To install Windows Server 2012, you can boot from the Windows
distribution media, run Setup from within your current Windows operating
system, perform a command-line installation, or use one of the
automated installation options.
In performing the installation, there are two basic approaches to
setting up Windows Server 2012: interactively or as an automated
process. An interactive installation is what many people regard as the
regular Windows installation—the kind where you walk through the setup
process and enter a lot of information during setup. It can be performed
from distribution media (by booting from the distribution media or
running Windows Setup from a command line). The default Windows setup
process when booting from the retail Windows Server 2012 DVD is
interactive, prompting you for configuration information throughout the
process.
There are several types of automated setup, which actually have administrator-configurable amounts of user interaction. The most basic form of unattended setup you can perform is an unattended installation using only answer files.
To take unattended setup a step further, you can use your unattended
answer files with Windows Deployment Services. In either case, the
answer file contains all or part of the configuration information
usually prompted for during a standard installation process. You can
author unattended answer files using Windows System Image Manager. For
full automation, you can use System Center Configuration Manager 2012.
The standard setup program for Windows Server 2012 is Setup.exe.
You can run Setup.exe from within the Windows operating system to
upgrade the existing operating system or to install Windows Server 2012
to a different partition. The command-line switches on the Windows Setup
programs offer you additional options for configuring the installation
process. The general installation parameters include the following:
-
Setup /addbootmgrlast The /addbootmgrlast option adds the Windows Boot Manager as the last entry in the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware boot order. This option is supported only on computers with UEFI running Windows Preinstallation Environment 4.0 or later. -
Setup /m:folder_name The /m:folder_name
option sets an alternate location for files to be used by Setup during
the installation process—during setup, the alternate location is
searched first, and files in the default location are used only if the
installation files are not found in the specified alternate location. -
Setup /noreboot The /noreboot parameter prevents the rebooting
of the system upon completion of the file copy phase. This option is
used to allow other commands or operations to be performed after the
files have been copied, but it’s used prior to further Setup phases. -
Setup /tempdrive:drive_letter
The /tempdrive:drive_letter parameter designates the hard disk drive location where the temporary installation files will be placed. -
Setup /unattend:answer_file
The /unattend:answer_file
parameter, when used with an answer file, instructs Setup to do an
unattended new installation (a fresh installation as opposed to an
upgrade) based on the values specified in the answer file. The answer
file can contain all or part of the configuration information for which
the installation process normally prompts the user.
There are four main editions of Windows Server 2012: Foundation,
Essentials, Standard, and Datacenter. While the Foundation and
Essentials editions are for small businesses, the Standard and
Datacenter are for any organization that needs a full-featured server.
Licensing for Windows Server 2012 has two aspects: server licenses and client access licenses (CALs). Each installation of Windows Server 2012 on a computer requires appropriate server licensing.
Each server license can be assigned to only a single physical server,
and licensing requirements are based on the number of physical
processors installed and the number of virtual instances the server
runs. All of the physical processors on a server must be licensed with
the same version and edition of Windows Server 2012.
Foundation can be used only with a server that has a single physical
processor and allows up to 15 users without a need for separate CALs.
Essentials can be used on servers with up to 2 physical processors and
allows up to 25 users without a need for separate CALs.
Each Standard or Datacenter license covers up to two physical
processors. While each Standard license covers up to two virtual
instances, a Datacenter license covers an unlimited number of virtual
instances. Thus, a server with 4 physical processors would require
either two Standard licenses or two Datacenter licenses.
In addition to ensuring that you have the required licenses for
Windows Server 2012, you must decide on the client access licensing
scheme you will use before installing Windows Server 2012. With the
Standard and Datacenter editions, your choices are as follows:
-
Per server One CAL
is required for each concurrent connection to the server. This usually
means one CAL for every connection to that server. -
Per device or per user
A CAL is purchased for each user or device connecting to the
server—this usually corresponds to one CAL for every user or computer
that will access the server.
Your licensing program determines how you handle both the product key and product activation. Table 1 describes how each type of licensing affects installation. Table 1. Overview of Windows Server 2012 product keys and activation
|
Product License |
Product Key |
Product Activation | |
Retail Product License |
Unique product key needed |
Windows Product Activation (WPA) | |
Open License program |
Reusable product key |
No WPA | |
Select License |
On volume license media |
No WPA | |
Enterprise Agreement License |
On volume license media |
No WPA |
3. Preparing for a Windows Server 2012 installation
Installing a server operating system
requires some assessment and preparation before you actually do the
work. You’ll want to review the server hardware and installation
details, check the latest technical notes, verify backups, and have more
than a few discussions with other Information Technology (IT) staff and
managers.
Most editions of Windows Server 2012 share baseline requirements,
such as a minimum of a 1.4-gigahertz (GHz) 64-bit CPU, 512 megabytes
(MBs) of random access memory (RAM), and 32 gigabytes (GBs) of hard disk
drive space.
Understanding installation options
Before you start an installation, you need to consider whether you
want to manage the computer’s drives and partitions during the setup
process. If you want to use the advanced
drive setup options that Setup provides for creating and formatting
partitions, you need to boot the computer using the distribution media.
If you don’t boot using the distribution media, these options won’t be
available, and you’ll be able to manage disk partitions only at a
command prompt using the DiskPart utility.
You have two installation options: a clean
installation or an upgrade. When you install Windows Server 2012, the
Setup program automatically makes recovery options available on the
server as an advanced boot option. In addition to a command line for
troubleshooting and options for changing the startup behavior, you can
use System Image Recovery to perform a full recovery of the computer using a system image created previously. If other troubleshooting
techniques fail to restore the computer and you have a system image for
recovery, you can use this feature to restore the computer from the
backup image.
If you have existing servers running the Windows operating system, you must decide which servers, if any, you will upgrade. The major differences between a clean installation and an upgrade are the following:
-
Upgrade With an
upgrade, the Windows Server 2012 Setup program transitions the older
operating system to the new operating system using a phased approach.
Here, the new operating system is installed side by side with the old
operating system, which allows rollbacks if necessary. Setup parses the
old operating system for executable files, settings, registry entries,
and data files and converts as appropriate. This data parsing ensures
that the operating system state, applications, user data, drivers, and
operating system binary files are migrated. Prior to deleting the old
operating system, files not listed in upgrade manifests and other
unrecognized files are moved to temporary storage
(%SystemRoot%\$Windows.~Q). Finally, Setup migrates the parsed data and
settings into a clean installation of the new operating system. -
Clean installation
In contrast, a clean installation does not retain any user or system
settings or knowledge of any installed applications, and you must
configure all aspects of the hardware and software. You should use a
clean installation when the operating system cannot be upgraded, the
system must boot to multiple operating systems, a standardized
configuration is required, or (obviously) when no operating system is
currently installed.
Before performing an upgrade, you should make sure the server’s
installed software and hardware support Windows Server 2012. You can
download tools for testing compatibility and documentation at the
Windows Server Catalog website (http://www.windowsservercatalog.com/).
Microsoft server operating systems from Windows Server 2008 and later
can be upgraded to Windows Server 2012. In general, servers can be
upgraded to a similar or higher edition of the product.
You cannot perform an upgrade installation
of Windows Server 2012 on a computer with a 32-bit operating system,
even if the computer has 64-bit processors. You cannot upgrade Windows
Server 2003 to Windows Server 2012. In either case, you need to migrate
the services being provided by the computer to other servers and then
perform a clean installation. The Windows Server Migration tools might
be able to help you migrate your server. These tools are available on
computers running Windows Server 2012.
Determining which installation type to use
Windows Server 2012 supports three installation types:
-
Full Server Full
Server installations, also referred to as Server With A GUI
Installations, have the Graphical Management Tools And Infrastructure
and Server Graphical Shell features (which are part of the User
Interfaces And Infrastructure feature) and the WOW64 Support framework
installed. -
Minimal Server Interface Minimal
Server Interface installations, also referred to as Server With Minimal
Interface Installations, are Full Server installations with the Server
Graphical Shell removed. Although this option is not available when
installing Windows Server 2012, you can convert to a Minimal Server
Interface later. -
Server Core Server Core installations have a limited
user interface and do not include any of the User Interfaces And
Infrastructure features or the WOW64 Support framework. This is the
default installation option.
Whereas all three installation types use the same licensing rules and
can be managed remotely using any available and permitted
remote-administration technique, Full Server, Minimal Server Interface,
and Server Core installations are completely different when it comes to
local console administration. With a Full Server installation, you’re
provided with a user interface that includes a full desktop environment
for local console management of the server. With a Minimal Server
Interface installation, you have only Microsoft Management Consoles,
Server Manager, and a subset of Control Panel available for management
tasks. Missing from both a Minimal Server Interface installation and a
Server Core installation are File Explorer, taskbar, notification area,
Internet Explorer, built-in help system, themes, desktop apps, and
Windows Media Player.
Unlike earlier releases of Windows Server, you can change the
installation type of any server running Windows Server 2012. This is
possible because a key difference among the installation types relates to whether the installation has the following User Interfaces And Infrastructure features:
Server Core installations have none of these features. Minimal Server Interface installations have only the Graphical Management Tools And Infrastructure feature and Full
Server installations have both the Graphical Management Tools And
Infrastructure feature and the Server Graphical Shell feature.
Full Server installations also might have Desktop Experience, which
provides Windows desktop functionality on the server. Windows features
added include Windows Media Player, desktop themes, Video for Windows
(AVI support), Disk Cleanup, Sync Center, Sound Recorder, Character Map,
and Snipping Tool. These features allow a server to be used like a
desktop computer, but they also can reduce the server’s overall
performance.
Knowing that Windows also automatically installs or uninstalls
dependent features, server roles, and management tools to match the
installation type, you can convert from one installation type to another
simply by adding or removing the appropriate User Interfaces And
Infrastructure features.
Windows Update is a convenient way of ensuring that the most recently updated driver and system files are always used during
server installation. Windows Update connects to a distribution server
containing updated files used during Windows installation. The files in
Windows Update include setup information files, dynamic libraries used
during setup, file assemblies, device drivers, and system files.
Note
During setup of the operating system, the Windows Update process does not provide new installation files,
but rather it supplies only updated files that replace existing files
used during setup. Windows Update might, however, provide device drivers
that are not a replacement for device drivers existing on the
distribution media (in-box device drivers) but that are new device
drivers supplying additional support for devices or system hardware.
The Windows Update files can be obtained by using two methods:
-
Windows Update files can be obtained directly from the Windows Update site during setup, ensuring that the absolute latest setup files are used during the installation. -
Windows Update files can be downloaded to a server on your local
network and then shared to provide clients with access to a consistent
local copy of the files.
Getting Windows Updates from the update site online is recommended
for consumers and small businesses that do not have a full-time Windows
administrator. Otherwise, your organization probably should centralize
the functionality locally using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)
in a client/server configuration. WSUS is available as an optional
download for Windows Server 2012. Hosting Windows Update files on a
local network provides you with additional security and the advantage of
being able to ensure that important operating system updates are
applied to all systems within your network environment.
You will want to assess the specifics of an installation
and identify any tasks that must be done prior to the installation
taking place. The following is a partial list—a general set of pointers
to the installation-related tasks that must be performed:
-
Check for firmware updates. -
Check requirements for the operating system version. -
Review the release notes on the operating system media. -
Determine whether to upgrade or perform a clean installation. -
Check your system hardware compatibility. -
Configure how the target computer boots. -
Determine the installation type: interactive or automated. -
Determine the license mode. -
Choose the installation partition. -
Determine the network connectivity and settings. -
Identify domain or workgroup membership account information. -
Disconnect the uninterruptible power supply (UPS). -
Disable virus scanning.
Note
When doing a clean installation
on old hardware, check to see whether an operating system exists. If
one does exist, check the event or system logs for hardware errors,
consider using multiboot, uncompress the drives, and resolve any
partition upgrade issues.
You must also assess your installation requirements and plan the
configuration of the drives and partitions on the target computers. If
you must create a new partition, modify the system partition, or format
the system partition before installation, you can use configuration
tools such as the DiskPart, Format, and Convert commands to manage
partitions (prior to beginning the automated installation).
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