Read Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed Online
Authors: Noel Morimoto
calculate project costs.
. Detail the level of redundancy and security that is required and that the solution
will ultimately provide.
. Present the design and migration documents to the project stakeholders for review.
The Migration Planning Phase
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. Create a migration document containing the details of the steps required to reach
the end state with minimal risk or negative impact to the network environment.
. Create a project plan that provides a list of the tasks, resources, and durations
required to implement the solution.
The Prototype Phase
. Create a lab environment in which the key elements of the design as defined in the
design document can be configured and tested.
. Isolate the lab environment from the production network so that any problems
created or encountered in the process don’t affect the user community.
. Thoroughly test all applications.
The Pilot Phase
. Identify the first group of users who will be moved to the new Windows Server 2008
R2 environment. Users with a higher tolerance for pain are a better choice than the
key stakeholders, for the most part.
. Clarify a rollback strategy, just in case unexpected problems occur.
. Test the disaster recovery and redundancy capabilities thoroughly.
. Fine-tune the migration processes and nail down time estimates.
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CHAPTER 2
Planning, Prototyping, Migrating, and Deploying Windows Server 2008
R2 Best Practices
The Migration/Implementation Phase
. Verify that applications have been thoroughly tested, help desk and support person-
nel have been trained, and common problem resolution is clearly documented.
. Conduct a checkpoint for end-user satisfaction.
. Allocate time to ensure that ongoing support and maintenance of the new environ-
ment are being conducted before the last users are rolled into the new networking
environment.
. Plan a project completion party.
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IN THIS CHAPTER
Installing Windows
. Preplanning and Preparing a
Server Installation
Server 2008 R2 and
. Installing a Clean Version of
Windows Server 2008 R2
Operating System
Server Core
. Upgrading to Windows Server
2008 R2
. Understanding Server Core
This chapter describes the step-by-step process for
Installation
installing a clean version of the Windows Server 2008 R2
operating system, upgrading an existing system to Windows
. Managing and Configuring a
Server 2008 R2, and, finally, installing a Windows Server
Server Core Installation
2008 R2 Server Core installation.
. Performing an Unattended
Windows Server 2008 R2
Even though the installation process is very intuitive and
Installation
has been simplified, an administrator must make several
key decisions to ensure that the completed installation will
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meet the needs of the organization. For example, is it bene-
ficial to upgrade an existing system to Windows Server 2008
R2, or is it preferred to conduct a clean install from scratch?
What are the ramifications of these alternatives? Will I lose
my existing settings, programs, and configurations? This
chapter covers these prerequisite planning tasks to address
administrators’ questions and concerns.
In addition, this chapter also focuses on how to install and
manage Server Core on Windows Server 2008 R2.
Before you begin the actual installation of Windows Server
2008 R2, you must make several decisions concerning prereq-
uisite tasks. How well you plan these steps will determine
how successful your installation is—as many of these deci-
sions cannot be changed after the installation is complete.
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CHAPTER 3
Installing Windows Server 2008 R2 and Server Core
Verifying Minimum Hardware Requirements
Whether you are installing Windows Server 2008 R2 in a lab or production environment,
you need to ensure that the hardware chosen meets the minimum system requirements.
In most situations, the minimum hardware requirements presented will not suffice; there-
fore, Table 3.1 provides not only the minimum requirements, but also the recommended
and maximum system requirements for the hardware components.
TABLE 3.1
Windows Server 2008 R2 System Requirements
Component
Minimum
Recommended
Maximum
Requirement
Processor
1.4GHZ 64-bit
2GHZ or faster
Not applicable
Memory
512MB RAM
2GB RAM or greater
32GB RAM Standard Edition
2TB RAM Enterprise and Datacenter
Editions
Disk Space
32GB
40GB Full installation
Not applicable
or
10GB Server Core
installation
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Take note: When designing and selecting the system specifications for a new server solution, even
the optimal system requirements recommendations from Microsoft might not suffice. It is a best
practice to assess the server specifications of the planned server role while taking the load during
the time of deployment and future growth into consideration. For example, a Windows Server 2008
R2 system running the Exchange Server 2010 Mailbox Server role will require much more than
2GB of RAM to run adequately. In addition, SQL Server 2008 R2 running on a Windows Server
2008 R2 server that is providing business intelligence solutions for 10,000 users might require
32GB of RAM. Therefore, size the system accordingly and test the load before going live into
production.
CAUTION
Windows Server 2008 R2 ONLY supports 64-bit processor architectures. A server run-
ning 32-bit processors is NOT supported.
Choosing the Appropriate Windows Edition
There are four main editions in the Windows Server 2008 R2 family of operating systems.
The editions include Windows Server 2008 R2, Standard Edition; Windows Server 2008 R2,
Enterprise Edition; Windows Server 2008 R2, Datacenter Edition; and Windows Server
2008, Web Edition. An organization or administrator must understand their workload
needs and requirements when selecting the operating system to utilize. For example, the
Enterprise Edition might be selected if there is a need to sustain a 16-node failover cluster
or autoenrollment with Microsoft Certificate Services. Or the Standard Edition could be
utilized if there is a need to implement virtualization with Hyper-V.
Preplanning and Preparing a Server Installation
85
Each edition supports a Server Core version. For a full list of Windows Server 2008 R2
features and functionality, see Chapter 1, “Windows Server 2008 R2 Technology Primer.”
This chapter covers the editions in their entirety.
Choosing a New Installation or an Upgrade
If you have an existing Windows environment, you might need to perform a new installa-
tion or upgrade an existing server. There are benefits to each of these options. The next
two sections outline the benefits for each.
3
Should You Perform a New Installation?
The primary benefit of a new installation is that, by installing the operating system from
scratch, you are starting with a known good server. You can avoid migrating problems that
might have existed on your previous server—whether due to corrupt software, incorrect
configuration settings, or improperly installed applications. Keep in mind, however, that
you will also lose all configuration settings from your previous installation. In addition,
required applications on the legacy server will need to be reinstalled after the installation
of the new operating system is complete. Make sure you document your server configura-
tion information, have all the appropriate software you plan on reinstalling, and back up
any data that you want to keep.
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When performing a new installation, you can install on a new hard drive (or partition) or
in a different directory on the same disk as a previous installation. Typically, most new
installations are installed on a new or freshly formatted hard drive. Doing so removes any
old software and gives you the cleanest installation.
Should You Upgrade an Existing Server?
Upgrading, on the other hand, replaces your current Windows files but keeps existing
users, settings, groups, rights, and permissions intact. In this scenario, you don’t have to
reinstall applications or restore data. Before choosing this option, keep in mind that you
should test your applications for compatibility before migration. Just because they
worked on previous versions of Windows does not mean they will work on Windows
Server 2008 R2.
As always, before performing any type of server maintenance such as a Windows Server
2008 R2 installation, you should perform a complete backup of any applications and data
that you want to preserve. Do not forget to include the System State when backing up the
legacy Windows operating system. It is required when performing a restore if you want to
maintain the existing Windows settings.
To upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2, you must be running a server-level operating
system. You cannot upgrade Workstation or Home Editions of operating systems such as
Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Microsoft’s latest desktop operating system, Windows 7 to
Windows Server 2008 R2. To upgrade your existing server, you must be running Windows
Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003. An upgrade from Windows NT 4.0 and Windows
2000 Server are not supported. Table 3.2 lists the available upgrade paths to Windows
Server 2008 R2.
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CHAPTER 3
Installing Windows Server 2008 R2 and Server Core
TABLE 3.2
Windows Server 2008 R2 Upgrade Paths
Previous Operating System
Upgrade to Windows Server
2008 R2
Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard, Enterprise, or
Yes, fully supported
Datacenter Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard, Enterprise, or
Yes, fully supported to
Datacenter Server Core Edition
Server Core
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2, Standard, Enterprise, or
Yes, fully supported
Datacenter Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating systems with Service
Yes, fully supported
Pack 1 (SP1), Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating systems with Service
Yes, fully supported
Pack 2 (SP2), Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter Edition
Windows NT 4.0
Not supported
Windows 2000 Server
Not supported
Windows XP
Not supported
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Windows Vista
Not supported
Any 32-Bit Windows Edition
Not supported
NOTE
A direct upgrade from any version of Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008
R2 Server Core is not supported. If a Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core is warrant-
ed, a fresh Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core install or an upgrade from Windows
Server 2008 Server Core is necessary.
NOTE
If there is a need to preserve settings and upgrade a legacy operating system such as
Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Server, the system should first be upgraded to
Windows Server 2003 and then again to Windows Server 2008 R2. Typically, this is not
the recommended approach as the hardware is typically outdated; however, the multiple
upgrade approach is doable.
Determining the Type of Server to Install
You have the choice of making your server an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), a
member server, a standalone server, or a Server Core installation. After you determine the
tasks the server will perform, you can determine the role or roles that you will assign to it.
Domain controllers and member servers play a role in a new or existing domain. Stand-
alone servers are not joined to a particular domain. Finally, Server Core installations were
Preplanning and Preparing a Server Installation
87
introduced with the release of the Windows Server 2008 family of operating systems and
only consist of a minimal installation footprint. On a Server Core installation, the tradi-
tional graphical user interface (GUI) tools are not available and some of the roles that are
supported include Active Directory Domain Services, Active Directory Lightweight
Directory Services (AD LDS), DHCP Server, DNS Server, File Services, Print Server,
Streaming Media Services, and Web Server (IIS) roles. Type oclist at a Server Core
command prompt to determine the available server roles. However, with the release of
Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft has introduced a new command called SCONFIG that
allows for an easier configuration of a Server Core installation.
As in earlier versions of Windows, you are able to promote or demote server functions as
3
you desire. Standalone servers can be joined to the domain to become member servers.
Using the dcpromo utility, you can promote member servers to domain controllers. And,
by uninstalling the Active Directory Domain Services role from a domain controller, you