Overview of installing Nano Server
As mentioned previously, Nano Server cannot be directly installed from the installation media during setup. The files required for setting up Nano Server are located in the \NanoServer folder located on the Windows Server 2016 Installation media. Nano Server is installed using one of three methods:
Deploying a VHD image that will be hosted as a virtual machine on a Hyper-V host.
Deploying a VHD as a bootable drive on a physical computer.
Deploying a Nano Server WIM file on a physical computer. The steps are similar for each option:
Copy the NanoServerImageGenerator folder from the NanoServer folder on the Windows Server 2016 installation media to a folder on your local machine.
Start Windows PowerShell as an administrator and change the directory to the NanoServerImageGenerator folder on your local drive.
Import the NanoServerImageGenerator module by using the following Windows PowerShell Import-Module cmdlet:
Import-Module .\NanoServerImageGenerator -Verbose
Create the VHD or WIM by using the New-NanoServerImage cmdlet with the following syntax:
New-NanoServerImage -Edition <edition> -DeploymentType <deployment type> -MediaPath <media path> -BasePath <base path> -TargetPath <target path> -ComputerName <computer name> -Packages <packages> -<other package switches>
where:
Edition – is the Windows Server 2016 edition the Nano Server will be based on; either Standard or Datacenter.
Deployment type – The type of deployment; Host for WIM or bootable VHD, Guest for VHDs hosted in Hyper-V. •
Media path – The path to the root of the Windows Server 2016 installation media.
You can also install roles and features by using Deployment Image
As mentioned previously, Nano Server cannot be directly installed from the installation media during setup. The files required for setting up Nano Server are located in the \NanoServer folder located on the Windows Server 2016 Installation media. Nano Server is installed using one of three methods:
Deploying a VHD image that will be hosted as a virtual machine on a Hyper-V host.
Deploying a VHD as a bootable drive on a physical computer.
Deploying a Nano Server WIM file on a physical computer. The steps are similar for each option:
Copy the NanoServerImageGenerator folder from the NanoServer folder on the Windows Server 2016 installation media to a folder on your local machine.
Start Windows PowerShell as an administrator and change the directory to the NanoServerImageGenerator folder on your local drive.
Import the NanoServerImageGenerator module by using the following Windows PowerShell Import-Module cmdlet:
Import-Module .\NanoServerImageGenerator -Verbose
Create the VHD or WIM by using the New-NanoServerImage cmdlet with the following syntax:
New-NanoServerImage -Edition <edition> -DeploymentType <deployment type> -MediaPath <media path> -BasePath <base path> -TargetPath <target path> -ComputerName <computer name> -Packages <packages> -<other package switches>
where:
Edition – is the Windows Server 2016 edition the Nano Server will be based on; either Standard or Datacenter.
Deployment type – The type of deployment; Host for WIM or bootable VHD, Guest for VHDs hosted in Hyper-V. •
Media path – The path to the root of the Windows Server 2016 installation media.
Base path – This optional switch is used when creating a WIM file. When creating a WIM file, the
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Nano Server binaries will be copied to this folder so that the New-NanoServerWim cmdlet can
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be used to create a new image without specifying the -MediaPath switch.
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o Target path – The path and file name, including extension, of the Nano Server Image. The file
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type created depends on the file extension specified: .vhd for a Generation 1 virtual machine,
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.vhdx for a Generation virtual machine, and .wim for a WIM file.
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o Computer name – The name of the target Nano Server computer.
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o Packages – The -Packages switch is used to install certain roles and features, listed in the
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previous topic on Nano Server. Multiple packages can be combined in a comma-separated list.
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o Other package switches – Some Packages are installed using their own switches. See the previous
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topic for a complete list. If you want to deploy a Nano Server to a physical machine, be sure to
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use the -OEMDrivers switch to install the basic set of device drivers that are included in the
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Standard edition installation.
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The Windows PowerShell script prompts you for an administrator account and password when it is
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run.
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Deploying the Nano Server VHD in Hyper-V
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Once you create the VHD for the Nano Server, the steps for deploying the Nano Server in Hyper-V is
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similar to deploying any virtual machine:
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1. Create a new virtual machine, by using the VHD, in Hyper-V Manager.
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management tools to manage the server.
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2. Boot and then connect to the virtual machine from Hyper-V Manager.
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3. Log on to the Nano Server Recovery Console using the administrator account and password.
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4. Obtain the IP address for the virtual machine and connect to the Nano Server by using the remote
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Deploying the Nano Server VHD on a physical computer
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You can also run the Nano Server on a physical computer by using the VHD that you created. As noted
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previously, you must ensure that the OEM drivers for the most common hardware are installed by using the -OEMDrivers switch during VHD creation. The steps for deploying the VHD to the physical computer are as follows:
Sign in to the physical computer as an administrator.
Copy the VHD to the local computer.
Configure the VHD to boot by using the following steps:
Mount the VHD.
Run the bcdboot command targeting the VHD. For example, if the VHD is mounted to the E:\ drive:
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bcdboot e:\windows
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c. Unmount the VHD.
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4. Boot the computer into the Nano Server VHD.
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Deploying a Nano Server WIM
Creating a Nano Server WIM is as simple as specifying .wim as the file extension when providing the -
TargetPath value. Once the WIM file is created you can deploy it by using WinPE:
Ensure the .wim file is accessible from WinPE.
Boot into WinPE on the local server.
Use Diskpart.exe to prepare the local hard drive.
Apply the Nano Server image by using Dism.exe.
Remove the WinPE media if applicable, and reboot the system by using the following command:
Wpeutil.exe reboot
After you reboot the Nano Server from whichever deployment method you used:
Sign in to the Nano Server Recovery Console by using the administrator account and password.
Obtain the IP address of the Nano Server computer and use the remote management tools or Windows PowerShell to connect and manage the server.
Deploying a Nano Server WIM
Creating a Nano Server WIM is as simple as specifying .wim as the file extension when providing the -
TargetPath value. Once the WIM file is created you can deploy it by using WinPE:
Ensure the .wim file is accessible from WinPE.
Boot into WinPE on the local server.
Use Diskpart.exe to prepare the local hard drive.
Apply the Nano Server image by using Dism.exe.
Remove the WinPE media if applicable, and reboot the system by using the following command:
Wpeutil.exe reboot
After you reboot the Nano Server from whichever deployment method you used:
Sign in to the Nano Server Recovery Console by using the administrator account and password.
Obtain the IP address of the Nano Server computer and use the remote management tools or Windows PowerShell to connect and manage the server.
Managing and configuring Nano Server
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You can change the basic network configuration by using the Tab key to navigate to Networking and
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then pressing Enter. You can then select the appropriate network adapter from the list by using the cursor keys to navigate to the correct adapter and then pressing Enter.
The current network settings are displayed. You can press either F11 to configure IPv4 settings or F12 for IPv6 settings. If you choose to configure IPv4, use the F4 key to switch the settings. For example, to enable or disable DHCP, press F4. To enter a manual IPv4 configuration, disable DHCP and then use the number keys to type a suitable IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway. Press Enter twice to update the configuration. Press Esc repeatedly to return to the main menu.
Configuring the firewall
You might need to configure firewall settings to enable remote management. From the main Nano Server Recovery Console, press the Tab key to navigate to Firewall, and then press Enter. A list of firewall rules is displayed. Use the cursor keys to navigate up and down the list and press Enter for a rule you want to configure.
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For example, to enable remote event log management, locate the remote event log management (RPC)
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rule and press Enter. Press F4 to Enable/Disable. Press ESC and select the next rule, and then repeat the
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procedure. When you have configured all rules, press ESC to return to the main menu.
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Ongoing management
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Once you have configured the networking settings and enabled the appropriate remote management firewall ports for inbound communications, you can manage the Nano Server remotely by using either Server Manager, Windows PowerShell, or any other management tool by using the Connect to option to select the Nano Server. Typical management tasks include:
• Adding the computer to a domain
• Adding roles and features to the server
the domain and using that data blob when joining the domain. The basic steps for this follow. ONLY
Adding the Nano Server to a domain online
You perform an online domain join by harvesting a domain data blob from a computer already joined to
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1. Harvest the domain data blob from a computer running Windows Server 2016 that is already joined
to the domain by using the following command:
Djoin.exe /provision /domain <domain name> /machine <Nano Server machine name> /savefile <path and name of blob file>
2. Enable File and Printer Sharing on the Nano Server.
a. Using Windows PowerShell Remoting, connect to the Nano Server with the following commands from a Windows PowerShell session running as administrator:
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Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\client\TrustedHosts “<Nano Server IP address>”
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$ipaddress = “<Nano Server IP address>”
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Enter-PSSession -ComputerName $ipaddress -Credential $ipaddress\Administrator
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b. Provide the Administrator password and set the firewall rule to enable file and printer sharing:
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Netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group=”File and Printer Sharing” new
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enable=yes
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3. Copy the data blob file to the Nano Server by using the following commands:
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Net use z: \\<Nano Server IP address>\c$
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Md z:\temp
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copy <name of blob file> z:\temp
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4. Using the Windows PowerShell Remoting session, join the domain by using the following command:
Djoin.exe /requestodj /loadfile c:\temp\<name of blob file> /windowspath c:\windows /localos
5. Use the following commands to restart the Nano Server computer and exit the Windows PowerShell Remoting session:
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shutdown /r /t
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Exit-PSSession
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Adding roles and features to Nano Server online
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To install new roles and features to Nano Server online without editing or rebuilding the VHD, you will
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need to find and install those roles and features from the online repository by using the
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PackageManagement PowerShell module and the NanoServerPackage provider.
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You install the provider by using the following PackageManagement cmdlets:
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STUDENT
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Install-PackageProvider NanoServerPackage
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Import-PackageProvider NanoServerPackage
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Once the NanoServerPackage provider is installed you can find and install Nano Server packages by using
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either Nano Server specific cmdlets or the generic PackageManagement variations of those cmdlets. The
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Nano Server package cmdlets are:
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Find-NanoServerPackage
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Save-NanoServerPackage
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Install-NanoServerPackage
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You can use the Install-NanoServerPackage cmdlet to install packages to both online images and offline images.
