Summary

The Windows Server 2008 installation process is similar to those found in earlier versions of Windows. The Windows Server 2008 installation process is simpler, however, because certain things such as the server name, IP address, domain name, time zone, and so on are no longer prompted for during the installation. Instead, they are part of a post-installation process. This simplification enables administrators to start the installation process by just choosing the version of Windows 2008 they want to install on the server and selecting the disk subsystem on which to install Windows. Administrators can then come back 20 minutes later and the server will have gone through the entire installation process on its own. The administrator walks through the post-installation wizard to enter the server name, IP address, time zone, and other server specifics, and then the system is fully configured.

The new Windows Server Core installation has been an anticipated feature for the Windows 2008 family of operating systems and has been popular as the base installation for Hyper-V host servers. One reason for this is that the lack of a GUI on the virtual host means a significant decrease in the attack surface on the host system. Server Core installations meet today’s administrator and organization needs by providing a way to use the Windows 2008 operating system with the fewest number of binaries, in the most highly secured fashion, while also reducing management overhead.