Lesson 1 Introducing Windows Server 2016

Lesson 1

Introducing Windows Server 2016

Knowing the capabilities of the Windows Server 2016 operating system enables you to use it effectively and take full advantage of what it can offer your organization. Some of the many improvements to Windows Server 2016 include increased scalability and performance; improved virtualization; improved management tools; and additional deployment options, including Nano Server. This lesson explores these new features and capabilities in Windows Server 2016, in particular those in the computer and storage space, along with the various installation options available.

Lesson Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

                                    Select a suitable Windows Server 2016 edition.

                                    Describe the hardware requirements for Windows Server 2016.

                                    Describe installation options for Windows Server 2016.

                                    Describe the tools available for remoting managing Windows Server 2016.

                                    Explain how to use Windows PowerShell 5.0 to manage servers.

                                    Describe the new and improved features of Windows Server 2016.

Selecting a suitable Windows Server 2016 edition

You can choose one of several editions of Windows Server 2016. These editions allow organizations to select a version of Windows Server 2016 that best meets their needs, rather than pay for features they do not require. When deploying a server for a specific role, system administrators can save substantially by selecting the appropriate edition. The following table describes the Windows Server 2016 editions.

Edition                                      Description

Windows Server 2016           Windows Server 2016 Essentials edition is designed for small businesses.

Essentials edition                  It corresponds to Windows Small Business Server from earlier versions of Windows Server. This edition allows up to 25 users and 50 devices. It supports two processor cores and up to 64 gigabytes (GB) of random access memory (RAM). It does not support many of the features of Windows Server 2016, including virtualization.

Windows Server 2016           Windows Server 2016 Standard edition is designed for physical server

Standard edition                     environments with little or no virtualization. It provides many of the roles and features available for the Windows Server 2016 operating system. This edition supports up to 64 sockets and up to 4 terabytes (TB) of RAM. It includes licenses for up to two virtual machines and supports Nano Server installation.

Hardware requirements

The hardware requirements needed to support Windows Server 2016 depend on the services that the server is hosting, the load on the server, and how responsive you want the server to be. The services and features of each role put a unique load on network, disk I/O, processor, and memory resources

The following table shows the absolute minimum required for a Server Core installation on a physical
machine.
Component	Requirement
Processor	64-bit
architecture
Processor speed	1.4 gigahertz (GHz)
RAM	512 MB
Hard drive space	32 GB

				MCT
Edition		Description
		Note: You can run two virtual machines on one physical host, using
		one standard license, as long as the physical host is only used for hosting
		and managing the virtual machines. If the physical host is used to run	USE
		other services, such as DNS, you can only run one virtual machine. For
		more information about Windows licensing, speak with a Microsoft
		licensing specialist.
Windows Server 2016		Windows Server 2016 Datacenter edition is designed for highly	ONLY
Datacenter edition		virtualized infrastructures, including private cloud and hybrid cloud
		environments. It provides all of the roles and features available for the
		Windows Server 2016 operating system. This edition supports up to 64
		sockets, up to 640 processor cores, and up to 4 TB of RAM. It includes
		unlimited Windows Server–based virtual machine licenses for virtual
		machines that run on the same hardware. It also includes new features
		such as Storage Spaces Direct and Storage Replica, along with new
		Shielded Virtual Machines and features for software—defined datacenter
		scenarios.	.
Microsoft Hyper-V Server		Acts as a stand-alone virtualization server for virtual machines, including
2016		all the new features around virtualization in Windows Server 2016. The
		host operating system has no licensing cost, but virtual machines must be
		licensed separately. This edition supports up to 64 sockets and up to 4 TB
		of RAM. It supports domain joining. It does not support Windows
		Server 2016 roles other than limited file service features. This edition has
		no GUI but does have a UI that displays a menu of configuration tasks.
Windows Storage		Acts as an entry-level unified storage appliance. This edition allows 50
Server 2016 Workgroup		users, one processor core, and 32 GB of RAM. It supports domain joining.
edition
Windows Storage		Supports up to 64 sockets but is licensed on a two-socket, incrementing	STUDENT
Server 2016 Standard		basis. This edition supports up to 4 TB of RAM. It includes two virtual
edition		machine licenses. It supports domain joining. It supports some roles,	USE
		including Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration
		Protocol (DHCP) server roles, but does not support others, including
		Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), Active Directory Certificate
		Services (AD CS), or Active Directory Federation  Services (AD FS).

70-740 Installation, Storage, and Compute with Windows Server 2016

Course Outline 20740B


Module 1: Installing, upgrading, and migrating servers and workloads
This module describes the new features of Windows Server 2016, and explains how to prepare for and install Nano Server and Server Core. This module also describes how to plan a server upgrade and migration strategy, and explains how to perform a migration of server roles and workloads within and across domains. Finally, this module explains how to choose an activation model based on your environment characteristics.


Lessons

• Introducing Windows Server 2016
• Preparing and installing Nano Server and Server Core
features and feature improvements were introduced in Windows Server 2016:


Lab : Installing and configuring Nano Server
• Installing Nano Server
• Completing post-installation tasks on Nano Server
 managing-and-configuring-nano-server 
• Prepare for and install Nano Server and Server Core.
• Plan a server upgrade and migration strategy.
• Perform a migration of server roles and workloads within a domain and across domains.
• Choose an activation model.

Module 2: Configuring local storage
This module explains how to manage disks and volumes in Windows Server 2016.Lessons
• Managing disks in Windows Server
• Managing volumes in Windows Server

Lab : Configuring local storage
• Creating and managing volumes
• Resizing volumes
• Managing virtual hard disks
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Manage disks in Windows Server.
• Manage volumes in Windows Server.


Module 3: Implementing enterprise storage solutions
This module discusses direct-attached storage (DAS), network-attached storage (NAS), and storage area networks (SANs). It also explains the purpose of Microsoft Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) Server, data center bridging (DCB), and Multipath I/O (MPIO). Additionally, this module compares Fibre Channel, Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI), and Fibre
Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), and describes how to configure sharing in Windows Server 2016.
Lessons
• Overview of DAS, NAS, and SANs
• Comparing Fibre Channel, iSCSI, and Fibre Channel over Ethernet
• Understanding iSNS, DCB, and MPIO
• Configuring sharing in Windows Server 2016


Lab : Planning and configuring storage technologies and components
• Planning storage requirements
• Configuring iSCSI storage
• Configuring and managing the share infrastructure
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe DAS, NAS, and SANs.
• Compare Fibre Channel iSCSI, and FCoE.
• Explain the use of iSNS, DCB, and MPIO.
• Configure sharing in Windows Server.


Module 4: Implementing Storage Spaces and Data Deduplication
This module explains how to implement and manage Storage Spaces. This module also explains how to implement Data Deduplication.
Lessons
• Implementing Storage Spaces
• Managing Storage Spaces
• Implementing Data Deduplication
Lab : Implementing Storage Spaces
• Creating a Storage Space
Lab : Implementing Data Deduplication
• Installing Data Deduplication
• Configuring Data Deduplication
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe and implement the Storage Spaces feature in the context of enterprise storage needs.
• Manage and maintain Storage Spaces.
• Describe and implement Data Deduplication.


Module 5: Installing and configuring Hyper-V and virtual machines
This module provides an overview of Hyper-V and virtualization. It explains how to install Hyper-V, and how to configure storage and networking on Hyper-V host servers. Additionally, it explains how to configure and manage Hyper-V virtual machines.
Lessons
• Overview of Hyper-V
• Installing Hyper-V
• Configuring storage on Hyper-V host servers
• Configuring networking on Hyper-V host servers
• Configuring Hyper-V virtual machines
• Managing virtual machines
Lab : Installing and configuring Hyper-V
• Verify installattion of the Hyper-V server role
• Configuring Hyper-V networks
• Creating and configuring a virtual machines
• Enable nested virtualization for a virtual machine
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe Hyper-V and virtualization.
• Install Hyper-V.
• Configure storage on Hyper-V host servers.
• Configure networking on Hyper-V host servers.
• Configure Hyper-V virtual machines.
• Manage Hyper-V virtual machines.


Module 6: Deploying and managing Windows and Hyper-V containers
This module provides and overview of containers in Windows Server 2016. Additionally, this module explains how to deploy Windows Server and Hyper-V containers. It also explains how to install, configure, and manage containers by using Docker.
Lessons
• Overview of containers in Windows Server 2016
• Deploying Windows Server and Hyper-V containers
• Installing, configuring, and managing containers by using Docker
Lab : Installing and configuring containers
• Installing and configuring Windows Server containers by using Windows PowerShell
• Installing and configuring Windows Server containers by using Docker Installing
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe containers in Windows Server 2016.
• Explain how to deploy containers.
• Explain how to install, configure, and manage containers using Docker.


Module 7: Overview of high availability and disaster recovery
This module provides an overview of high availability and high availability with failover clustering in Windows Server 2016. It further explains how to plan high availability and disaster recovery solutions with Hyper-V virtual machines. Additionally, this module explains how to back up and restore the Windows Server 2016 operating system and data by using Windows Server Backup.
Lessons
• Defining levels of availability
• Planning high availability and disaster recovery solutions with Hyper-V virtual machines
• Backing up and restoring by using Windows Server Backup
• High availability with failover clustering in Windows Server 2016
Lab : Planning and implementing a high availability and disaster recovery solution
• Determining the appropriate high availability and disaster recovery solution
• Implementing storage migration
• Configuring Hyper-V replicas
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe levels of availability.
• Plan for high availability and disaster recovery solutions with Hyper-V virtual machines.
• Back up and restore data by using Windows Server Backup.
• Describe high availability with failover clustering in Window Server 2016.

Module 8: Implementing failover clustering
This module explains how to plan for failover clustering. It also explains how to create, manage, and troubleshoot a failover cluster.
Lessons
• Planning a failover cluster
• Creating and configuring a new failover cluster
• Maintaining a failover cluster
• Troubleshooting a failover cluster
• Implementing site high availability with stretch clustering
Lab : Implementing a failover clustering
• Creating a failover cluster
• Verifying quorum settings and adding a node
Lab : Managing a failover cluster
• Evicting a node and verifying quorum settings
• Changing the quorum from Disk Witness to File Share Witness, and defining node voting
• Verifying high availability
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Plan for a failover-clustering implementation.
• Create and configure a failover cluster.
• Maintain a failover cluster.
• Troubleshoot a failover cluster.
• Implement high availability and stretch clustering for a site.


Module 9: Implementing failover clustering with Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V
This module describes how Hyper-V integrates with failover clustering. It also explains how to implement Hyper-V virtual machines (VMs) in failover clusters.Lessons
• Overview of the integration of Hyper-V Server 2016 with failover clustering
• Implementing Hyper-V VMs on failover clusters
• Key features for VMs in a clustered environment
Lab : Implementing failover clustering with Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V
• Configure iSCSI storage
• Configuring a failover cluster for Hyper-V
• Configuring a highly available VM
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe how Hyper-V integrates with failover clustering.
• Implement Hyper-V VMs on failover clusters.
• Describe the key features for VMs in a clustered environment.
Module 10: Implementing Network Load Balancing
This module provides an overview of NLB clusters. It also explains how to plan and configure an NLB cluster implementation.Lessons
• Overview of NLB
• Configuring an NLB cluster
• Planning an NLB implementation
Lab : Implementing NLB
• Implementing a Network Load Balancing (NLB) cluster
• Configuring and managing the NLB cluster
• Validating high availability for the NLB cluster
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe NLB.
• Configure an NLB cluster.
• Explain how to plan an NLB implementation.


Module 11: Creating and managing deployment images
This module provides an overview of the Windows Server 2016 image deployment process. It also explains how to create and manage deployment images by using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT). Additionally, it describes different workloads in the virtual machine environment.Lessons
• Introduction to deployment images
• Creating and managing deployment images by using MDT
• Virtual machine environments for different workloads
Lab : Using MDT to deploy Windows Server 2016
• Configuring MDT
• Creating and deploying an image
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the Windows Server 2016 image deployment process.
• Create and manage deployment images by using MDT.
• Describe the different workloads in the virtual machine environment.


Module 12: Managing, monitoring, and maintaining virtual machine installations
This module provides an overview on Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) and the requirements to implement WSUS. It explains how to manage the update process with WSUS. Additionally, this module provides an overview of Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) and Windows Server 2016 monitoring tools. Finally, this module describes how to use Performance Monitor, and how to manage event logs.Lessons
• WSUS overview and deployment options
• Update management process with WSUS
• Overview of Windows PowerShell DSC
• Overview of Windows Server 2016 monitoring tools
• Using Performance Monitor
• Monitoring event logs
Lab : Implementing WSUS and deploying updates
• Implementing WSUS
• Configuring update settings
• Approving and deploying an update by using WSUS
Lab : Monitoring and troubleshooting Windows Server 2016
• Establishing a performance baseline
• Identifying the source of a performance problem
• Viewing and configuring centralized event logs
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the purpose of WSUS and the requirements to implement WSUS.
• Manage the update process with WSUS.
• Describe the purpose and benefits of Windows PowerShell DSC.
• Describe the monitoring tools available in Windows Server 2016.
• Use Performance Monitor.
• Manage event logs.

How To Deploy Nano Server Windows Server 2016 Step-By-Step

Nano Server is a new and super small footprint of Windows Server 2016.  You do not deploy by using the setup like you do with other versions of the OS. Nano Server is deployed via PowerShell.  The files and scripts needed for deployment are on the Windows server 2016 ISO image. There are several different options for running Nano Server.  Do you want to run as a host or on a VM?  Do you want to use a custom image or a basic deployment?  This article will cover these and more, giving you the information you need to get started playing with Nano Server 2016.  There is no GUI and there is no RDP to a Nano Server.  Remote management is however enabled by default.  You simply need the IP address and credentials.

Follow the steps to get started quickly with a basic deployment of Nano Server using DHCP to obtain an IP address. The sections that come after go into more detail about further customizing the image for your specific needs, as well as remotely managing Nano Server. You can run a Nano Server VHD either in a virtual machine or boot to it on a physical computer; the steps are slightly different. 

Nano Server is ideal for a number of scenarios including:

• As a “compute” host for Hyper-V virtual machines, either in clusters or not
• As a storage host for Scale-Out File Server.
• As a DNS server
• As a web server running Internet Information Services (IIS)
• As a host for applications that are developed using cloud application patterns and run in a container or virtual machine guest operating system

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Nano Server in a virtual machine

Follow these steps to create a Nano Server VHD that will run in a virtual machine.

To quickly deploy Nano Server in a virtual machine

1. Copy NanoServerImageGenerator.psm1 and Convert-WindowsImage.ps1 from the NanoServer folder in the Windows Server Technical Preview ISO to a folder on your hard drive.
2. Start Windows PowerShell as an administrator, change directory to the folder where you’ve placed these scripts and then import the NanoServerImageGenerator script with Import-Module NanoServerImageGenerator.psm1 -Verbose

Create a VHD that sets a computer name and includes the Hyper-V guest drivers by running the following command which will prompt you for an administrator password for the new VHD:

New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath <path to root of media> -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .NanoServerVMNanoServerVM.vhd -ComputerName <computer name> -GuestDrivers where

• <path to root of media> is the path that you provide to the root of the contents of the Technical Preview ISO. For example if you have copied the contents of the ISO to d:TP4ISO you would use that path.
• -BasePath specifies a folder that will be created to copy the Nano Server WIM and packages to.
• -TargetPath specifies the full path, including the filename and extension, where the resulting VHD or VHDX will be created.
• Computer_name is the computer name you provide for the Nano Server virtual machine you are creating.

Example: New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath f: -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .Nano1Nano.vhd -ComputerName Nano1 –GuestDrivers

This example creates a VHD from an ISO mounted as f:. When creating the VHD it will use a folder called Base in the same directory where you ran New-NanoServerImage; it will place the VHD (called Nano.vhd) in a folder called Nano1 in the folder from where the command is run. The computer name will be Nano1 and will have virtual machine drivers installed for running Hyper-V.If you want a Generation 1 virtual machine, generate a VHD image by specifying a .vhd extension for -TargetPath. For a Generation 2 virtual machine, generate a VHDX image by specifying a .vhdx extension for -TargetPath.

Note

New-NanoServerImage is supported on Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2016 Threshold Preview.

1. In Hyper-V Manager, create a new virtual machine and use the VHD created in Step 3.
2. Boot the virtual machine and in Hyper-V Manager connect to the virtual machine.
3. Log on to the Recovery Console (see the “Nano Server Recovery Console” section in this guide), using the administrator and password you supplied while running the script in Step 3.
4. Obtain the IP address of the Nano Server virtual machine and use Windows PowerShell remoting or other remote management tool to connect to and remotely manage the virtual machine.

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Nano Server on a physical computer

You can also create a Nano Server VHD that will run Server Core on a physical computer, using the pre-installed device drivers. If your hardware requires a driver that is not already provided in order to boot or connect to a network, follow the steps in the “Adding Additional Drivers” section of this guide.

To quickly deploy Nano Server on a physical computer

1. Copy NanoServerImageGenerator.psm1 and Convert-WindowsImage.ps1 from the NanoServer folder in the Windows Server Technical Preview ISO to a folder on your hard drive
2. Start Windows PowerShell as an administrator, change directory to the folder where you’ve placed these scripts and then import the NanoServerImageGenerator script with Import-Module NanoServerImageGenerator.psm1 -Verbose.
3. Create a VHD that sets a computer name and includes the OEM drivers and Hyper-V by running the following command which will prompt you for an administrator password for the new VHD:
   New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath <path to root of media> -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .NanoServerPhysicalNanoServer.vhd -ComputerName <computer name> -OEMDrivers -Compute where
   • <path to root of media> is the path to the root of the contents of the Technical Preview ISO. For example if you have copied the contents of the ISO to d:TP4ISO you would use that path.
   • BasePath is a folder that will be created to copy the Nano Server WIM and packages to. (This parameter is optional.)
   • TargetPath is a folder that will be created where the resulting VHD will be created.
   • Computer_name is the computer name for the Nano Server virtual machine you are creating.

   Example: New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath F: -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .Nano1NanoServer.vhd -ComputerName Nano-srv1 -OEMDrivers –Compute -Clustering

   This example creates a VHD from an ISO mounted as f:. When creating the VHD it will use a folder called Base in the same directory where you ran New-NanoServerImage; it will place the VHD in a folder called Nano1 in the folder from where the command is run. The computer name will be Nano-srv1 and will have OEM drivers installed for most common hardware and has the Hyper-V role and the clustering feature enabled. If the server uses UEFI to boot, change NanoServer.vhd to NanoServer.vhdx.

4. Log in as an administrator on the physical server where you want to run the Nano Server VHD.
5. Copy the VHD that this script creates to the physical computer and configure it to boot from this new VHD. To do that, follow these steps:
   1. Mount the generated VHD. In this example, it’s mounded under D:.
   2. Run bcdboot d:windows.
   3. Unmount the VHD.
6. Boot the physical computer into the Nano Server VHD.
7. Log on to the Recovery Console (see the “Nano Server Recovery Console” section in this guide), using the administrator and password you supplied while running the script in Step 3.
8. Obtain the IP address of the Nano Server computer and use Windows PowerShell remoting or other remote management tool to connect to and remotely manage the virtual machine.

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Custom Deployment Images

For Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview, Nano Server is distributed on the physical media, where you will find a NanoServer folder; this contains a .wim image and a subfolder called Packages. It is these package files that you use to add server roles and features to the VHD image, which you then boot to.

This table shows the roles and features that are available in this release of Nano Server, along with the Windows PowerShell options that will install the packages for them. Some packages are installed directly with their own Windows PowerShell options (such as -Compute); others you install as extensions to the -Packages option, which you can combine in a comma-separated list.

Role or feature	Option
Hyper-V role	-Compute
Failover Clustering	-Clustering
Hyper-V guest drivers for hosting Nano Server as a virtual machine	-GuestDrivers
Basic drivers for a variety of network adapters and storage controllers. This is the same set of drivers included in a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview.	-OEMDrivers
File Server role and other storage components	-Storage
Windows Defender Antimalware, including a default signature file	-Defender
Reverse forwarders for application compatibility, for example common application frameworks such as Ruby, Node.js, etc.	-ReverseForwarders
DNS Server role	-Packages Microsoft-NanoServer-DNS-Package
Desired State Configuration (DSC)	-Packages Microsoft-NanoServer-DSC-Package
Internet Information Server (IIS)	-Packages Microsoft-NanoServer-IIS-Package Note See the IIS on Nano Server sub-topic for details about working with IIS.
Host support for Windows Containers	-Containers
System Center Virtual Machine Manager agent	-Packages Microsoft-Windows-Server-SCVMM-Package -Packages Microsoft-Windows-Server-SCVMM-Compute-Package Note Use this package only if you are monitoring Hyper-V. If you install this package, do not use the -Compute option for the Hyper-V role; instead use the -Packages option to install -Packages Microsoft-NanoServer-Compute-Package, Microsoft-Windows-Server-SCVMM-Compute-Package
Network Performance Diagnostics Service (NPDS)	-Packages Microsoft-NanoServer-NPDS-Package
Data Center Bridging	-Packages Microsoft-NanoServer-DCB-Package

Note

When you install packages with these options, a corresponding language pack is also installed based on the configured locale of the administrator account. If, for example, your locale is set to France (fr_fr) but you are configuring a Swedish image (sv_se), you will receive an error stating that the fr_fr packages are not present. To set the cmdlet to use a different language, use the -Language parameter (for example, -Language sv_se). You can find the available language packs and their locale abbreviations in the installation media in subfolders named for the locale of the image.

Tip

To convert the WIM image to a VHD

1. Copy NanoServerImageGenerator.psm1 and Convert-WindowsImage.ps1 from the NanoServer folder in the Windows Server Technical Preview ISO to your hard drive.
2. Start an elevated Windows PowerShell console, change directory to the folder where you placed these scripts, and then import the NanoServerImageGenerator script with Import-Module NanoServerImageGenerator.psm1 -Verbose.

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This example creates a GPT-based VHDX image with a given computer name and including Hyper-V guest drivers, starting with Nano Server installation media on a network share. In an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt, start with this cmdlet:

Import-Module <Server media location>NanoServerNanoServerImageGenerator.psm1; New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath \PathToMediaen_us -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .FirstStepsNano.vhdx -ComputerName FirstStepsNano -GuestDrivers

The cmdlet will accomplish all of these tasks:

1. Prompt you for the Administrator password
2. Copy installation media from \PathToMediaen_us into .Base
3. Convert the WIM image to a VHD. (The file extension of the target path argument determines whether it creates an MBR-based VHD for Generation 1 virtual machines versus a GPT-based VHDX for Generation 2 virtual machines.)
4. Copy the resulting VHD into .FirstStepsNano.vhdx
5. Set the Administrator password for the image as specified
6. Set the computer name of the image to FirstStepsNano
7. Install the Hyper-V guest drivers

All of this results in an image of .FirstStepsNano.vhdx.

The cmdlet generates a log as it runs and will let you know where this log is located once it is finished. The WIM-to-VHD conversion accomplished by the companion script generates its own log in %TEMP%Convert-WindowsImage<GUID> (where <GUID> is a unique identifier per conversion session).

As long as you use the same base path, you can omit the media path parameter every time you run this cmdlet, since it will use cached files from the base path. If you don’t specify a base path, the cmdlet will generate a default one in the TEMP folder. If you want to use different source media, but the same base path, you should specify the media path parameter, however.

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More tips on Nano Server

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Joining Domains

New-NanoServerImage offers two methods of joining a domain; both rely on offline domain provisioning, but one harvests a blob to accomplish the join. In this example, the cmdlet harvests a domain blob for the Contoso domain from the local computer (which of course must be part of the Contoso domain), then it performs offline provisioning of the image using the blob:

New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath \PathToMediaen_us -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .JoinDomHarvest.vhdx -ComputerName JoinDomHarvest -DomainName Contoso

When this cmdlet completes, you should find a computer named “JoinDomHarvest” in the Active Directory computer list.

You can also use this cmdlet on a computer that is not joined to a domain. To do this, harvest a blob from any computer that is joined to the domain, and then provide the blob to the cmdlet yourself. Note that when you harvest such a blob from another computer, the blob already includes that computer’s name–so if you try to add the -ComputerName parameter, an error will result.

You can harvest the blob with this command:

djoin /Provision /Domain Contoso /Machine JoiningDomainsNoHarvest /SaveFile JoiningDomainsNoHarvest.djoin

Run New-NanoServerImage using the harvested blob:

New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath \PathToMediaen_us -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .JoinDomNoHrvest.vhd -DomainBlobPath .PathToDomainBlobJoinDomNoHrvestContoso.djoin

In the event that you already have a node in the domain with the same computer name as your future Nano Server, you could reuse the computer name by adding the -ReuseDomainNode parameter.

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Injecting drivers

Nano Server offers a package that includes a set of basic drivers for a variety of network adapters and storage controllers; it’s possible that drivers for your network adapters might not be included. You can use this syntax to have New-NanoServerImage search the directory for available drivers and inject them into the Nano Server image:

New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath \PathToMediaen_us -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .InjectingDrivers.vhdx -DriversPath .ExtraDrivers

Note

In the folder where you keep your drivers, both the SYS files and corresponding INF files must be present. Also, Nano Server only supports signed, 64-bit drivers.

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Connecting with WinRM

To be able to connect to a Nano Server computer using Windows Remote Management (WinRM) (from another computer that is not on the same subnet), open port 5985 for inbound TCP traffic on the Nano Server image. Use this cmdlet:

New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath \PathToMediaen_us -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .ConnectingOverWinRM.vhd -EnableRemoteManagementPort

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Setting static IP addresses

To configure a Nano Server image to use static IP addresses, first find the name or index of the interface you want to modify by using Get-NetAdapter, netsh, or the Nano Server Recovery Console. Use the -Ipv6Address, -Ipv4Address, -Ipv4SubnetMask, or -Ipv4Gateway extensions to specify the configuration, as in this example:

New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath \PathToMediaen_us -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .StaticIpv4.vhd -InterfaceNameOrIndex Ethernet -Ipv4Address 192.168.1.2 -Ipv4SubnetMask 255.255.255.0 -Ipv4Gateway 192.168.1.1

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Custom image size

You can configure the Nano Server image to be a dynamically expanding VHD or VHDX with the -MaxSize extension, as in this example:

New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath \PathToMediaen_us -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .BigBoss.vhd -MaxSize 100GB

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Embedding custom data

To embed your own script or binaries in the Nano Server image, use the -MergePath extension:

New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath \PathToMediaen_us -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .BigBoss.vhd -MergePath .tools

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Preparing for Azure

If you want to run Nano Server in Azure, the Hyper-V guest drivers are required, along with opening the remote management port. Both of these features are provided in one step by the -ForAzure extension:

New-NanoServerImage -MediaPath \PathToMediaen_us -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .NanoServerOnAzure.vhdx -ForAzure

ToMediaen_us -BasePath .Base -TargetPath .NanoServerOnAzure.vhdx -ForAzure

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Joining Nano Server to a domain

To add Nano Server to a domain online

1. Harvest a data blob from a computer in the domain that is already running Windows Threshold Server using this command:
   djoin.exe /provision /domain <domain-name> /machine <machine-name> /savefile .odjblob
   This saves the data blob in a file called “odjblob”.
2. Copy the “odjblob” file to the Nano Server computer with these commands:
   net use z: \<ip address of Nano Server>c$
   Note
   If the net use command fails, you probably need to adjust Windows Firewall rules. To do this, first open an elevated command prompt, start Windows PowerShell and then connect to the Nano Server computer with Windows PowerShell Remoting with these commands:
   Set-Item WSMan:localhostClientTrustedHosts “<IP address of Nano Server>”
   $ip = “<ip address of Nano Server>”
   Enter-PSSession -ComputerName $ip -Credential $ipAdministrator
   When prompted, provide the Administrator password, then run this command to set the firewall rule:
   netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group=”File and Printer Sharing” new enable=yes
   Exit Windows PowerShell with Exit-PSSession, and then retry the net use command. If successful, continue copying the “odjblob” file contents to the Nano Server.
   md z:Temp
   copy odjblob z:Temp
3. Open an elevated command prompt, start Windows PowerShell and then connect to the Nano Server computer with Windows PowerShell remoting with these commands:
   Set-Item WSMan:localhostClientTrustedHosts “<IP address of Nano Server>”
   $ip = “<ip address of Nano Server>”
   Enter-PSSession -ComputerName $ip -Credential $ipAdministrator
   When prompted, provide the Administrator password, then run this command to join the domain:
   djoin /requestodj /loadfile c:Tempodjblob /windowspath c:windows /localos
4. Restart the Nano Server computer, and then exist the Windows PowerShell session:
   shutdown /r /t 5
   Exit-PSSession
5. After you have joined Nano Server to a domain, add the domain user account to the Administrators group on the Nano Server.

Alternate method to join a domain in one step

First, harvest the data blob from another computer running Windows Threshold Server that is already in your domain using this command:

djoin.exe /provision /domain <domain-name> /machine <machine-name> /savefile .odjblob

Open the file “odjblob” (perhaps in Notepad), copy its contents, and then paste the contents into the <AccountData> section of the Unattend.xml file below.

Put this Unattend.xml file into the C:NanoServer folder, and then use the following commands to mount the VHD and apply the settings in the offlineServicing section:

dismdism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:.NanoServer.vhd /Index:1 /MountDir:.mountdir

dismdism /image:.mountdir /Apply-Unattend:.unattend.xml

Create a “Panther” folder (used by Windows systems for storing files during setup; see Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Vista setup log file locations if you’re curious), copy the Unattend.xml file to it, and then unmount the VHD with these commands:

md .mountdirwindowspanther

copy .unattend.xml .mountdirwindowspanther

dismdism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:.mountdir /Commit

The first time you boot Nano Server from this VHD, the other settings will be applied.

After you have joined Nano Server to a domain, add the domain user account to the Administrators group on the Nano Server.

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Using the Nano Server Recovery Console

Starting with Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview, Nano Server includes an Recovery Console that ensures you can access your Nano Server even if a network mis-configuration interferes with connecting to the Nano Server. You can use the Recovery Console to fix the network and then use your usual remote management tools.

When you boot Nano Server in either a virtual machine or on a physical computer that has a monitor and keyboard attached, you’ll see a full-screen, text-mode logon prompt. Log into this prompt with an administrator account to see the computer name and IP address of the Nano Server. You can use these commands to navigate in this console:

• Use arrow keys to scroll
• Use TAB to move to any text that starts with >; then press ENTER to select.
• To go back one screen or page, press ESC. If you’re on the home page, pressing ESC will log you off.
• Some screens have additional capabilities displayed on the last line of the screen. For example, if you explore a network adapter, F4 will disable the network adapter.

In Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview, the Recovery Console allows you to view and configure network adapters and TCP/IP settings, as well as firewall rules.

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Managing Nano Server remotely

Nano Server is 100% managed remotely. There is no local logon capability at all, nor does it support Terminal Services. However, you have a wide variety of options for managing Nano Server remotely, including Windows PowerShell, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), Windows Remote Management, and Emergency Management Services (EMS).

To use any remote management tool, you will probably need to know the IP address of the Nano Server. Some ways to find out the IP address include:

• Use the Nano Recovery Console (see the Using the Nano Server Recovery Console section of this topic for details).
• Connect a serial cable to the computer and use EMS.
• Using the computer name you assigned to the Nano Server while configuring it, you can get the IP address with ping. For example, ping NanoServer-PC /4.

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Using Windows PowerShell remoting

To manage Nano Server with Windows PowerShell remoting, you need to add the IP address of the Nano Server to your management computer’s list of trusted hosts, add the account you are using to the Nano Server’s administrators, and enable CredSSP if you plan to use that feature.

To add the Nano Server to the list of trusted hosts, run this command at an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt:

Set-Item WSMan:localhostClientTrustedHosts “<IP address of Nano Server>”

To start the remote Windows PowerShell session, start an elevated local Windows PowerShell session, and then run these commands:

$ip = “<IP address of Nano Server>”

$user = “$ipAdministrator”

Enter-PSSession -ComputerName $ip -Credential $user

You can now run Windows PowerShell commands on the Nano Server as normal.

Note

Not all Windows PowerShell commands are available in this release of Nano Server. To see which are available, run Get-Command -CommandType Cmdlet

Stop the remote session with the command Exit-PSSession

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Using Windows PowerShell CIM sessions over WinRM

You can use CIM sessions and instances in Windows PowerShell to run WMI commands over Windows Remote Management (WinRM).

Start the CIM session by running these commands in a Windows PowerShell prompt:

$ip = “<IP address of the Nano Server>”

$ipAdministrator

$cim = New-CimSession –Credential $user –ComputerName $ip

With the session established, you can run various WMI commands, for example:

Get-CimInstance –CimSession $cim –ClassName Win32_ComputerSystem | Format-List *

Get-CimInstance -CimSession $Cim -Query “SELECT * from Win32_Process WHERE name LIKE ‘p%'”

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Windows Remote Management

You can run programs remotely on the Nano Server with Windows Remote Management (WinRM). To use WinRM, first configure the service and set the code page with these commands at an elevated command prompt:

winrm quickconfig

winrm set winrm/config/client @{TrustedHosts=”*”}

chcp 65001

Now you can run commands remotely on the Nano Server. For example:

winrs –r:<IP address of Nano Server> -u:Administrator -p:<Nano Server administrator password> ipconfig

For more information about Windows Remote Management, see <LINKS>.

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Using Hyper-V on Nano Server

Hyper-V works the same on Nano Server as it does on Windows Server in Server Core mode, with two exceptions:

• You must perform all management remotely and the management computer must be running the same build of Windows Server as the Nano Server. Older versions of Hyper-V Manager or Hyper-V Windows PowerShell cmdlets will not work.
• RemoteFX is not available.

In this release, these features of Hyper-V have been verified:

• Enabling Hyper-V
• Creation of Generation 1 and Generation 2 virtual machines
• Creation of virtual switches
• Starting virtual machines and running Windows guest operating systems

Note

Hyper-V Replica is not supported in this release.

If you want to perform a live migration of virtual machines, create a virtual machine on an SMB share, or connect resources on an existing SMB share to an existing virtual machine, it is vital that you configure authentication correctly. You have two options for doing this:

Constrained delegation

Constrained delegation works exactly the same as in previous releases. Refer to these articles for more information:

• Enabling Hyper-V Remote Management – Configuring Constrained Delegation For SMB and Highly Available SMB
• Enabling Hyper-V Remote Management – Configuring Constrained Delegation For Non-Clustered Live Migration

CredSSP

First, refer to the “Using Windows PowerShell remoting” section of this topic to enable and test CredSSP. Then, on the management computer, you can use Hyper-V Manager and select the option to “connect as another user.” Hyper-V Manager will use CredSSP. You should do this even if you are using your current account.

Windows PowerShell cmdlets for Hyper-V can use CimSession or Credential parameters, either of which work with CredSSP.

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Using Failover Clustering on Nano Server

Failover clustering works the same on Nano Server as it does on Windows Server in Server Core mode, but keep these caveats in mind:

• Clusters must be managed remotely with Failover Cluster Manager or Windows PowerShell.
• All Nano Server cluster nodes must be joined to the same domain, similar to cluster nodes in Windows Server.
• The domain account must have Administrator privileges on all Nano Server nodes, as with cluster nodes in Windows Server.
• All commands must be run in an elevated command prompt.

Note

Additionally, certain features are not supported in this release:

• You cannot run failover clustering cmdlets on a local Nano Server through Windows PowerShell.
• Clustering roles other than Hyper-V and File Server.

You’ll find these Windows PowerShell cmdlets useful in managing Failover clusters:

You can create a new cluster with New-Cluster -Name <clustername> -Node <comma-separated cluster node list>

Once you’ve established a new cluster, you should run Set-StorageSetting -NewDiskPolicy OfflineShared on all nodes.

Add an additional node to the cluster with Add-ClusterNode -Name <comma-separated cluster node list> -Cluster <clustername>

Remove a node from the cluster with Remove-ClusterNode -Name <comma-separated cluster node list> -Cluster <clustername>

Create a Scale-Out File Server with Add-ClusterScaleoutFileServerRole -name <sofsname> -cluster <clustername>

You can find additional cmdlets for failover clustering at Microsoft.FailoverClusters.PowerShell.

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Using DNS Server on Nano Server

To provide Nano Server with the DNS Server role, add the Microsoft-NanoServer-DNS-Package to the image (see the “Creating a custom Nano Server image” section of this topic. Once the Nano Server is running, connect to it and run this command from and elevated Windows PowerShell console to enable the feature:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName DNS-Server-Full-Role

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Using IIS on Nano Server

For steps to use the Internet Information Services (IIS) role, see IIS on Nano Server.

Source: Getting Started with Nano Server Please see the post for even more great information  https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt126167.aspx