Server Core installations of Windows Server 2008 R2 and installations of Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 offer Windows PowerShell. A lot has been written on the geekiness of PowerShell, how it wasn’t included in Server Core installations of Windows Server 2008 R2 and how you could enable it anyway. The question however is, how do you get started with ...

As you’re probably aware Windows Server 2008 R2 is not available in a 32bit (x86) version. Only 64bit versions (both x64 and IA64) are available, but Microsoft happily provides 32bit Windows on Windows (WoW) support, so admins can install their favorite 32bit programs on top of their 64bit installations. I’ve dedicated quite some blogposts to ...

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 ...

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 ...

Microsoft has published a document titled “SYSVOL Replication Migration Guide: FRS to DFS Replication” to the Download server today. The 52-page 416KB weighing document outlines how to get from using File Replication Service (FRS) replication to Distributed File System Replication(DFS-R) for the SYSVOL folder. Since DFS-R offers more performance, ...

Not everyone likes the chilly climate of the server room or the mesmerizing humming of racks, stuffed with server hardware. For these pseudo-admins, Microsoft releases remote management tools. (They work wonders for managing Server Core installations, too!) The latest incarnation was released two weeks ago and works with Windows 7. History of ...

One of the new and interesting features in the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC), mentioned a few days ago, is the ability to utilize a virtual Windows XP with Service Pack 3 environment for application compatibility. This feature is called Windows 7 XP Mode and builds on Windows Virtual PC 7. The new Virtual PC now offers features like clipboard ...

Yesterday I needed to install a box with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server for some educational purposes. While installing this Operating System, which is nearly ten years old and nearly out of support, I noticed some differences, compared to installing Windows Server 2008. These changed made me feel a bit nostalgic, but I’m glad installing has been ...

Looking for a complete resource on remotely managing your Server Core box? Look no further! I've done research on the topic the last year and have come up with the following remote management methods: Remotely managing your Server Core using Compmgmt.msc  Remotely managing your Server Core using RSAT  Remotely managing your Server ...

Last time I took a look at Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 Beta, I shared the surprise of having Failover Clustering and the possibility to have highly available virtualized workloads on it. This time I look at an implication of having the Windows Enterprise-like Quick Migration and Live Migration features: increased complexity and configuration ...