How to: Configure an Windows 2008 Server Core Edition

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.

==================================================
[DCInstall]
InstallDNS=Yes or No
ConfirmGc=Yes or No
CriticalReplicationOnly=Yes or No 
DisableCancelForDnsInstall=Yes or No
Password=Domain Admin password
RebootOnCompletion=Yes or No
ReplicaDomainDNSName=Full DNS name of the domain
ReplicaOrNewDomain=ReadOnlyReplica
(Note: this will make it a READ ONLY Domain Controller)
ReplicationSourceDC=Name of a Windows Server 2008 domain controller in the same domain
SafeModeAdminPassword=Choose an appropriate password to use for Directory Services Restore Mode
SiteName=RODC Site Name (Note:
default it is Default-First-Site-Name)
UserDomain=DomainName
UserName=Domain Admin account name
==================================================

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!!

  

 

 

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