I have been an admin for longer than I want to admit…I’m not old, I’m experienced. One thing I always seem to see notice among Windows admins is that if there is no GUI, they aren’t interested. Well several years ago Microsoft started producing a version of their server OS that were just command line since then I don’t think that I have met more than a small handful of admins that use it. Why not? Generally when I have asked that question I get back an answer something like, “I’m familiar with the desktop and it’s easier”. Got me there, use something for years and it’s going to be easier for sure. But I like to get the biggest bang for my hardware buck and I started using a computer when the DOS prompt was all you had (Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego, I miss you so) so Core can’t be that bad, right?
Core is just what you need to perform some key functions on a Windows network while saving on processor and memory by not having to run that top heavy GUI. As an added bonus, you will scare off any wusses. What functions? you might ask, of course Microsoft has graciously outlined them for us here.
There are 2 keys to using Windows Server Core that I have found, one is built right in and the other is built in…when you build it. It’s true that you can look at it as the computer world coming full circle going back to command line but we as admins have learned a few things along the way. At least one of those things has been implemented back into Core for you to find.
For this article I installed a fresh copy of Windows 2012R2 Server Core in a VM with all of 2gb of RAM and 1 Processor and it took all of about 5 minutes to install. So, what so you do now that its installed? How do you do anything with this blinking white cursor? Here is the builtin secret of Core, sconfig.
Setting up a new machine that should be just about everything you could want to get started right there in that menu. Sure, it looks old school but it works and it works well.
But what about installing a role without the GUI, that has to be hard right? Well, it did take all of 3 commands to install the Print Services role after all. I think I clicked more mouse buttons with the GUI then keyboard buttons with Core installing it. Since most of the administration on a network is generally done via a remote machine, ie: the admins desktop, the GUI tools (MMC console) aren’t needed on the server so installation is quick and then even the management gets easier for some as well.
The trick I mentioned about management that you add, that comes in the form of Powershell scripts (or batch files if you can do what you need there). I’m a big fan of re-usability so when I am involved with implementations I end up using scripts a lot. With powershell all the tools you need to develop and test a script are built into Windows in the form of Powershell ISE.
Throw a Core machine up in a test environment, see how easy it can be and just imagine in a VM environment how many machines you can have running efficiently with these only taking minimal resources.