Commands for Windows Server Core & Hyper-V Core Server

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Thomas Maurer

For some KTSI projects I have been working a lot with Windows Server Core or Hyper-V Server. Now I had to do a lot of automation, so I made this little connection of commands. If you configure the server manually you can do the most important things with the sconfig utility.

Networking

Set Hostname

netdom renamecomputer %COMPUTERNAME% /NewName:<NewComputerName>

Join Domain

netdom join %COMPUTERNAME% /domain:<DomainName> /userd:<UserName> /passwordd:*

Remove Domain

netdom remove

Rename Network Interface

netsh interface set interface name=”old name” newname=”new name”

Configure IP Address

netsh interface ipv4 set address name=”<Interface Name>” source=static address=<IPAddress> mask=<SubnetMask> gateway=<DefaultGateway>

Configure DNS Servers

netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name=”<Interface Name>” address=<DNS Server IP> index=1

Disable Firewall (not recommended)

netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off

Remoting

Enable PowerShell Remoting

Enable-PSRemoting

Enable Remotedesktop

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group=”remote desktop” new enable=yes

Enable Remote Administration

advfirewall firewall set rule group=”Remote Administration” new enable=yes

Enable Remote Firewall Administration

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group=”Windows Firewall Remote Management” new enable=yes

Enable ICMP (Ping)

netsh firewall set icmpsetting 8

Enable Remote Disk Management

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group=”Remote Volume Management” new enable=yes

Licensing

Enter License key

slmgr.vbs -ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

Activate Windows

slmgr.vbs -ato

Windows Update

Enable automatic updates

cscript C:'Windows'System32'Scregedit.wsf /au 4

Disable automatic updates

cscript C:'Windows'System32'Scregedit.wsf /au 1

Roles & Features

Get availibale features & roles

Dism /online /get-features /format:table

Enable feature & roles

Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:<featurename>

Basics

Change Administrator password

net user administrator *

Restart Computer

shutdown /r /t 0

Logoff

logoff

More information about Server Core: TechNet

Install SNMP on Hyper-V R2 Core Server

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Thomas Maurer

Hyper-V

If your running Microsoft Hyper-V R2 or any Windows Server 2008 R2 Core Server you can install the SNMP Feature on the command line with the command line tool dism.

First you can list all Windows Features

Dism /online /get-features /format:table

Now you can install for the SNMP Service:

Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:SNMP-SC

After you have done this you and you have enabled Remote Management you can mange and configure smtp via remote MMC.

Important: If you need to configure the SNMP Service on a remote machine you have to install the SNMP feature on the local administrative computer. Otherwise you will not see the SNMP specific tabs.

More Information on installing Windows Features on a server running a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee441253(WS.10).aspx

Install HP Support Pack on Hyper-V R2 Core Server

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Thomas Maurer

If you are using Microsoft Hyper-V R2 Core Server, installing the HP Support Pack is a little different. This post should show you how this is done.

Download the latest HP Support Pack for Windows Server 2008 R2 and extract that on your Management Server or PC.
Now copy the extracted folder to the Hyper-V Core Server. In my case i copied in the C:\ root of the Core Server via the administrative network share. If you have easy physical access to the server, you could also use a USB stick or something like that.
Now connect to the Core Server and use the cmd.exe to navigate to the folder with the HP Support Pack
Run the “hpsum.exe” to start the HP Smart Update Manager
When the HP Smart Update Manager is started you can use it like on a Full Server installation of Windows Server 2008

You could also try to run the HP Smart Update Manager on another machine and use the remote connection feature.

Remote Disk Management with “RPC server is unavailable” Error

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Thomas Maurer

If you have a Windows Server 2008 R2 Core Server or a Hyper-V R2 Server, which is also managed like a Core Server, you are really happy if you can use the Server Manager for this Remote Machine. Basiclly I had the the Remote Setup done. I could connect to the remote Machine with the Server Manager but when I tried to use the Disk Management on a remote Server and I got the following error “RPC server is unavailable”. After checking it I found the solution. The Problem is that the Firewall blocks the remote communication to virtual disk service. So you have to open the Firewall on the Management Machine

First make sure you activated all the Remote Management options on the Remote Machine. I had all done this but its good to check that.
Now you can run the following Command in cmd on the Management Machine to add the a new firewall rule
```
netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Remote Volume Management" new enable=yes
```

How to add a Windows Server 2008 R2 Core as Secondary DNS Server

Posted on November 4, 2010 by Thomas Maurer

This shows you how you can add a secondary DNS Server to your Network on a Windows Server 2008 R2 Core.

As usual you configure the Windows Server 2008 R2 Core with Sconfig
Now install the DNS Server role on the Windows Server 2008 R2 Core
start /w ocsetup DNS-Server-Core-Role
On the primary DNS Server open the DNS Server MMC
Right click properties on the DNS zones you wanna transfer to the new core server
Add the new DNS Server in the Name Server Tab. In this case this is server04.corp.pepsi.local
Allow Zone Transfers to this Server or Server in the Name Servers Tab

Cheatsheet: Using Diskpart on a Server Core installation #4

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Thomas Maurer

Using Diskpart on a Server Core installation. Disk Administration or Partition a disk.

Create a new partition and format a partition

SELECT DISK 0 CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY ASSIGN LETTER=E SELECT PARTITION 1 FORMAT FS=NTFS LABEL="New Volume" QUICK EXIT

Commands you may then issue at the DISKPART prompt:

LIST Disk
LIST Partition
LIST Volume

SELECT Disk n
SELECT Volume n
SELECT Partition n

DETAIL Disk
DETAIL Partition
DETAIL volume

HELP
REM (remark/comment)
EXIT

Commands to Manage Basic Disks:

(set the current in-focus partition to be the system partition)

ASSIGN (allocate the next free drive letter)
ASSIGN LETTER=l (Choose a free letter)

CREATE PARTITION Primary Size=50000 (50 GB)
CREATE PARTITION Extended Size=25000
CREATE PARTITION logical Size=25000

DELETE Partition

EXTEND Size=10000

REMOVE letter=l (Remove drive letter l from the in-focus partition)
REMOVE /ALL (Remove ALL current drive letters and mount points)

Commands to Manage Dynamic Disks:

(set the current in-focus partition to be the system partition)

ASSIGN (allocate the next free drive letter)
ASSIGN LETTER=l (Choose a free letter)

ADD disk=n (Add a mirror to the in-focus SIMPLE volume on the specified disk.)

BREAK disk=n (Break the current in-focus mirror)

CREATE VOLUME Simple Size=n Disk=n
CREATE VOLUME Stripe Size=n Disk=n,n,...
CREATE VOLUME Raid Size=n Disk=n,n,...

DELETE DISK
DELETE PARTITION
DELETE VOLUME

EXTEND disk=n [Size=n]
IMPORT
ONLINE

REMOVE letter=l (Remove drive letter l from the in-focus volume)
REMOVE /ALL (Remove ALL current drive letters and mount points)
RETAIN
Commands to Convert Disks:

CONVERT mbr CONVERT gpt CONVERT dynamic CONVERT basic
CLEAN ALL (remove all partition and volume info from the hard drive)
RESCAN

Thomas Maurer ™

Just another private cloud weblog

Tag Archives: Core Server