However, Microsoft did just release SP2 for Windows Server 2008. Can IT get just as excited about the new server OS?

Here are five great things about Windows Server 2008 and information that will help you decide if upgrading is worth it.

1. Virtualization

Server 2008 comes with Hyper-V a virtualization technology that runs natively on Server 2008. New licensing terms that better align with business in the real world are a huge plus, but the improvements don’t stop there.

While load-balancing is probably still usually best done via a hardware solution, the virtualization in Server 2008 provides numerous opportunities to give flexibility to those with large or complicated infrastructures. Being able to create a new virtual server running a software upgrade or new install on it while leaving the old one completely functional is an enormous boon to the savvy IT department.

If there is any trouble with the new virtual server, the old virtual machine is rolled back in its place, allowing for more testing or troubleshooting while having to worry about neither too much downtime, nor taking too long to roll out new systems caused by “over-testing.”

2. Core Server Installs

Sometimes all you need is a server to sit there and handle just one little thing, and nothing else. In times past, that meant “wasting” a full server installation to handle little, but critical tasks. Securing those servers and then keeping all the patches and upgrades current often seemed like more trouble than it was worth.

Thanks to Core Installations of Server 2008, you can create a Windows Sever that not only does just one thing, but is only capable of doing that one thing rendering it a much less vulnerable system whether to bugs or attacks.

Even better, Server 2008 is smart enough to only bother applying patches that apply to what is actually installed and running on the core server which eliminates numerous updates from ever having to run (and possibly harm) these core servers.

3. Read Only Domain Controllers

Somewhere along the line, domain controllers ended up scattered across many enterprises primarily for speed and fault-tolerance purposes. Generally, while perhaps a slight overkill in many situations, this practice was relatively harmless.

Then, somewhere along the way, the physical security of domain controllers became an uncontrollable factor as remodels or personnel changes left domain controllers sitting under the receptionist’s desk or in the corner of a conference room. While not a widely used tactic, compromising a domain controller and then using its replication features to infest an entire Active Directory with numerous administrator level accounts became a real fear.

Fortunately, the Read-Only Domain Controller solves this problem by allowing for placement out in the field beyond the control of corporate IT but without the ability to send any junk data back into the main network.

4. PowerShell

Real administrators never stopped using the command line to manage servers. Between scripting repetitive or error prone tasks, to just flat out getting something done fast without having to load up any point and click GUI — firing off commands with a few keyboard strokes has always been useful.

But, with PowerShell even admins who gave up the command line are coming back. Doing something to multiple servers is easier than ever with PowerShell. And even better, those 2:30 AM pages from the monitoring system can be addressed remotely from the command line without even putting on your robe, especially if you pre-write some scripts before anything happens.

5. TS RemoteApp

When I first read about TS RemoteApp I was underwhelmed. Frankly, I liked the idea of having a remote desktop and then picking and choosing what to run there. Apparently, that is a system admin mentality.

For users, nothing could be more confusing that having a remote desktop in addition to the local one. After the 800^th user asked me which desktop was their “real” desktop, I realized the value of TS RemoteApp.

With RemoteApp, an application is run remotely, just like the old days, but the big difference is that it launches straight into the application, no desktop, no “second” double-click, no confusion about where the files “really” are located.

Windows Server 2008 Upgrade Is Worth It

Add in all of the performance and stability improvements that Server 2008 brings to the table and you have yourself a solid server OS upgrade.

Many companies will follow the tried and true method of upgrading as new hardware comes online. However, there are many instances in which certain applications, certain server functions, and certain servers outside of the corporate IT server rooms would benefit from an upgrade to Server 2008.

In those cases, it is worth it to schedule upgrades ahead of the hardware lifecycle. Also, with server power increasing faster than many enterprises take advantage of it, waiting for a hardware based need might mean waiting too long.

A smart solution is to evaluate your current server environment and evaluate which servers could benefit most from an upgrade to Server 2008 because of additional needs or limitations that the current servers have. Once those servers have been taken care of, move on to your newest and most powerful servers.

Chances are that they are not being fully utilized. Those servers are prime candidates for Hyper-V and taking on more functionality and responsibility. The same servers will of course be the ones the furthest away from hardware needs based upgrades as well.

Working ahead on sever OS upgrades in this manner can shorten the overall migration time while still providing minimal disruption to the currently functioning server environment, and that is a Win-Win for everyone involved.

Related posts:

• Overview of Server 2008 R2 — The Half Version Upgrade
• Windows Server “LongHorn” Certification Upgrade
• Install Read-Only Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008

RODC is also useful in situations where you have poor network bandwidth, a computer without the resources needed for a full install of Server 2008, or when you don’t have a user with enough expertise to have access to the domain-wide AD DS database.

Do you need a full Domain Controller for a branch office of 5 people? No, you really don’t. Using Windows Server Core and RODC you can create an great experience for your remote users that’s more secure and cheaper to implement.

Today I’m going to show you how to turn your Server Core into a RODC. This is going to be a little different than deploying RODC on a full install of Server 2008 that Coach showed you because we’re restricted to the command prompt.

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Related posts:

• How to Setup & Utilize Remote Administration on Server 2008 Server Core
• How to Activate a Newly Installed Server Core Edition of Server 2008
• Lesson 6: Windows Server 2008 RODC – Read Only Domain Controllers

Remember, Server Core doesn’t have a graphical interface so you’re very limited in what you can and can’t do. So even though you can install roles and features directly on your Server Core and even do some basic configuration, Server Core can be very difficult to manage without Remote Administration.

By utilizing Remote Administration and a full install of Server 2008 on another computer you can manage your Server Core easily and successfully.

Remote Desktop and MMC

There are two areas of Remote Administration that we’re going to discuss today: Remote Desktop and MMC (Microsoft Management Console).

First I’m going to show you how to enable Remote Administration on your Server Core, also touching on Network Level Authentication and RSAT. Using DHCP as an example I’ll show you how to utilize both the Remote Desktop and MMC to administrate the DHCP server role.

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Related posts:

• How to Setup & Utilize RODC on Server 2008 Server Core
• How to Install Roles & Features on Server 2008 Server Core
• How to Activate a Newly Installed Server Core Edition of Server 2008

You might remember from last week that I compared Server Core to a work mule, saying that it’s typically setup to perform a certain function and you don’t get to interact with it as much as you would with a full install of Server 2008.

This is even more evident in today’s video, as the different roles and features that you install on your Server Core will define what type of work your little work mule performs.

Since Server Core has a limited set of roles and services (compared to the full install) I’ll first talk about what they are. I’ll show you a command that you can use to see the available roles, features and even role services and to how check what has already been installed on your Server Core.

The command we’ll be using will also show us the exact syntax that we need to use to install the roles, role services, and features.

As an example I’ll install the DHCP role so you can see the installation in action. Now let’s get started!

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Related posts:

• How to Assign a Computer Name to a Server Core and Join It to a Domain
• How to Activate a Newly Installed Server Core Edition of Server 2008
• How to Setup & Utilize Remote Administration on Server 2008 Server Core

Today we’re going a step further. I’ll show you how to assign a computer name to your Server Core so it can be recognized on the network. I’ll also show you how to take a Server Core computer and join it to your company’s domain so it can participate in resource sharing.

Your Server Core is put in place to provide services and resources to other computers, that’s why naming it and joining it to a domain are two essential tasks.

As I explained in my last post, Server Core is useful in many different situations and typically it’s going to be your work mule. Once you get it set up you’ll basically want to leave it alone, since there’s no GUI and making changes is not a quick and easy task.

So let’s go over assigning your Server Core a name and join it to a local domain.

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Related posts:

• How to Install Roles & Features on Server 2008 Server Core
• How to Activate a Newly Installed Server Core Edition of Server 2008
• How to Setup & Utilize Remote Administration on Server 2008 Server Core

Although Server Core has only limited functionality, it is low-maintenance, uses less resources and is much more secure. The downside is that it does not have full functionality and therefore many enterprises utilize both the Server Core and the full install of Server 2008.

This means that as a Systems Administrator you need to be familiar with both editions.

To help you master Server Core I’ve created 5 short video tutorials that will get you running Server Core in no time. Today we’ll start with part 1: How to activate a newly installed Server Core edition of Server 2008.

Watch the video now and stay tuned for more!

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Related posts:

• How to Install Roles & Features on Server 2008 Server Core
• How to Assign a Computer Name to a Server Core and Join It to a Domain
• How to Setup & Utilize Remote Administration on Server 2008 Server Core

Prior editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 included SNMP support, but only with IPv4, even if the IPv6 stack was installed. Unfortunately, that means that SNMP management from Server 2008 will not communicate with SNMP services still on Server 2003 regardless of whether IPv6 is implemented on those servers.

The good news, is that the updated TCP/IP stack in Windows Vista is capable of communicating with the new SNMP implementation.

Still, the new implementation of SNMP in Windows Server 2008 offers much for the enterprise level systems administrator. Although SNMP Services are no longer installed by default, installing and setting it up is a snap.

Why Use SNMP Services on Windows Server 2008?

Many organizations have installed proprietary management systems over the years. These systems often provide more functionality than SNMP does. However, SNMP is both non-proprietary, and interoperable.

These days, interoperable often means that something works on both Windows and Unix. However, in this case, interoperable means that it works on virtually any connected network device. This includes routers and other networking equipment as well as networked peripherals such as NAS devices and networked printers.

Couple this wide range with relatively simple setup and the fact that you don’t have to pick and choose which devices to monitor to stay under a monitoring suite license count, and there are many uses for SNMP in most companies.

Installing SNMP on 2008 Server

The SNMP service is installed via the Add Features Wizard in Server Manager.

For Windows Server Core systems, SNMP services must be installed using the command prompt.

start /w ocsetup SNMP-SC

Configuring SNMP

After installing the SNMP service, you configure the SNMP agent properties by right-clicking on the SNMP Service in the Services console and choosing Properties.

• Agent Tab

In the Agent tab you can set the usual SNMP attributes like contact, location, and so on.

• Traps Tab

The useful monitoring provided by SNMP comes from properly configured traps. Traps are configured via the appropriately named Traps tab. Here you configure the community name and address of the system to receive the traps.

• Security Tab

The Security tab is used to lock down the SNMP service to prevent any possible holes for hackers to exploit and to prevent the wrong people from receiving traps from the system. By default, the SNMP agent accepts packets from ALL hosts. This is something that will obviously need to be limited.

The remaining options should be configured within your enterprise’s security and reporting scheme. Generally, the minimum security you want to use is to at least define the Accepted Community Names. Keep in mind that community names are case sensitive in SNMP.

• Option Tabs

Also, after installing SNMP in Server 2008, the SNMP option tabs will not show up until you have logged off and logged back on again. So, you won’t be able to configure anything until after you log back in. This has caused a fair amount of confusion in the field.

If this is the server that will receive incoming traps, then your work is done at the server. Once the agents are configured, the data will flow back to the SNMP service where it can be used as necessary by administrators.

Configure SNMP Event Traps in Windows Server 2008

One nice feature of SNMP services is the ability to turn Windows level events into SNMP traps. This can be useful for many reasons, the most common of which, is the ability to monitor servers via a centralized monitoring station without any additional access rights.

This concept is particularly useful for environments where servers are monitored overnight or on weekends by lower-level system operators.

The system that already alerts them when devices (including Windows Servers in some cases) go dark on the network can also alert them to other events which may allow an administrator to head off trouble or to simply get advance notice of a potential situation.

To translate Windows events into traps, run the evntcmd command. Once configured, the Windows events will trigger traps that are received at the monitoring console.

There, the traps can be configured with an appropriate response. For example, certain traps could be ignored during business hours on the assumption other administrative tools will be alerting the appropriate admins. But, after hours, or on weekends, such traps might generate an alert that can prompt off-hours operators to take specific actions or to simply call or page the on-call systems administrator.

A timely alert to building volumes of bad sectors can be the difference between an easy fix, and a rushed full-scale hardware reconfiguration.

Is SNMP Right For Your Organization?

Remember that SNMP services are fairly low overhead with all of the real work being split among hundreds or thousands of agents. Additionally, SNMP agents can be configured for installation as part of the unattended install for incoming workstations. In all, SNMP can provide a lot of value for little extra work.

SNMP installation and configuration is also a skill set for the 70-643: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuring Exam.

Related posts:

• Configure BIND DNS on Windows Web Server 2008 – Part 2
• Configure DHCP on Windows Server 2008
• Direct Access: How It Works And How To Configure It

So what is Server Core? Well it’s basically a stripped down version of Server 2008 and there are a lot of neat things about it.

Today we’ll focus on Server Core and the DHCP role and I’ll demonstrate the installation, configuration and setup steps.

Here’s what we cover today:

• Server Core – we’ll talk about what Server Core is, how to best utilize it and what the pros and cons of using the core are. I’ll also go over the Server Core roles and when they come in handy.
• Server Core install and core commands — next we’ll look at the installation and the Core commands that you need to know for things like getting system information, renaming the machine, or joining a domain. I’ll also demonstrate how to use the command line here.
• DHCP Role installation — now we move on to installing the DHCP role and the critical commands that you need to know to perform the install, configuration and starting the DHCP service
• Setting up the Firewall — we’ll do this so that we can perform remote administration using MMC on our Server Core
• Installing RSAT — in setting up the Firewall, you may need to install the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) to include the MMC Snap-in for a particular role, so I’ll show you how to do that
• Creating an MMC — since not everybody thinks the command line is cool, we’ll use the MMC to connect to our DHCP server

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Related posts:

• Lesson 5: Windows Server 2008 File and Print Servers
• Lesson 7: Server 2008 IIS 7 Web Servers
• Lesson 8: Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services

Microsoft also provided its first look at what will become Windows Server 2008 R2.

For those of you who just wait until software starts shipping and don’t pay much attention to things like software release strategy, here is a quick primer.

Microsoft has long been a player in the corporate and desktop software and applications space. Just a decade ago, there were only a few competitors in that space, and they all played by the same rules when it came to upgrades.

Basically, a company built its best software product possible based on the needs and possibilities of the day and then released it to be sold to the public. After doing so, the company would begin the process of adding in new features, or optimizing the code, or supporting more systems.

The paradigm was such that this process should be completed over a period of a certain number of years depending upon what kind of software it was. For Microsoft, releasing operating systems spanned a several year gap.

Part of the reason for this was that deploying new operating systems was a particularly large undertaking and companies were not interested in having to do it very often.

Thus, Microsoft brought out new Windows Sever products every 5 or so years. (They claimed to have a 4 year goal, but they always ended up late.) These days, that doesn’t cut it.

Thanks to advancements (some of them Microsoft’s own) in deployment methods, as well as the "new features now" and methodology brought on by many Internet vendors — a five year gap in upgrades is just too long.

However, Microsoft doesn’t want to have the pressure of having a "big enough to be almost new" upgrade every 2 years. So, they have proclaimed that they plan to release their Windows Server operating system and then approximately two years later release a mini-upgrade, or a "release two" version of the software.

This strategy allows for the addition of new features that come about after the release of the main upgrade, without having to start over from scratch.

The Windows Server 2008 main release was, not surprisingly, in 2008, so Microsoft plans a Release Two sometime around 2010.

The developers at the PDC were given a sneak peak version of R2 along with the Windows 7 desktop code which was more heavily noticed. The biggest news is that Windows Server 2008 R2 is actually called Windows 7 internally.

No, nobody is asleep at the wheel. Microsoft is, for the first time since Windows 2000, developing both systems in tandem.

This coupled with the news that Windows 7 desktop is based entirely off of Vista shows that Windows Server 2008 R2 will end up being very tightly integrated with Windows 7 (or Vista 2, if you will) when it is released.

Unless a company likes the idea of turning over both the desktop OS and server OS at the same time, this puts a huge damper on the idea of skipping Vista.

What Features Are In Windows Server 2008 R2

Obviously, at this point, everything must be considered conjecture, but we do have a pretty good idea of what Microsoft is working on for its mid-release upgrade.

First, is the confirmation that Windows Server 2008 R2 will come in x64 flavors only. Although becoming more of a moot point by the day, it does affect some operations, particularly those where "tiny servers" that perform only a single simple process are housed on older machines.

The second piece of big news is that PowerShell development is rushing forward full speed. PowerShell is available, and very useful in the current Windows Server, but they are adding hundreds of new commands across almost all the roles, so some of the things that are beyond PowerShell’s reach today will be well within grasp in R2.

Other news includes the bump in server cores support from 64 to 256, adding support for .NET to the Server Core, significant improvements to IIS, and (yea!) the ability to access other servers from Server Manager.

Virtualization

Perhaps the most visible feature of Windows Server 2008 from an administrator point of view was virtualization. Hyper-V is available on Server 2008 as a role today, but in the future will be integrated into the OS (you won’t have to wait for R2, it is in SP2.)

The biggest deal here is the ability to migrate virtual machines to another server without downtime. VMware already can do this, so it will be nice to have the same feature available in R2.

Ah, the dream of every sys admin, the ability to perform hardware maintenance and upgrades without having to come in at 3:00AM after pre-announcing the downtime three to five weeks in advance after a thorough change control process.

Also, in the works is the ability to "hot add" virtual hard disks without rebooting the virtual machine.

All in all, it seems like R2 will be a very worthy release for most environments. Of course, that means that it will be even more useful to nail down some of those Windows Server 2008 features that have been left on the back burner so that when R2 shows up, there won’t be any catch up needed.

Related posts:

• 5 Great Things About Server 2008 — Is an Upgrade Worth It?
• Server 2008 R2 Update Review
• Windows Server “LongHorn” Certification Upgrade

This bout, sanctioned by the WWAF (World Windows Administrators Federation), will be 6 rounds or until knock-out and referred by Brian Nelson of ArcticLlama.

In the Blue Trunks weighing in at total installation weight, including all used and unused binaries, is Fuuuuuuuullllll Installllaaaaation!

And in the Red Corner, weighing in much slimmer, with just the essential code necessary to run Windows Server 2008, is Serrrrrrvvvvver Corrrrrre!

Let’s get ready to rumble!

Round 1: Resources

This looks like a good one folks. Both of these fighters are members of the newest Windows Academies, but they have very different styles.

Ding!

And there’s the bell. Server Core looks much lighter on his feet than Full Installation.

In fact, with all of that extra code stripped out, it takes up just 1 GB of disk space for installation and can run in just 2 GB of disk space, that’s WAY less than the Full Installation.

Oh, that one hurt Full Installation.

Body blow! Ouch!

Full Installation takes a crushing right jab from Server Core which Microsoft documentation suggests can run optimally in just 1 GB of RAM versus a full 2 GB of RAM for Full Installation.

This doesn’t even look fair.

Ding!

Round 2: Installation

Wow! Full Installation’s trainer must have given him a heck of a pep-talk between rounds because he is just beating Server Core to a pulp this round.

In fact, with the exception of an initial graphical screen, everything from renaming the administrator account to joining a domain has to be done with tricky command-line functions.

True, an unattended installation can be scripted, but forget about just sitting down and clicking the buttons.

Even worse, the highly praised Initial Configuration Tasks screen isn’t available on Server Core, so adding roles, features, or even joining a domain is going to take a knowledgeable administrator working his magic from the command-line.

What a comeback for Full Installation!

Round 3: Administration Ease

Server Manager, command console … yikes! Server Core can’t be managed via these great graphical tools which means that only more experienced administrators will be able to handle these servers.

Wait! Server Core counters with a body blow. In addition to a very usable command-line it can be managed remotely if the remote admin tools are installed.

Ouch! Full Installation comes over the top with a smashing blow. Only Full Installation supports the robust Power Shell. Give this round to Full Installation.

Ding!

Round 4: Security

In this back and forth fight, things are getting tight.

Full Installation has a complete suite of security designed into his very bones, but Server Core is countering blow for blow with much of the same security as the bigger contender. Both utilize the Active Directory system, and both servers will run Bitlocker for more security.

But, wait! Full Installation seems to have been blindsided. A new round of patches and updates are weighing him down.

Every single update has to be installed on Full Installation whereas Server Core only needs the updates to the binaries and services that it is actually running. Those updates aren’t as easy as they sound.

Mission critical servers will require approved back-out procedures and will have to be updated overnight or on weekends. Pity the poor administrators.

Oh the humanity! Server Core also has a substantially reduced attack surface.

While running far less services and binaries than Full Installation, Server Core becomes immune to entire fronts of attack both today and in the future. Exploits discovered in services that aren’t even installed on Server Core are futile against the smaller server, but they’ll put Full Installation at risk until a patch is released.

Ding!

Round 5: Available Functionality

Folks, after the vicious beating Full Installation took last round, I didn’t think it was possible for him to come back, but he just won’t give up!

Full Installation can run any role and any feature available in Windows Server 2008. Sever Core just can’t keep up with his limited range of roles and features.

Sure, it can run a lot of the really important ones, but entire functions are left out.

Even worse, Server Core doesn’t have a whole slew of APIs installed. Programs written in-house, or customized at great expense might come crashing down if they use any of these APIs, and there is no way to install the ones you need on top of the regular Server Core.

Full Installation has this round, no doubt about it.

Ding!

Round 6: What Do You Need?

Folks, this fight is shaping up to be a long drawn out feature-fest with these two types of installation trading punches.

The truth is, that it really depends on what you need from your particular server. For most enterprises that means a combination of both Full Installation and Server Core.

Wait! Full Installation goes down! It didn’t look like he got hit that hard.

Referee Brian Nelson is counting Full Installation out right now, but it looks fishy. Let’s check the replay … oh, Server Core got him, but it wasn’t any harder than earlier blows, it looks like the fix is in and Full Installation has taken a dive. Get ready for the investigation, folks.

…

The previous article is a fictitious fight. Any resemblance to any systems living or dead is purely coincidental. No legally verifiable claim that boxing is sometimes rigged has been made. No animals were harmed during the writing of this article, although a dearly beloved coffee cup was chipped in an unrelated gaming break during production. The author is very bummed out and looking for a replacement mug.

Related posts:

• How to Install Roles & Features on Server 2008 Server Core
• Role Playing with Windows 2008 Server Core
• Install Read-Only Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008