Learning Server Core
Mark mailed me last night to ask about my crib sheet for Core Server but as it was Friday evening was taking a rest from the digital world. A hour and a half later he mailed me back to say he had found all he needed.
Now this was from the mail Mark's first real go in anger at installing and configuring Core Server but we have to remember he is an great Windows professional and old enough to have used command lines for a significant proportion of his life with computers.
I don't think this experience will generally be unusual, although the speed will I guess be day and a half not not hour and a half, for server/operations teams with skilled individuals who will learn and teach others often by providing scripts and procedure sheets.
I can think of a couple of instances where Core Server is not going to be as easily picked up and used
- Small organisations where GUI is king and most likely the server team is also the 3rd line support for most things Windows including the desktops - almost invariably in these organisations anyone with 'advanced' skills advances their career elsewhere
- Dictat from an architecture team or management who fancy new technology or want to move to Windows 2008 and perhaps see Core as a way to deploy on lower spec equipment than the full server would require
Just like any operating system not sufficiently understood and managed Core Server could be a support and security problem unless planned for properly.
So what can you do for yourself and your organisation to prepare for it? Mark will be blogging on his journey of discovery and I will be following this posting up with further observations and suggestions.
For starters here are a couple of things that may be of immediate use
- Microsoft removed the driver to access the VMware virtual network interface from Vista and Server 2008 so you will at a minimum have to install the driver if not the full VMware Tools if using VMware for your testing - compatibility and reliability are sited as the reasons for this decision
- On the June CTP if you install the Virtual Machine Additions from Microsoft Virtual Server R2 SP1 and rename a Core Server it will in my experience 'blue screen' every time you reboot until you enter safe mode and remove the additions - install OS, rename computer, install additions seems to work fine but is a royal pain