In the Server Core installation option, there is a way to remove the server roles and optional features from the disk, to free up more space. In addition to reducing disk usage, this could be used to ensure an administrator doesn’t add a role or feature to a server that is supposed to perform a fixed function.

Warning: This is a one way operation, once you remove a role or feature there is NO way to bring it back. If you realize later that you need the role or feature the only option is to reinstall.

To do this:

1.       Run: pkgmgr /up:<package to remove>

2.       Reboot – you can remove multiple packages before rebooting.

3.       Wait about 30 minutes for the disk cleanup to occur.

You will then see the disk space used by the role or feature is freed up, oclist will no longer show the role or feature as being available, and trying to install it using ocsetup will result in an error. Once again, read the warning above – there is no way to put the role or feature back, it is permanently gone from the system.

The role and feature packages available for removal are:

·         Microsoft-Hyper-V-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-BLB-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-DFSN-ServerCore~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-DFSR-ServerEdition-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-DhcpServerCore-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-DirectoryServices-ADAM-SrvFnd-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-DirectoryServices-DomainController-SrvFnd-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-DNS-Server-Core-Role-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-FailoverCluster-Core-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-FileReplication-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-IIS-WebServer-Core-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-Internet-Naming-Service-SC-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-MultipathIo-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-NetworkLoadBalancingHeadlessServer-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-NFS-ServerFoundation-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-Printing-ServerCore-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-QWAVE-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-RemovableStorageManagementCore-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-SecureStartup-OC-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-SNMP-SC-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-SUA-Core-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-Telnet-Client-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

If you are running on an x86 box, change the amd64 above to x86.

In addition to the roles and features listed in oclist, it is also possible to remove IME support as well as the supporting fonts by removing the following packages:

·         Microsoft-Windows-ServerCore-EA-IME-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

·         Microsoft-Windows-ServerCore-EA-Fonts-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.6001.18000

Removing these will reduce the on disk footprint by ~200MB.

Andrew

p.s. - don't forget about the warning above

A couple of quick tips this time around.

If you want to determine if you are running on Server Core from a script, you can do this via WMI. The command line way is:

wmic path win32_operatingsystem get OperatingSystemSKU /value

The value can then be converted to hex and mapped to the list at: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms724358.aspx

Here is a tip I received from the HP Windows Server Academy team. If you don’t want to include all of the many IIS options in the output of Oclist, run:

Oclist | find “Installed” | find /v “IIS”

Note that the other methods of remote management are either enabled out of the box, such as WMI, or when enabled the firewall is configured to allow them, such as Terminal Server remote administration mode.

For those of you at TechEd recently or who saw the articles, IIS is now a role included in the Server Core installation option. If you have access to the recently released CTP build, IIS is available for you to start testing.

Because Server Core does not currently have any managed code support, IIS does not support ASP.NET when used on Server Core.

The IIS PowerShell cmdlets are all based on WMI, so they can be used to remotely manage IIS running on a Server Core installation.

Andrew

Sorry for the delays between postings lately, working on Beta 3 has been keeping us all busy. Today I’m going to talk briefly about some of the changes and additions we have made to the Server Core installation option for Beta 3. For those of you with access to the recently released build, you’ll see these things in the build. (Note a few of these were in the IDS builds leading up to Beta 3 and covered in my January 5^th posting. However, for completeness I’m including everything here.)

New Roles

• Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS, formerly ADAM)
• Print Server
• Media Services

New Optional features

• WINS
• QoS (Qwave)

Command line changes

• We have removed a few options from scregedit.wsf since there are better command line solutions. For example, enabling Windows Error Reporting now has a command line tool serverweroptin.exe
• Scregedit.wsf now has a /cli switch which dumps out a long list of various command line ways to do things, such as setting your pagefile. Most of these have been covered in my blog, but now they are available on the box.
• Oclist.exe is included, which will list all the packages to use with ocsetup.exe to add/remove a role or feature. This also tells you if something is installed or not.

Tool changes

• Notepad File|Open, Save, and Save As now work (anyone recognize those dialog boxes?)
• Regedit.exe is now included

Let me know what you think once you get the bits and have a chance to give it a try.

I’m going to predict right now that my next posting will not, unfortunately, be until some time in early May.

Andrew

Some of these may be repeats, but this is a pretty complete list of common tasks an administrator might need to do that either don't have a well known command line tool or a tool at all. A few of these may not work in current builds, such as oclist, but should be in the next build available.

To activate:

Cscript slmgr.vbs –ato

Determining the computer name, any of the following:

            Set c

            Ipconfig /all

            Systeminfo

Rename the Server Core computer:

Domain joined:

Netdom renamecomputer %computername% /NewName:new-name /UserD:domain-username /PasswordD:*

            Not domain joined:

Netdom renamecomputer %computername% /NewName:new-name

Changing workgroups:

Wmic computersystem where name=”<computer name>” call  joindomainorworkgroup name=”<new workgroup name>”

Install a role or optional feature:

Start /w Ocsetup <packagename>

Note: For Active Directory, run Dcpromo

View role and optional feature package names and current installation state:

oclist

Start task manager hot-key:

ctrl-shift-esc

Logoff of a Terminal Services session:

            Logoff

To set the pagefile size:

Disable system pagefile management:

wmic computersystem where name=”<computername>” set AutomaticManagedPagefile=False

Configure the pagefile:

wmic pagefileset where name=”C:\\pagefile.sys” set InitialSize=500,MaximumSize=1000

Manually installing a management tool or agent:

Msiexec.exe /i <msipackage>

List installed msi applications:

Wmic

            product

Uninstall msi applications:

Wmic product get name /value

Wmic product where name=”<name>” call uninstall

To list installed drivers:

Sc query type= driver

Installing a driver that is not included:

Copy the driver files to Server Core

Pnputil –i –a <path>\<driver>.inf

Determining a file’s version:

wmic datafile where name="d:\\windows\\system32\\ntdll.dll" get version

List of installed patches:

wmic qfe list

Installing a patch:

Wusa.exe <patchname>.msu /quiet