Server Management and Monitoring - MCTS Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration - page 542

Replication and general Active Directory health should be verified proactively, when no
problems are apparent. Minor problems can be fixed before they turn into larger issues that
affect domain functionality.
Managing Server Core
Server Core, the Windows Server 2008 installation option with a minimal user interface, was
introduced in Chapter 2. In that chapter, you installed Server Core and performed basic config-
uration tasks, such as setting the computer name, workgroup name, and IP address. In this chap-
ter, you perform additional configuration tasks, such as joining a domain, installing AD DS, and
using MMCs on another computer to perform remote administration tasks.
As discussed previously, the Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 is an ideal can-
didate for a branch office server running as an RODC and lends itself well to virtualization.
Managing a Server Core installation, however, presents some challenges, as you saw in Chapter 2,
particularly for those not well versed in using the command line. This section covers some
common tasks performed at the command line and examines some aspects of Server Core that
can be managed remotely with a GUI.
This chapter assumes you have a working Server Core installation set up
during the Chapter 2 activities. Most important, the server name should
be ServerCoreXX, the IP address should be 192.168.100.1XX, the DNS
server should be 192.168.100.2XX, and the date and time should be set.
Because this server uses the same IP address as Server1XX, Server1XX
should not be running during activities in this section.
Common Server Core Configuration Tasks
Chapter 2 covered initial configuration tasks for Server Core. Additional tasks you might need
to perform include the following:
• Activating Windows Server 2008 —To activate a Server Core installation, use the
“slmgr.vbs -ato” command.
• Changing the administrator password —When you first log on to Server Core, you're
prompted to change the Administrator password, which you do with the “net user admin-
istrator *” command.
• List installed features and roles —To view a list of available roles and features and see
whether they're installed, use the oclist command.
• Install new server roles and features —You use the ocsetup command to install or uninstall
server roles and features. However, you must use Dcpromo.exe instead of the ocsetup
command to install AD DS.
• Join a domain —In Chapter 2, you used Netdom to change the workgroup name of your
Server Core computer. To join a domain, use the command “netdom join computername
/domain: domainname ” (replacing computername with the name of the Server Core com-
puter and domainname with the name of the domain you want to join).
Activity 13-11: Joining Server Core to a Domain
Time Required: 10 minutes
Objective: Join Server Core to a domain.
Description: You have completed the installation of Server Core. You want the server to be a
member of the domain, so you use Netdom to join it to w2k8adXX.com. Make sure ServerXX
is running during this activity.
1. Log on to ServerCoreXX as Administrator, and open a command prompt window.
2. To verify your computer name, type hostname and press Enter . The hostname should be
ServerCoreXX. If not, refer to Activity 2-12 to see how to change the computer name.