One of the very interesting features of Windows Server 8 Beta is the ability to install your server with full GUI and do all of your required configurations and then remove the GUI to be server core. Same operation can be done the other way around as some people may install server core and realize that having a GUI will give them the ability to do tasks they are used to quicker then remove the GUI after.

In the post we will see the complete procedures to take Windows Server 8 Beta with GUI to server core and vice versa.

1. First step will be installing with Server 8 Beta with full GUI by selecting “Windows Server 8 Beta Datacenter (Server with a GUI)”

2. After installation login to Windows Server normally and do all of the required configuration on this server, when done in Server Manager click Manage then Remove Roles and Features.

3. In the Before you begin page click next.

4. On Server Selection page select the server you want to perform this operation on, in our case it’s the local server.

5. Skip Remove Server Roles page by clicking next

6. On the Remove Features page uncheck User interfaces and Infrastructure

7. Confirm your removal selection and restart the server manually if you didn’t select “Restart the destination server automatically if required”

8. Now the server has no GUI and when you login to the server after restart you will be prompted with CMD

9. To reinstall the GUI again type PowerShell in the CMD screen, then type

Add-WindowsFeature Server-GUI-Shell

10. Wait for the installation to complete and then restart your server by typing Shutdown –r –t 0

iSCSI Software Target is now part of windows Server 8 Beta Roles and features, In this post i will walkthrough installing and configuring iSCSI software target.

Important Notes:

- iSCSI Target server now is integrated with Windows Failover clustering to provide HA for iSCSI target server, however in this post we will be  configuring a stand-alone iSCSI target server.

- Windows PowerShell can be used to install and configure iSCSI target server.

Environment details:

- Single iSCSI server IP address: 192.168.0.217

- File server “ServerA” IP address: 192.168.0.215

- File server “ServerB” IP address: 192.168.0.216

1. To install Windows server 8 iSCSI target open Server Manager and click Add Roles and Features then walkthrough the installation as per the below screenshots

2. After installation is complete successfully we will now configure the iSCSI target server as per the following

- We will have single VHD of 5 VHDs

- Access is allowed to two file server nodes

            o 192.168.0.215

            o 192.168.0.216

- Storage target name is File Server

To complete iSCSI target server the configuration go to Server Manager , click File and Storage Services then follow the screenshots below;

Go to iSCSI Virtual disks and click “Launch the New Virtual Disk wizard to create a virtual disk” and walk through the Virtual Disks and targets creation

3. To connect File Server nodes to iSCSI target open Server Manager click Tools and select iSCSI Initiator then proceed with the configuration as per the below screenshots

Now we open disk management to make sure that the disk is presented correctly

Repeat step 3 for the second file server node.

PowerShell 3.0 is shipped with Windows 8. We are still experiencing some of the great features of Windows Server 8, but PowerShell 3.0 also brings many new features. Thanks to PowerShell Product Team for such a great innovation.

In this blog post, I will discuss about some of simplified syntaxes.

PowerShell Integrated Script Environment has an improved UI design and features.

This is new designed PowerShell ISE console.

Right pane you’ll notice Commands section.

As you know, in PowerShell V2 you have to query available commands or syntax with get-help or Tab button.

In PowerShell 3.0 you can search any kind of command within Commands pane. I searched for commands that includes “printer” and it outputs all available commands.

And also it provides me all required or optional parameters for selected command.

Now i can select Get-Printer cmdlet and fill up mandatory or optional params.

Now just click copy and paste into script pane.

This is a great feature especially for those who don’t like much writing or remembering script syntax.

Another great feature is improved Tab button Now it completes automatically for all kind of parameter, argument etc. within a window.

In below example, I just write Get-Pro and press tab. It brings all available commands that start with Get-Pro

It also brings parameters and arguments.

And finally it gets to you all available processes on your system lively !

Another example of argument auto completion:

Auto completion also works for .Net. If you call [System.Net.DNS] it will bring you all available methods.

Error notification is also available lively.

I think one of the greatest features of PowerShell 3.0 is statement help.

If you press CTRL + J, it will bring you all statements with their usage and examples.

But this is not enough.

Just click one of the statements and then it will paste a template usage example into your Script Pane.

This is a great feature cause I believe many system administrators don’t want to remember usage of each statement. They don’t need any more.

With PowerShell 3.0, you don’t need special $_. Character to filter script outputs.

Below is a simple example in PowerShell 2.0 to get a process that has a name “IDLE”. For complex scripts it is open for mistakes.

In PowerShell 3.0 just put a pipe and write only column name with no special character. It works and looks great.

It’s same for foreach too.

This is a brief post about PowerShell 3.0 features. There are bunch of great features and we will figure out them in our next blogs.

While upgrading from previous SQL Server versions (2005, 2008 or 2008 R2) to new SQL Server 2012, during setup, you might encounter the following error:

"Failed to copy registry settings for SQL Server Network Interfaces from machine 'Cluster Node X' to machine 'LocalMachine'. Error 11004"

When you look up error "11004" you will find that it indicates a problem in the reverse DNS settings. To be more specific, at the command prompt...

ping 'My SQL Service Name' --> ip is: xxx.xxxx.xxxx.xxx

nslookup xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --> name is: 'Another unmatched Name'

This may happen if this IP was previously assigned to another service or machine name and your DNS has problems replicating data between DNS Servers.

If you encounter this problem, it is advisable that you do not press 'Cancel'. Fix the DNS issue and ensure that the machine on which the setup is running can read correct DNS settings then 'retry'.

Put your skills against the test, stay relevant, get a salary increase, and be motivated towards a goal!

Microsoft Certifications are continually updated, to help you keep your skills up to date in an ever-changing global IT environment. Microsoft Certifications are always kept current with more streamlined, solutions-based certification paths covering the latest trends in the industry.

Did you know? “having a Microsoft Certification sends a clear message to employers that you have proven skills in the latest technologies. For instance, a 2011 CompTIA study found that IT professionals gain an average 9% salary increase immediately after receiving certification, and 29% over the long term, versus peers who are not certified (channelinsider.com, 2011-10-19). And in a 2010 survey of hiring managers, 91% said they consider employee certification as a criterion for hiring (Microsoft Learning, 2010).”

Check out the upcoming Private Cloud Certification http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-private-cloud.aspx?wt.mc_id=cloud_msl_mctflash_jan and stay tuned for a Windows 8 Certification that is coming soon!

Good luck!