In this scenario, I installed a server core, as shown below, to a VM from the Windows Server 2012 R2 iso file, en_windows_server_2012_r2_with_update_x64_dvd_4065220.iso, downloaded from MSDN. And later changed the server core installation to one with server-gui-shell, i.e. with a full server GUI using DISM online commands. The OS disk is 40 GB in size.
In this final installment of Features On Demand for Windows Server 2012 R2 series, I walked through a simple scenario on how to develop a minimal server footprint by removing the payloads of all unwanted roles and features from a target configuration.
En Windows Server 2012 R2 With Update X64 Dvd 4065220.iso
In Part 3 of his series focused on Features On Demand for Windows Server 2012 R2, I demonstrated how to use Server Manager PowerShell Cmdlets for adding/removing roles and features of a server installation.
Kicking off a new 4 part series focused on Features On Demand for Windows Server 2012 R2, Yung Chou, introduces us to the benefits of having a minimal server footprint from not only a total cost of ownership perspective but also from the standpoint of having increased flexibility in your server roles. In Part 1 show how to enable Features On Demand through the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) Command Line Tool.
There are two default installations offered by Windows Server 2012 R2 setup program: Server Core and Server with a GUI for either Standard or Datacenter edition. When performing a clean install of either installation option of the Datacenter edition, the hard disk space consumptions are around:
The default size of the site-by-site store, i.e. c:\windows\winsxs, of a Server Core installation is around 3 GB with the following query directly executed in a Server Core command prompt, as shown below.
With Features on Demand, we can now develop minimal server footprint by removing the payloads of all unwanted roles and features from a target configuration. Here is a sample process to develop a server image with minimal footprint for VM deployment.
Run c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe in an admin command prompt and select Generalize and Shutdown to produce a deployment image with minimal server footprint of the target configuration specified on Step 1.
In a managed environment, we can set up file shared folders, as installation sources, to store the files required for installing the payloads of roles and features on server instances running Windows Server 2012 or later.They are in essence remote side-by-side stores. In this way, these shared folders can be employed as installation sources, as needed, and as well specified in Group Policy as the designated installation sources to better manage the installation process.
In Part 1, I talked about at server installation time, there are two installation options: Server Core and Server with a GUI, available. And the third installation option, Minimal Server Interface, is configurable after an installation is completed. Minimal Server Interface is basically a Server Core installation with Server Manager and MMC. And as needed, an administrator can switch among the three installation options with Features on Demand as detailed in Part 1.
In production, Server Core may be employed as a deployment standard. Which does not provide the server graphical UI like Server Manager or MMC at all. There are times it is more productive or as a preference to operate with the server graphical UI. In such case, an administrator can enable or disable the server graphical UI, namely switch the installation options by enabling or disabling the above mentioned components.
The following are PowerShell examples to disable and later re-enable the feature with the display name, Server Graphical Shell, and Server-Gui-Shell (which is a feature component under User Interfaces and Infrastructure) as the corresponding parameter name on the local machine. In Part 4 of this series, it will become evident that this particular component is relevant to a server installation option.
By removing the payloads of unwanted features from a target configuration, one can develop a minimal footprint, maintain a minimal attack surface, and conserve disk space. In addition, a feature once completely removed can still be restored by installing the associated binaries back from installation sources which includes a Windows WIM file, an expanded DVD, and a network location with Windows installation files and Windows Update. Features on Demand essentially enables Windows Server 2012 R2 with an ability to dynamically add or remove source files. This offers an opportunity to minimize an OS footprint of a target configuration as later examined in Part 5.
Here, the third indexed image is a Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter edition Server Core image as revealed by querying the image information with the statement, shown below, where a Windows Server DVD is placed in drive H:. 2ff7e9595c
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