Roles have become available for installation on the mean, clean Server Core installations. Active ...

Microsoft touts the smaller attack surface as one of the biggest benefits of using Server Core, compared to a Full installation of Windows Server 2008. Because a Server Core installation is optimized, it doesn’t include most of the vulnerabilities found in Full installations. A consequence of these optimizations is a Server Core installation might ...

When the Server Core installation option of Windows Server was introduced in 2008, not a lot of people saw the greatness. A few tried it once, some tried it twice and others got hooked! Fellow administrators often complain that it’s so hard to administer the roles and features of it. Joachim Nässlander and myself, who both fall into the third ...

You know, in terms of deploying servers in a smart way, so you can actually utilize them for as long as their economical lifecycle in a supported fashion without a need to reinstall them, I’ve made a stupid decision in advising IT Pros to deploy Server Core Domain Controllers in the last two years. The problem, you see, is the product team ...

Server Core installations of Windows Server 2008 can be utilized in a variety of ways. I’ve written about using them as Web 2.0 Servers with IIS 7, PHP and MySQL, as Streaming media (reverse) proxies, as branch office servers, loaded with DFS, DNS, DHCP and secured with BitLocker Drive Encryption and of course using them as highly-optimized ...

I just realized I like Smart-X CoreConfigurator a lot. This is not just due to the improving quality of the tool, but also the way Smart-X copes with feedback and is able to provide feedback on my feedback. (Not a lot of companies know how to do the latter.) After testing previous versions of CoreConfigurator I emailed feedback to Smart-X. ...

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 came with built-in support for serial and USB connected Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) devices. From within the Power Options you could manage your UPS and the shutdown behavior of the box. About UPS Devices UPS devices help prevent loss of data from power loss (“black-outs) ...

Smart-X, the Israel-based company behind CoreConfigurator and former employer of Guy Teverovsky has released a new version of CoreConfigurator for Server Core installations of Windows Server 2008. And I must admit … I’m impressed!     CoreConfigurator 1.2.0.2 Last time I looked at Smart-X CoreConfigurator version 1.1.0.5. I ...

In the past I’ve mentioned a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 is less susceptible to attacks than a full installation of Windows Server 2008: It has less code on disk and in memory, resulting in a smaller attack surface It requires less updates It doesn’t offer a built-in way to browse the web It is deployed by ...

I remember pretty well when Guy Teverovsky shared his CoreConfigurator tool, to help Server Core Systems Administrators perform everyday tasks through a Graphical User Interface (GUI). I still remember the buzz it generated throughout the blogosphere, I still remember the amount of kudos to Guy for building and sharing this tool, I still remember ...