Windows Server Administration/Installation

This lesson covers Windows Server installation. Activities include both manual and automated installation of Windows Server.

Objectives and Skills
Objectives and skills for the Understanding Server Installation portion of Windows Server Administration Fundamentals certification include:
 * Understand server installation options: choosing correct OS version; partitioning; F8 options; server core vs. full; interactive install; unattended install; automated install using WDS; upgrade vs. clean install; firmware updates including BIOS

Readings

 * 1)  Installation (computer programs)
 * 2)  Firmware
 * 3)  Windows Server 2016
 * 4)  Windows Server 2019
 * 5)  Windows Deployment Services

Multimedia

 * 1) YouTube: How to Install Windows Server 2016
 * 2) YouTube: Microsoft Windows Server 2019 - Installation

Activities

 * 1) Review Installing Windows Server 2016 or Microsoft Windows Server 2019 - Installation.  Perform a clean installation of Windows Server Windows Server 2016 or 2019.
 * 2) Review Microsoft Windows Server 2019 - Installation.  Identify the steps necessary to prepare for an upgrade installation.
 * 3) Review Upgrade and conversion options for Windows Server 2016.  Identify supported upgrade paths.
 * 4) Review Walkthrough: Build a Simple Answer File.  Perform an unattended installation of Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016 using an unattended answer file.
 * 5) Review Windows Deployment Services Getting Started Guide. Perform an unattended installation of Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016 using Windows Deployment Services.
 * 6) Review Windows Server Installation Options.  Perform a clean installation of Windows Server Core using either Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016.

Lesson Summary

 * A clean installation is one that is done in the absence of any interfering elements such as old versions of the computer program being installed or leftovers from a previous installation. In particular, the clean installation of an operating system is an installation in which the target disk partition is erased before installation.


 * An upgrade installation is the process of replacing a product with a newer version of the same product in order to bring the system up to date or to improve its characteristics.


 * An interactive or attended installation requires a user to be present during the installation to make choices, such as accepting or declining an end-user license agreement (EULA), specifying preferences such as the installation location, supplying passwords or assisting in product activation.


 * An unattended installation is performed without user interaction during its progress or with no user present at all.


 * It may be necessary to update the firmware and BIOS in a computer before installing an operating system.


 * Windows Server 2016 and 2019 are 64-bit only.


 * Windows Server 2016 was developed concurrently with Windows 10. Windows Server 2019 is the successor for Windows Server 2016


 * Windows Server 2016 and later versions include a variation of installation called Server Core. Server Core is a significantly scaled-back installation where no Windows Explorer shell is installed. All configuration and maintenance is done entirely through command-line interface windows, or by connecting to the machine remotely using Microsoft Management Console.


 * On installation, Server 2016 offers two options: Windows Server 2016 (which is Server Core) and Windows Server 2016 Desktop Experience. Switching between these versions, as is available in Server 2012, is not supported.


 * Windows Server 2016 is available in Standard, Data Center and Essentials editions.


 * Windows Server 2019 is available in Standard, Data Center and Essentials editions.


 * With Server 2016, Microsoft announced a new installation option, Nano Server, which offers a minimal-footprint headless version of Windows Server. It excludes the graphical user interface, WoW64 (support for 32-bit software) and Windows Installer. It does not support console login, either locally or via Remote Desktop Connection. All management is performed remotely via Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), Windows PowerShell and Remote Server Management Tools (a collection of web-based GUI and command line tools)


 * Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2016 is a stand-alone product that contains only the Windows hypervisor, a Windows Server driver model, and virtualization components. It provides a simple and reliable virtualization solution to help you improve your server utilization and reduce costs.


 * The Essentials edition in Server 2019 is designed for smaller businesses. It was previously called Small Business Server (SBS) or Microsoft BackOffice Server. Essentials edition is limited in features and licensing options and accordingly it’s cheaper among its paid family members. According to Microsoft, Essentials edition “is ideal for small businesses with up to 25 users and 50 devices.


 * The Server 2019 Datacenter license provides the widest range of features and capabilities with the least amount of licensing limitations, among all Server editions. For example, all servers which are virtualized in a Datacenter server are licensed automatically by their Datacenter host, given the host and guest servers are of the same version. Such guests can also automatically be activated via Virtual Machine Activation (AVMA).


 * Windows Server 2016 introduced Shielded Virtual Machines, a new feature which was made available only in the Datacenter edition


 * The 2019 Standard edition supports 64 64-bit sockets, an unlimited number of cores, 24 TB RAM, one Hyper-V host per license and two virtual machines.


 * The 2019 Datacenter edition supports 64 64-bit sockets, an unlimited number of cores, 24 TB RAM, one Hyper-V host per license and unlimited virtual machines.


 * Windows Deployment Services is a server technology from Microsoft for network-based installation of Windows and other operating systems based on a disk image using the Windows Imaging Format (WIM). The network installation is performed by pressing  during PXE boot.

Key Terms

 * BIOS
 * The Basic Input / Output System, used to initialize and test system hardware components and to load an operating system or other programs from a mass storage device.


 * disk image
 * A single file or storage device containing the complete contents and structure representing a data storage medium or device, such as a hard drive, tape drive, floppy disk, optical disc, or USB flash drive.


 * firmware
 * The combination of persistent memory and program code and data stored in it.


 * original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
 * A computer equipment maker or reseller.


 * partitioning
 * The act of dividing a hard disk drive into multiple logical storage units referred to as partitions, to treat one physical disk drive as if it were multiple disks, so that different filesystems can be used on each partition.


 * Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE)
 * An environment to boot computers using a network interface independently of data storage devices (like hard disks) or installed operating systems.


 * Remote Installation Services (RIS)
 * The previous name of Windows Deployment Services.


 * Sysprep
 * The name of Microsoft's System Preparation Tool for Microsoft Windows operating system deployment.


 * Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK)
 * A collection of tools and technologies produced by Microsoft designed to help deploy Windows operating system images to target computers or to a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk).


 * Windows Imaging Format (WIM)
 * A file-based disk image format developed by Microsoft to help deploy Windows Vista and subsequent versions of Windows.


 * Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE)
 * A lightweight version of Windows used for the deployment of workstations and servers or troubleshooting an operating system while it is offline.

Flashcards

 * Test your understanding of this lesson.
 * Test your understanding of the key terms.