Windows 2008 Core Server Commands in MY LAB I Used

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****************To rename the server Name

Default installations of Windows Server 2008 give the server a name like WIN-94CX1930EF21 or some other obscure pattern that doesn't fit into most computer infrastructures. You can change the computer name using the netdom command. Netdom (which isn't a new tool) is an easy way to change the computer name after Windows Server 2008 is installed on Core Editions. You can also use it on the full installation versions.

It's pretty straightforward to use the netdom command. For example, let's go from the default name WIN-94CX1930EF21 to a computer name of SERVER13. This is the command you would enter:

netdom renamecomputer WIN-94CX1930EF21 /Newname SERVER13

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****************To Add the IP address

In Windows Server 2008 Core installation, the only way to setup IP Address eithe Static or DHCP is from the command line. The following procedure helps setting the IP Address from the command Line using "netsh". This procedure works in Windows Server 2008 (No core installation as well), Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista.

To setup Static IP Address:

From the command prompt:

1. Type

C:\Users\Administrator> netsh interface ipv4 show interfaces

Idx Met MTU State Name

- – — —- ——-

1 50 4294967295 connected Loopback Pseudo-Interface 1

10 20 1500 connected Local Area Connection

This should show the Network Connections. We are looking for the name here. On mine, I have one LAN interface and is named as "Local Area Connection"

2. To set a static IP Address type the following command

C:\Users\Administrator>netsh interface ipv4 set address name="Local Area Connect

ion" source=static address=192.168.0.5 mask=255.255.255.0 gateway=192.168.0.1

The syntax is

netsh interface ipv4 set address name="<ID>" source=static address=<StaticIP> mask=<SubnetMask> gateway=<DefaultGateway>

Where:

ID is the name of the LAN Connection

StaticIP is the static IP address that you are setting

SubnetMask is the subnet mask for the IP address

DefaultGateway is the default gateway

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****************TO set the DNS Servers :---

set the DNS Servers one at a time with the followind command. For each DNS server, increase the index number.

C:\Users\Administrator>netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name="Local Area Connection" address=192.168.0.1 index=1

C:\Users\Administrator>netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name="Local Area Conne

ction" address=192.168.0.10 index=2

The syntax is

netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name="<ID>" address=<DNSIP>index=1

Where:

ID is the name of the Network Connection

DNSIP is the IP address of your DNS server

This should do. To confirm, do an "ipconfig"

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-1D-09-D4-2C-8F

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.5(Preferred)

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

192.168.0.10

127.0.0.1

NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

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****************TO ADD INTO DOMAIN.. cALLED MYDC.COM WITH THE COMPUTER NAME DHCPSRV

netdom join dhcpsrv /domain:mydc /userd:administrator /passwordd:*

or else you can use the below

netdom join dhcpsrv /domain:mydc

　

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-------------------
Thanks,

Mike Ditka  - "If God had wanted man to play soccer, he wouldn't have given us arms."

MSI tools

Here's Sherry Kissinger's review of MSI studio.
 
http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/skissinger/archive/2008/09/28/scriptlogic-msi-studio-quick-review.aspx
 
If you're looking for free ones there's a few out there that have hit the ConfigMgr list:
 
http://www.advancedinstaller.com/
 
http://www.appdeploy.com/tools/repackager/
 
http://www.scalable.com/wininstall-le
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Thanks,

Joan Crawford  - "I, Joan Crawford, I believe in the dollar. Everything I earn, I spend."

WOL:: Wake ON LAN :: Ins and Outs

With Wake On LAN feature, Configuration Manager 2007 activities can be scheduled to take place outside business hours.

1.                 Wake On LAN (WOL) benefits:

·         Achieve a higher success rate for Configuration Manager Activities.

·         Reduces the associated network traffic during business hours.

·         Conserve power by not requiring computers to be left on outside business hours.

 

2.                 Wake On LAN can be used on the following scenarios:

·         Software updates deployment with deadline:

Configuration manager 2007 Send a wake-up transmission prior to the configured deadline for a software update deployment

Wake-up packets are sent only to computers that require the software updates and have not already installed them.

·         Mandatory advertisement for software distribution or task sequence:

Configuration manager 2007 Send a wake-up transmission prior to the configured schedule of a mandatory advertisement, which can be for software distribution or a task sequence.

 

3.                 Walk On LAN overview:

·         Wake-up packet transmissions are sent only from primary site servers only.

·         The default port used by Configuration Manager 2007 to send wake-up packets to target computers is UDP port 9 and can be changed form site settings

·         Secondary site servers or other computers cannot be configured as proxies to send wake-up packets.

·         Wake-up transmissions are not sent to clients when they are on the Internet. Wake On LAN transmissions are always sent at the scheduled time.

·         Wake On LAN independently enabled or disabled for any site in the Configuration Manager 2007 hierarchy

·         Due to advertisements and software update deployments are inherited to child sites, the site server in the child site is responsible for sending the wake-up transmissions to its assigned clients if the site is enabled for Wake On LAN.

·         If Wake On LAN is disabled on a child site, child site will not send the wake-up transmissions to its assigned clients, and client computers in that site will not be sent wake-up packets.

·         ConfigMgr 2007 Client registers the system as busy for the specific wake-up task it receives, this prevents the computer from going back into a sleep state based on its power management settings before the task can complete.

·         Wake On LAN does not return computers to a sleep state and you need to configure power management schemes to shut down or hibernate after a period of inactivity.

·         Computers are woken up before the scheduled activity by 3 minutes before the scheduled activity to ensure that they have completed startup, this setting can be configured with the transmission offset option in a Wake On LAN advanced setting.

·         Mobile devices do not support Wake On LAN capability.

·         Clients running Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 do not support Wake On LAN.

·         Wake On LAN in ConfigMgr 2007 supports waking up computers in sleep states S1 through S5

4.                 WOL transmission methods

 

·         Unicast transmission

o    Unicast transmission wake-up packet uses the IP address of the target computer from hardware inventory to route to the target computer's subnet, and it uses the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the target computer from hardware inventory to construct the wake-up packet. When the wake-up transmission reaches the target computer's subnet, the wake-up packet is sent directly to the target computer, and If the target computer has changed its IP address since it last sent its inventory information, the wake-up packet will reach the wrong computer but it will not wake it up because the MAC address in the wake-up packet transmission will not match.

o    Switches must forward UDP packets

o    Unicast transmission is secure solution than subnet-directed broadcasts because the packet is sent directly to a computer rather than to all computers on a subnet.

o    Consumes less network bandwidth than subnet-directed broadcast transmissions.

o    Unicast transmission is supported with IPv6.

 

·         Subnet-directed broadcasts

o    Subnet-directed broadcasts transmission wake-up packet uses the Media Access Control (MAC) address and IP subnet address of the target computer from hardware inventory,  The wake-up transmission is sent to the computer's last known subnet, and it is then broadcast to all computers on that subnet, and the computer that has the MAC address specified in the wake-up transmission will respond.

o    Routers must be configured to forward subnet-directed broadcasts.

o    Subnet-directed broadcasts are not supported with IPv6

5.                 Wake On LAN Prerequisites

·         Network cards must support the standard magic packet format.

·         Computers must be configured for wake-up packets on the network card and in the computer BIOS.

·         If subnet-directed broadcast configured, all routers between the site server and target computers must allow IP directed broadcasts, and support IPv4.

·         Hardware inventory must be enabled, and completed an inventory schedule.

·         Client computers must be running the Configuration Manager 2007 client. 

6.                 Sleep States for Wake On LAN

 

·         S0: The computer is on and fully functional.

·         S1: The computer appears to be off with the CPU stopped. RAM is refreshed, and the computer is running in a low power mode.

·         S2: The computer appears to be off with the CPU stopped. RAM is refreshed, and the computer is running in a lower power mode than S1.

·         S3 (Standby): The computer appears to be off with no power to the CPU. RAM is in slow refresh.

·         S4 (Hibernate):  The computer appears to be off with no power to the hardware. System memory has been saved as a temporary file on the hard disk.

·         S5 (Off):  The computer is off with no power to the hardware, and the operating system has been shut down without saving system memory to disk.

-------------------
Thanks,

Stephen Leacock  - "I detest life-insurance agents: they always argue that I shall some day die, which is not so."

Windows 7 64 bit RAM limitations

Here are the upper RAM limits for the different editions of Windows 7:

• Starter: 8GB
• Home Basic: 8GB
• Home Premium: 16GB
• Professional: 192GB
• Enterprise: 192GB
• Ultimate: 192GB

These limits are similar to those for Vista editions, expect that Vista Enterprise and Vista Ultimate have had their upper limits raised from 128GB to 192GB
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Thanks,

Joan Crawford  - "I, Joan Crawford, I believe in the dollar. Everything I earn, I spend."

windows 2003 slipstreeming

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Released!

　

Microsoft has just released Windows Server 2003 SP2, currently available for all architectures (x86, x64, & Itanium) in English and German.

New features and bug fixes

Security updates

Download Links:

Windows Server 2003 SP2 for x86

Windows Server 2003 SP2 for x64

Windows Server 2003 SP2 for IA64

Integrating the Service Pack

You can slipstream SP2 into your Windows Server 2003 CD by copying the contents of your CD to a folder on your hard-drive, and issuing the following command:

WindowsServer2003-KB914961-SP2-x86-ENU.exe /integrate:C:\W2k3\

In the example above, this is the x86 installer being used and the Windows Server 2003 CD has been copied to C:\W2k3\

After the process completes, download Microsoft Corporation.img and use it as the bootsector for your CD.

If you're using Nero, it'll look something like this:

Choose CD-ROM (Boot) from the New Compilation's Boot page.

Under Source of boot image data choose "Image file" and Browse to the Microsoft Corporation.img.

Select Enable expert settings (for advanced users only) and set the following: Kind of emulation - No Emulation
Number of loaded sectors - 4
Load segment of sectors - 07C0

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Thanks,

Mike Ditka  - "If God had wanted man to play soccer, he wouldn't have given us arms."

Rapid Search

Looks this site also good for rapid search http://www.filecrop.com
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Thanks,
Paddy

Administering Windows Server 2008 Server Core Machines

Administering Windows Server 2008 Server Core Machines

Now that your machine has been more or less configured and is ready to be deployed, it's time to discuss how you go about preparing the server for installation in different scenarios. As you know from earlier in this book, Windows Server 2008 offers groups of services, and the associated software, wrapped in "roles" that correspond to the likely environments in which you will deploy a machine. On a full installation of Windows Server 2008, these roles are installed using the Server Manager MMC console. On a Server Core machine, that is obviously not possible, as the graphical shell largely doesn't exist.

There is a command-line utility called oclist that allows you to view available roles to install on a machine with Windows Server 2008 Server Core. Once you have run oclist and identified any given role name, you can use that name in conjunction with the ocsetup utility to install or uninstall that server role or optional feature.

Some sample output from oclist

Note that the DHCPServerCore role is listed as not installed. Let's say that we wanted our Server Core machine deployed as a headless, GUI-less, stripped-down DHCP server for our enterprise. To prepare the machine, we need to install the DHCP Server role. Using the name we obtained from the oclist command output, we can start the role installation process with the ocsetup command, as follows:

ocsetup DHCPServerCore 

The system will trundle for a while, and the process should complete without errors. To verify that the role installation process is complete, run oclist again and then check to see whether the DHCPServerCore role is listed as "installed."

To uninstall a role, use the following command (in our case, should we want to uninstall the DHCP Server role):

ocsetup DHCPServerCore /uninstall 

Installing Active Directory Domain Services on Server Core

One role that you would likely want to install on a Server Core machine is the domain controller role. Installation of this role on a Server Core machine is a bit different, because installing the role using ocsetup has a large dependency on the graphical shell—meaning that using that method of setup can result in a very unstable Server Core machine that thinks it's a domain controller in some ways, but in other ways it doesn't.

The only supported way to install the domain controller role on a Server Core machine is to use the dcpromo utility in unattended mode. Using unattended mode requires setting up a simple text file with some parameters that will allow dcpromo to proceed without needing to prompt the user for any information, and ultimately you will be able to successfully promote a Server Core member server to a domain controller.

You need, at a minimum, the following nine parameters in a file called unattend.txt (or anything you want, as long as you remember the name):

[DCInstall] ReplicaOrNewDomain=Domain NewDomain=Forest NewDomainDNSName=hasselltech.local AutoConfigDNS=Yes DNSDelegation=Yes DNSDelegationUserName=username DNSDelegationPassword=password RebootOnSuccess=NoAndNoPromptEither SafeModeAdminPassword=breakincaseofemergency 

Then, to run the utility, just issue the following command:

dcpromo /unattend:unattend.txt 

Windows Remote Shell

Included with Windows Vista and full installations of Windows Server 2008 is the Windows Remote Shell, or WinRS. You'll also find WinRS on installations of Windows Server 2003 R2. WinRS consists of a listener portion that runs on the Server Core machine itself, and the client software on other machines. The client software sends commands addressed to specific machines to the listener port on that machine, and the WinRS software on the Server Core machine receives the command, executes, and transmits the output back to the originating client machine.

First, you'll need to activate the WinRS listener on the Server Core machine. Use the following command:

WinRM quickconfig 

 

Setting up the Windows Remote Shell listener on the Server Core machine

 

Once the listener is configured, you can simply go to any Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 (full edition) machine, and funnel your Server Core-destined commands through winrs. For example, to see the results of the oclist command, issue the following at a command line on a Vista machine:

winrs -r:WS08-CORE-1 "oclist" 

Controlling Server Core Via Group Policy

Many administrators find setting up Server Core machines with a consistent configuration can be achieved most easily through the use of a targeted Group Policy attack. You can create a group policy object (GPO) that only applies to Server Core machines by limiting the application of the GPO's attributes via WMI to only machines operating with the Server Core SKU, or by creating an organizational unit (OU) within Active Directory Domain Services, placing only Server Core machines within that OU, and then linking the GPO to the newly created OU. I prefer the WMI method, as it doesn't force you to construct your AD hierarchy based on operating systems, although both methods ultimately work equally as well in terms of the desired effect.

To use the WMI method, filter the OperatingSystemSKU property under the Win32_OperatingSystem class. The applicable values are as follow: 12 represents the Datacenter Server Core edition, 13 represents the Standard Server Core edition, and 14 represents the Enterprise Server Core edition.
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Thanks,
Paddy