Today we’re going to configure a Windows 2008 Server Core Edition as a second domain controller in my testlab at home. In this post i’m using commands at the command prompt.

First of all install Windows 2008 Server Core Edition.

Now we are going to enter the productkey and activate it.

1) Enter the productkey:
slmgr.vbs -ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

2) Activate:
slmgr.vbs -ato

3) Show activation:
slmgr.vbs -dli

4) Rename the computer:
Netdom renamecomputer “%computername%” /newname:W2K8CO01 /reboot:15
(use the command set to view all the variables used by Microsoft Windows)

5) Show all network interfaces:
Netsh interface ipv4 show interface 

6) Set a static IP address:
Netsh interface ipv4 set address name=2 source=static address=172.16.1.11 mask=255.255.0.0 gateway=172.16.1.1
(make sure that you’re choosing the right network interface. In this example it’s 2, so name=2 it means interface 2)

7) Set a static DNS server:
Netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name=2 address=172.16.1.10 index=1

8.) Turn Remote Desktop (RDP) on:
Cscript %windir%\system32\SCRegEdit.wsf /ar 0 

9) Enable Remote Desktop (RDP) in the Windows Firewall:
netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group=”remote desktop” new enable=yes
(Note: type this rule in by your self, copy past will give an error!)

10) Enable Remote Management (RemoteCMD) in the Windows Firewall:
netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group=”Remote Administration” new enable=yes
(Note: type this rule in by your self, copy past will give an error!)

11) Join the domain:
Netdom join “W2K8CO01″ /domain:testlab.local /usero:administrator /passwordo:*
(This step is only for joining a member server to the domain. For a Domain Controller go to step 12)

12) Preparing the promotion to a Domain Controller:
We need to create a unattend.txt that we are going to use by the DCPROMO. So let’s create a new textfile, type notepad

13) Making the unattended.txt:
Copy and past the following test into the new textfile and save this file on the C: drive of the Core Server.

14) Run the DCPROMO
dcpromo /unattend:c:\unattend.txt15) Reboot the Domain Controller
shutdown -r -t 5

So the second Domain Controller for the domain testlab.local is ready!!

As some of you know, whitin 2 years Windows Server 2008 R2 will be there, and there’ll be some big changes. In Windows Server 2008 R2 the name of Terminal Services changes to Windows Desktop Services. In the table below you can see an overview of the new names.

Improved RemoteApp and Desktop Connections
New RemoteApp & Desktop Connection (RAD) feeds provide a set of resources, such as RemoteApp programs and Remote Desktops. These feeds are presented to Windows 7 users via the new RemoteApp & Desktop Connection control panel, and resources are tightly integrated into both the Start menu and the system tray.
The improved RemoteApp and Desktop Connections features in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 provide the following improvements:
• Extends Remote Desktop Services to provide tools to enable VDI. The in-box Remote Desktop Services capability is targeted at low-complexity deployments and as a platform for partner solutions, which can extend scalability and manageability to address the needs of more demanding enterprise deployments. VDI includes the following technologies to provide a comprehensive solution:
• Hyper-V™
• Live Migration
• System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
• Microsoft Application Virtualization version 4.5 in Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP).
• Vista Enterprise VECD licensing
• Provides simplified publishing of, and access to, remote desktops and applications.  The feeds described above provide access in Windows 7, but using  the new RemoteApp & Desktop Web

Access, users will also be able connect to these resources from Windows Vista and Windows XP.
• Improved integration with Windows 7 user interface. Once accessed, RAD-delivered programs and desktops show up in the Start Menu with the same look and feel of locally installed applications.
A new System Tray icon shows connectivity status to all the remote desktop and RemoteApp connections to which the user is currently subscribed. The experience is designed so that many users won’t be able to tell the difference between a local and remote application.

Improving User Experience through new Remote Desktop Protocol capabilities.
These new capabilities, enabled with Windows Server 2008 R2 in combination with Windows7, improve significantly the experience of remote users, making it more similar to the experience enjoyed by users accessing local computing resources. These improvements include:

• Multimedia Redirection: Provides high-quality multimedia by redirecting multimedia files and streams so that audio and video content is sent in its original format from the server to the client and rendered using the client’s local media playback capabilities.

• True multiple monitor support: Enables support for up to 10 monitors in almost any size, resolution or layout with RemoteApp and remote desktops; applications will behave just like they do when running locally in multi-monitor configurations.

• Audio Input & Recording: VDI supports any microphone connected to a user’s local machine, enables audio recording support for RemoteApp and Remote Desktop. This is useful for VoIP scenarios and also enables speech recognition.

• Aero Glass support: VDI provides users with the ability to use the AeroGlass UI for client desktops; ensuring that remote desktop sessions look and feel like local desktop sessions.

• Direct X redirection: DirectX 9, 10 and 11 applications will render on the server and will be remoted using bitmaps (requiring Direct3D-compatible hardware).  If the application supports the new DirectX 10.1 API with remoting extensions the DirectX (2D& 3D) graphics are redirected to the local client to harness the power of the GPU on the user’s local device, removing the need for a GPU on the server.

• Improved audio/video synchronization: RDP improvements in Windows Server 2008 R2 are designed to provide closer synchronization of audio and video in most scenarios.

• Language Bar Redirection: Users can easily and seamlessly control the language setting (e.g. right to left) for RemoteApp programs using the local language bar.

• Task Scheduler: This adds the ability in Task Scheduler to ensure that scheduled applications never appear to users connecting with RemoteApp. This reduces user confusion.

While RAD improves the end-user experience, RAD also reduces the desktop and application management effort by providing a dedicated management interface that lets IT managers assign remote resources to users quickly and dynamically. Windows Server 2008 R2 includes the following RAD management capabilities to help reduce administrative effort:

• RemoteApp & Desktop Connections control panel applet. Users can easily connect to RemoteApp programs and Remote Desktops using the RemoteApp & Desktop Connections control panel applet in Windows 7.

• Single administrative infrastructure. Both RemoteApp & Desktop connections and RemoteApp and Desktop Web Access are managed from a single management console. This ensures that connections can still be used from Windows XP and Vista by using a Web page.

• Designed for computers that are domain members and standalone computers: The RemoteApp & Desktop feature is easy to configure and use for computers that are members of Active Directory domains and for standalone computers.

• Always up to date. Once a workspace is configured, that workspace keeps itself up to date until it is removed from the user’s desktop. When an admin adds an application or update it automatically appears on users’ Start menu and via that user’s Web Access page.

• Single sign-on experience within a workspace. Ensures that only a single logon is required to access all applications and resources with a RAD connection.

• RemoteApp & Desktop Web Access. This capability provides full integration with RemoteApp & Desktop Connections to ensure a consistent list of applications is available to the user at all times, no matter the desktop OS used. The default web page provides a fresh and inviting look and feel and includes a new Web-based login with integrated single sign-on.

Tore Lervik has created a great sidebar gadget to view the status of your Virtual Machines (VM’s). You can download this gadget on his blog.

Download the Hyper-V monitor for Windows Sidebar.

Maybe some of you are installing Windows 2008 Server on a laptop. After the installation you may wondering “where’s my wireless LAN adapter?”. After the default installation of Windows 2008 Server you have no active wireless LAN adapter. You’ve to install a new feature, called Wireless LAN Service.

To install the feature:

1) Go to Server Manager

2) Add a new feature

3) Select to add the Wireless LAN Service

4) Finish the installation

5) Install your WIFI drivers if not automatically detected.

how many real servers do you have with wireless adapters?

One of the great new features of Windows 2008 is the usage of Starter Group Policies. You can make a “template” group policy that can be used for a new Group Policy. Whitin this templates you can make the basic settings for your company, so you can save a lot of time whit configuring the new Group Policy.

You can also download a Starter GPO Package, this are collections of configured Administrative templates (.admx) policy settings that can be used to create a live Group Policy (GPO).

Download the Starter GPO Package here

There are two Starter GPO Packages, one for Windows Vista and one for Windows XP SP2.

- Windows Vista EC Computer
- Windows Vista EC User
- Windows Vista SSLF Computer
- Windows Vista SSLF User

- Windows XP SP2 EC Computer
- Windows XP SP2 EC User
- Windows XP SP2 SSLF Computer
- Windows XP SP2 SSLF User

The starter GPO’s are based on recommended settings for Specialized Security Limited Functionality (SSLF) and Enterprise Client (EC) environments, as documented in the Security Guides for Windows Visa and Windows XP

After installing both packages, you just have to load the .CAB files into the Starter GPOs container from the installed location (default: %Program Files%\Microsoft Group Policy\StarterGPOs) using GPMC.