A step by step on how to add a role to Server Core

There are two main ways to add server roles to Server Core: during install with an "unattend" answer file, or after the basic install with the OCSETUP tool. You can use OCSETUP to install DHCP, DNS, file services, DFS, NFS, and Media Server.

One "gotcha" is that you have to supply the correct name for each service; for example, DHCP is DHCPServerCore, but DNS is DNS-Server-Core-Role. (You were expecting consistency?) Use the OCLIST command to see the role and optional feature names, as well as their status (installed vs. not). And by the way, the names are case-sensitive.

You can uninstall a role with OCSETUP as well; just stop the service (e.g., using NET
STOP ) and then use OCSETUP with the /uninstall command line parameter.

By the way, you won't use OCSETUP to install Active Directory. You'll fire up old friend
DCPROMO for that job. However, you'll need to provide DCPROMO with an unattend file, because the GUI support for this tool, which prompts you for guidance on the configuration, isn't there. Of course, once a given server.

Of course, once a given server role is installed, you need to configure it, which the following section discusses. One tip to keep in mind is that Microsoft has stated that services running in Server Core use the same default settings as services running in the Full version of Server 2008.

See January's posts:

How to get started with Server Core in WS2008

What you can and cannot do in Server Core

Server Core - A minimalist approach to managing WS2008

Command Prompt Interface and other cool tools on WS2008

How to setup Features in WS2008

Configuring a Role in WS2008: NOT as easy as can be

Adding a role to WS2008: Easy as can be

The purpose of roles in Windows Server 2008

Meet Windows Server 2008 'Server Manager' -- your new management cockpit

The Look and Feel of Server 2008