Information Technology Reference
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One of the new things to keep in mind is that you can upgrade or downgrade to
Server Core or MinShell. In Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008, if
you wanted to switch your Windows Server GUI to Server Core, or vice versa, there was
no way to convert to a full Windows Server installation or a Server Core installation
without reinstalling the operating system. In Windows Server 2012 R2, the Server Core
or GUI installation options are no longer an irreversible selection made during setup. An
administrator now has the ability to convert between a Server Core installation and a full
installation as needed.
better Security
When I started in this industry more than 20 years ago, I was a programmer. I used to
program computer hospital systems. When I switched to the networking world, I
continued to work under contract with hospitals and with doctors' offices.
One problem I ran into is that many doctors are affiliated with hospitals, but they don't
actually have offices within the hospital. Generally, they have offices either near the
hospital or, in some cases, right across the street.
Here is the issue: Do we put servers in the doctors' offices, or do we make the doctor log
into the hospital network through a remote connection? Doctors' offices normally don't
have computer rooms, and we don't want to place a domain controller or server on
someone's desk. It's just unsafe!
This is where Windows Server 2012 R2 Server Core can come into play. Since it is a
slimmed-down version of Windows and there is no GUI, it makes it harder for anyone in
the office to hack into the system. Also, Microsoft introduced a new domain controller in
Windows Server 2008 called a read-only domain controller (RODC) . As its name suggests,
it is a read-only version of a domain controller (explained in detail later in this topic).
With Server Core and an RODC, you can feel safer placing a server on someone's desk
or in any office. Server Core systems allow you to place servers in areas that you would
never have placed them before. This can be a great advantage to businesses that have
small, remote locations without full server rooms.
If you have a server that is running Server Core, there may be a situation in which you
need to use the graphical user interfaces available only in Windows Server 2012 R2 with a
GUI mode. Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 allow you to switch the
Server Core system to a Server with a GUI mode, or vice versa.
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