Last week I was at TechED 2007 in Orlando, and had a great time learning about the new wave of Microsoft products. One of the big releases this year is Windows Server 2008 it. Vista and WS2008 share the same code base, for better or worse. So I was expecting some changes from server 2003, but there really are some major changes coming in the pipeline that are exciting. I will cover some of the big changes in a series of blogs.
One of the brand new features is Server Core. Server core is a stripped down GUI-less version that is approximately half the size of a regular installation. It does not have the .NET CLR, Explorer, etc. When you log in you get a standard command prompt, nothing more.
Microsoft has defined eight roles for core: DHCP, DNS, AD, file/print, virtualization, IIS, and a couple of others. It is designed for remote administration, and you can connect to Core via regular MMC tools from the network.
Why Core? Microsoft states a number of reasons. I think the primary is to beter compete with Linux, where you can run without a GUI. But it some scenarios it makes sense. With less components installed, there is less surface area for attack and to patch. For example, if an IE patch comes out (and when don’t they?) you won’t need to install it on Core and possibly avoid a reboot. So availability should be higher due to fewer patches and less components running.
To administer the server locally, you have the usual MS commands of net user, netsh, netdom, dcpromo, etc. They included a new utility called ocsetup that assists in configuring the roles you want the server to host.
The primary role that I can see which would benefit from Core is virtualization. With less services and components running, VMs should be able to run more efficiently. It’s also good for branch offices where you would normally administer the machine remotely. However, you need to make sure your remote administration methods are stable and reliable.
I also wonder about third party products, such as anti-virus, NIC teaming agents, and other software that normally is managed through a GUI. A program can open a GUI window, but there’s no explorer shell or start menu so you must remember the commands you want to use. Hello Unix!
