Windows Server 2008: Installation and deployment

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As mentioned in article 2 weeks ago ( http://tuquiosco.es/general/mejoras-en-windows-server-2008/ ), continue with a second article on the new Windows Server 2008. The following opinion piece, based on the fantastic book by Jonathan Hassell is titled "Windows Server 2008: The definitva guide", ISBN 978-0-59-651411-2 Print copyright 2008, we will explain the second chapter of installation and deployment of Windows Server 2008.

Having first read the article with the improvements in Windows Server 2008 ( http://tuquiosco.es/general/mejoras-en-windows-server-2008/ ), we can start talking about how to install and deploy the operating system.

Install Windows Server 2008 has become quite simple, the following steps we will discuss some aspects:

The first step is to choose settings such as language, country, currency, ... The second step is the key issue of license, if not introduce any key opens the window 3 in which we can choose which edition of Windows Server 2008 we want to install . Keep in mind that the version to be installed must correspond to the subsequent entry of the license. The third step corresponds to the window 4, where if you are installing Windows Server 2008 on another operating system, then we have two options enabled (Updgrade or Custom), if the contrary is a new facility will only have enabled the option Custom. The fourth step is to install the system, opens them to be patient and finish after restarting the computer.

After restarting the machine is presented to identify the window during the installation process we had to set this data. When we opened we identified the Initial Configuration Tasks component, one of the improvements that carries the Windows Server 2008.

Windows Initial Configuration Tasks

In this window you can configure all aspects that remain to us as networking, computer name and domain, updating, and more.

It is extremely desirable that the first thing to do is update the Windows Server 2008 to install the improvements, must click on the button "Download and install Update".

The same book advises users to strengthen their defenses before intruders such as viruses, Trojans, malware, worms, ... through the purchase of a firewall (Juniper and brands like D-Link have these products at a very affordable price).

Understanding product activation

We will try to explain a little more detail how to manage the product activation in Windows Server 2008.

Product activation is an anti-piracy system, as well you will know all. In essence, when you install a Windows Server 2008 on a machine with a specific license is created a unique hash key for each installation that comes out of a secret algorithm of Windows but is based on data from the hardware of the machine and the license the software. This hash is sent to Microsoft for validation and activate the product. The license activation might fail in two cases: 1 license is being installed on several computers or has been a change in the computer hardware that involves a change in the activation hash.

As with most Microsoft products, you have a grace period of 30 days to activate the license, if after this time and has not activated the product, it will not allow us entry into the system once the computer we loguemos .

There are two types of licensing for Windows Server 2008: A license for a machine (similar to OEM but with some variations) and by distributing licenses. The latter type of licensing is managed by the Volume Activation 2.0 tools enable individual machine allowing a network with a centrally managed license. This network management tool is the Key Management Service (KMS).

Once understood the process, "roughly" installation of Windows Server 2008, let's talk about how to deploy. In this section we will discuss:

- Windows Imaging format

- Windows PE

- Windows Deployment Services

Windows Imaging Format (WIM)

Windows Vista was the first to introduce the Windows Imaging Format, a way to create images of operating systems with hardware-independent format. WIM allows the creation of multiple images in a WIM file. The main improvement of the WIM format is the ability to edit images offline using external tools such as Internet Explorer management, you can add files and folders to the image, and do a lot more complex steps. Best of all is that for every change is not necessary to create a new image.

Windows PE (Windows Pre Environment)

Windows PE is an execution environment designed as a wizard for installing operating systems. This new format is much more visual and easy to use, and contains many additional tools to configure.

Windows Deployment Services (WDS)

It is the evolution of the tool Remote Installation Services (RIS) for managing the installation of operating systems through the network. The main changes between Windows Deployment Services and the old RIS are:

- The ability to deploy Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 from the simplicity of older operating systems.

- Windows PE can be used as a boot operating system

- Support for deployment of WIM

- Transmit data and images using multicast function, more scalable and efficient

- Improved server PXE (Preboot Executation Environment)

- New format of the boot menu, easy to use and easy to configure

- A consonla that helps manage the WDS servers in your network

Continuing the theme of WDS, WDS there are 2 types of server that can be created: a transport server and deployment server. The transport server offers only the core networking services, it offers all the features of WDS. The deployment provides all the WDS server, including transport server components.

The main requirements for installing Windows Deployment Services are:

- Have a machine with Windows Server 2008 within a domain

- To have DHCP running on the network

- Having a correct DNS architecture

- Have a disk partition in NTFS format

- Have a user account that is domain user and administrator user on the server running WDS

To install WDS only have to go to "Server Manager" click on "Add Roles" and select Windows Deployment Services.

To configure the WDS there is a command line and a component called WDSUTIL graph below show the configuration steps:

In the first step selected from the list of WDS roles to install. The second step shows an explanation of WDS, we give below. The third step is to select what kind of role we want to install WDS, as explained above it is best to mark them. The fourth step opens the Wizard to install WDS, which will guide us with the following steps:

The fifth step is to select the location of the folder where you save the image that we will distribute to customers. Remember that this folder must be on an NTFS formatted partition is also recommended that this partition contains windows files for better performance. The sixth step is to configure the PXE Server, in this step we are asked how we manage requests for new computers in Active Directory. This example does not respond to any client automatically be managed manually. The seventh step tells us that everything went well and we want to add images to the WDS. In the seventh step we add boot images, whether they are created and managed PXE using Windows PE or images from devices such as CD or DVD. We navigate through folders to select the image, right click on the folder and seleccionamor ADD BOOT IMAGE. Choose a name for the image and load it on the WDS server, shared folder, and ready to deploy this image on the network.

So far the second article on Windows Server 2008, this chapter also talks about the Boot Menu and editing images, we have seen fit to cut the article, not to be too long and heavy.

We hope you enjoyed.

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