I compiled this document for my own study but publishing it for my followers to get advantage of this. All information is from Microsoft site purpose is to compile document for better understanding. If it’s useful please leave a comment.

Awais Mirza

Install and Deploy Windows Server 2012

Installing Windows Server 2012

[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

This document provides information about installing the Windows Server® 2012 operating system, including any known issues that you may need to work around before starting an installation. It also provides information that you can use to troubleshoot problems that may occur during the installation. For information about serious known issues that you may need to work around after installation is complete, see the release notes, available at the same location as this document.

Setup works in several stages. You will be prompted for some basic information, and then Setup will copy files and restart the computer. Setup concludes by presenting a menu for Initial Configuration Tasks, which you can use to configure your server for your specific needs.

Preinstallation information

System requirements

The following are estimated system requirements for the Windows Server 2012. If your computer has less than the "minimum" requirements, you will not be able to install this product correctly. Actual requirements will vary based on your system configuration and the applications and features you install.

Processor

Processor performance depends not only on the clock frequency of the processor, but also on the number of processor cores and the size of the processor cache. The following are the processor requirements for this product:

Minimum: 1.4 GHz 64-bit processor

RAM

The following are the estimated RAM requirements for this product:

Minimum: 512 MB

Disk space requirements

The following are the estimated minimum disk space requirements for the system partition.

Minimum: 32 GB

NoteBe aware that 32 GB should be considered an absolute minimum value for successful

installation. The system partition will need extra space for any of the following circumstances:

If you install the system over a network.

Computers with more than 16 GB of RAM will require more disk space for paging,

hibernation, and dump files.

Other requirements

You also need to have the following:

DVD drive

Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor

Keyboard and Microsoft® mouse (or other compatible pointing device)

Internet access (fees may apply)

Important information for x64-based operating systems

Ensure that you have updated and digitally signed kernel-mode drivers for Windows Server 8 Beta

If you install a Plug and Play device, you may receive a warning if the driver is not digitally signed. If you install an application that contains a driver that is not digitally signed, you will not receive an error during Setup. In both cases, Windows Server 2012 will not load the unsigned driver.

If you are not sure whether the driver is digitally signed, or if you are unable to boot into your computer after the installation, use the following procedure to disable the driver signature

requirement. This procedure enables your computer to start correctly, and the unsigned driver will load successfully.

To disable the signature requirement for the current boot process:

1. Restart the computer and during startup, press F8.

2. Select Advanced Boot Options.

3. Select Disable Driver Signature Enforcement.

4. Boot into Windows® and uninstall the unsigned driver.

For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=66577.

Before you start Setup

Before you install Windows Server 2012, follow the steps in this section to prepare for the installation.

Disconnect UPS devices. If you have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to your destination computer, disconnect the serial cable before running Setup. Setup automatically attempts to detect devices that are connected to serial ports, and UPS equipment can cause issues with the detection process.

Back up your servers. Your backup should include all data and configuration information that is necessary for the computer to function. It is important to perform a backup of configuration information for servers, especially those that provide network infrastructure, such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers. When you perform the backup, be sure to include the boot and system partitions and the system state data. Another way to back up configuration information is to create a backup set for Automated System Recovery.

Disable your virus protection software. Virus protection software can interfere with installation. For example, it can make installation much slower by scanning every file that is copied locally to your computer.

Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. You should run this tool to test the RAM on your computer. To use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool, follow the instructions in the Windows Memory Diagnostic Users Guide (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=50362).

Provide mass storage drivers. If your manufacturer has supplied a separate driver file, save the file to a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive in either the root directory of the media or the amd64 folder. To provide the driver during Setup, on the disk selection page, click Load Driver (or press F6). You can browse to locate the driver or have Setup search the media.

Be aware that Windows Firewall is on by default. Server applications that must receive unsolicited inbound connections will fail until you create inbound firewall rules to allow them. Check with your application vendor to determine which ports and protocols are necessary for the application to run correctly.

For more information about Windows Firewall, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=84639.

Release Notes: Important Issues in Windows Server 2012

Applies To: Windows Server 2012

[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

These release notes address the most critical issues and information about the Windows Server® 2012 operating system. For information about by-design changes, new features, and fixes in this release, see documentation and announcements from the specific feature teams. For information about important steps to take before installing this release, including issues that you may need to work around, see Installing Windows Server 2012, a document available at the same location as this document. Unless otherwise specified, these notes apply to all editions and installation options of the Windows Server 2012.

Hyper-V

You should be aware of the following issues affecting Single-Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV):

SR-IOV supports only 64-bit guest operating systems, either Windows Server 2012 or 64-bit versions of Windows® 8 Release Preview. In addition, SR-IOV requires both hardware and firmware support. If you configure a guest operating system to use SR-IOV and either the hardware or firmware is not supported, the Network tab in Hyper-V Manager will show Degraded (SR-IOV not operational). Contact your system manufacturer to determine if your system supports SR-IOV, as well as the required BIOS version and settings to enable memory and interrupt remapping.

Even with the supported hardware and all appropriate firmware, BIOS settings, and network drivers configured, the Network tab in Hyper-V Manager for a selected virtual machine might show Degraded (SR-IOV not operational). In this circumstance, check the event log for event 12607 in Application and Services\Microsoft\Windows\Hyper-V-SynthNic\Admin with this text: ‘VMName’ Network Adapter ({GUID}) is configured to use SR-IOV but that capability is disabled by policy on this machine. (Virtual Machine ID {GUID}).

If this occurs, first check with the system manufacturer to determine if a BIOS update is available. If no update is available, run the following command from an elevated command prompt, and then restart the physical computer:

reg add "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Virtualization" /v IOVEnableOverride /t REG_DWORD /d 1

ImportantAfter the computer restarts, you will find event 24012 in the event log, warning you that the

system is vulnerable and could experience reduced performance or system instability.

Although SR-IOV might function, this warning is valid and you should assign SR-IOV devices

only to virtual machines that run trusted workloads (or do not use SR-IOV).

If the Network tab in Hyper-V Manager still shows Degraded (SR-IOV not operational) and you do not find event 12607 in the event log, run the Windows PowerShell commands

below from an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt to get further information on the cause:

get-vmhost

If the cause is related to the platform, the properties IovSupport and IovSupportReasons will contain further information.

get-vmswitch * | fl *

If the cause is related to the physical network adapter or driver, the properties IovSupport and IovSupportReasons will contain further information.

get-vmnetworkadapter * | fl *status*

If the cause is related to the virtual network adapter, the properties Status and StatusDescription will contain further information.

Server Manager

If you install a role service or feature using a method other than Server Manager (such as DISM.exe or an Unattend.xml file) and did not install all of its dependencies and then later install a different role service or feature using Server Manager or a Server Manager Windows PowerShell cmdlet, in some cases the original role service or feature will be unintentionally uninstalled. To avoid this, use only Server Manager or Server Manager PowerShell cmdlets to install server roles, role services, and server features. If this has already occurred, use Server Manager (or Server Manager PowerShell cmdlets) to reinstall the item that was uninstalled.

After a server has been added to the Server Manager server pool, if a Best Practices Analyzer scan has never been run on the server, Server Manager displays a red Manageability status indicator in the server’s thumbnail on the dashboard page. To resolve this issue, run a Best Practices Analyzer scan on servers after adding them to the Server Manager server pool.

Storage

If you use storage spaces that use the parity resiliency type and then install this release of Windows Server 2012, the data in those storage spaces will not be accessible. To avoid this, back up data stored in those storage spaces and delete the storage spaces before installing this release. After installation is complete, re-create the storage spaces and restore the data.

Storage spaces that are not in the “healthy” state prior to installing this release may never complete repair operations after installation. To avoid this, ensure that repair operations have completed on all storage spaces and they are in the “healthy” state prior to installation. You can check the health of a storage space with the HealthStatus property reported by the Get-VirtualDisk Windows PowerShell cmdlet. command.

If you delete a clustered storage pool, cluster resources which depend on the storage pool will go offline and may become permanently unavailable. To avoid this, only delete a clustered storage pool when it is on a node with the cluster resource for the pool in the “online” state.

Windows Server Installation Options

[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

This document summarizes the differences between the installation options available for Windows Server® 2012, including the features that are installed with each option, the management options available after installation, and how to switch between the installation options during use. It also explains the differences between the Server Graphical Shell and the Minimal Server Interface and how to switch between them. In addition, it discusses how to use Features on Demand to further reduce the disk footprint by including the binary files for only the server roles you actually use.

Installation options description

When you install Windows Server 2012, you can choose between Server Core Installation and Server with a GUI. The “Server with a GUI” option is the Windows 8 equivalent of the Full installation option available in Windows Server 2008 R2. The “Server Core Installation” option reduces the space required on disk, the potential attack surface, and especially the servicing requirements, so we recommend that you choose the Server Core installation unless you have a particular need for the additional user interface elements and graphical management tools that are included in the “Server with a GUI” option. For this reason, the Server Core installation is now the default. Because you can freely switch between these options at any time later, one approach might be to initially install the Server with a GUI option, use the graphical tools to configure the server, and then later switch to the Server Core Installation option.

An intermediate state is possible where you start with a Server with a GUI installation and then remove Server Graphical Shell, resulting in a server that comprises the “Minimal Server Interface,” Microsoft Management Console (MMC), Server Manager, and a subset of Control Panel. See the “Minimal Server Interface” section of this document for more information.

In addition, after installation of either option is complete, you can completely remove the binary files for server roles and features that you do not need, thereby conserving disk space and reducing the attack surface still further. See the “Features on Demand” section of this document for more information.

For the smallest possible installation footprint, start with a Server Core installation and remove any server roles or features you do not need by using Features on Demand.

If you choose the Server Core Installation option

With this option, the standard user interface (the “Server Graphical Shell”) is not installed; you manage the server using the command line, Windows PowerShell, or by remote methods.

User interface: command prompt (Server Graphical Shell is not installed)

Install, configure, uninstall server roles locally: at a command prompt with Windows PowerShell.

Install, configure, uninstall server roles remotely: with Server Manager, Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT), or Windows PowerShell.

Microsoft Management Console: not available locally.

Desktop Experience: not available.

Server roles available:

Active Directory Certificate Services

Active Directory Domain Services

DHCP Server

DNS Server

File Services (including File Server Resource Manager)

Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS)

Hyper-V

Print and Document Services

Streaming Media Services

Web Server (including a subset of ASP.NET)

Windows Server Update Server

Active Directory Rights Management Server

Routing and Remote Access Server

To convert to a Server with GUI installation with Windows PowerShell: follow the steps in the procedure below:

To use Windows PowerShell to convert from a Server Core installation to a Server with a GUI installation

1. Create a folder to mount a Windows Imaging File (WIM) in with the command mkdir c:\mountdir

2. Determine the index number for a Server with a GUI image (for example, SERVERDATACENTER, not SERVERDATACENTERCORE) using this command at an elevated command prompt: Dism /get-wiminfo /wimfile:<drive>:sources\install.wim

3. Mount the WIM file using this command at an elevated command prompt: Dism /mount-wim /WimFile:<drive>:\sources\install.wim /Index:<#_from_step_2> /MountDir:c:\mountdir /readonly

4. Start Windows PowerShell and run this cmdlet:

Install-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra,Server-Gui-Shell –Restart –Source c:\mountdir\windows\winsxs

5. Alternatively, if you want to use Windows Update as the source instead of a WIM file, use this Windows PowerShell cmdlet:

Install-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra,Server-Gui-Shell –Restart

If you choose the Server with a GUI option

With this option, the standard user interface and all tools are installed. Server roles and features are installed with Server Manager or by other methods.

User interface: standard graphical user interface (“Server Graphical Shell”). The Server Graphical Shell includes the Metro-style Start screen, but does not include support for Metro-style apps. To enable support for Metro-style apps, install the Desktop Experience feature.

Install, configure, uninstall server roles locally: with Server Manager or with Windows PowerShell

Install, configure, uninstall server roles remotely: with Server Manager, Remote Server, RSAT, or Windows PowerShell

Microsoft Management Console: installed

Desktop Experience: installable with Server Manager or Windows PowerShell

To convert to a Server Core installation with Windows PowerShell: run the following cmdlet:

Uninstall-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra -restart

If you initially install with the Server with a GUI option and then use the above command to convert to a Server Core installation, you can later revert to a Server with a GUI installation without specifying a source. This is because the necessary files remain stored on the disk, even though they are no longer installed. For more information, and for instructions to completely remove the Server with a GUI files from disk, see the “Features on Demand” section of this document.

If you convert to a Server Core installation, Windows features, server roles, and GUI management tools that require a Server with a GUI installation will be uninstalled automatically. You can specify the -WhatIf option in Windows PowerShell to see exactly which features will be affected by the conversion.

Minimal Server Interface

In Windows Server 2012, you can remove the Server Graphical Shell, resulting in the “Minimal Server Interface.” This is similar to a Server with a GUI installation, but Internet Explorer 10, Windows Explorer, the desktop, and the Start screen are not installed. Microsoft Management Console (MMC), Server Manager, and a subset of Control Panel are still present.

Starting with a Server with a GUI installation, you can convert to the Minimal Server Interface at any time using Server Manager.

Note

When you change any of these options, you will have to restart the server for the change to

take effect.

See the table below for a summary of which selections to make in Server Manager (or cmdlets to use in Windows PowerShell) in order to get a given installation state:

To reach the installation state in each column…

Server Core installation option

Minimal Server Interface

Server with a GUI installation option

Desktop Experience feature installed

Select these features

in Server Manager:

none Graphical

Management

Tools and

Infrastructure

Graphical

Management

Tools and

Infrastructure,

Server Graphical

Shell

Graphical

Management Tools

and Infrastructure,

Server Graphical

Shell, Desktop

Experience

Run the Windows

PowerShell

install/uninstall

commands with these

values for the Name

parameter:

none Server-Gui-

Mgmt-Infra

Server-Gui-Mgmt-

Infra, Server-Gui-

Shell

Server-Gui-Mgmt-

Infra, Server-Gui-

Shell, Desktop-

Experience

Features on Demand

In previous versions of Windows, even if a server role or feature was disabled, the binary files for it were still present on the disk, consuming space. In Windows Server 2012, not only can you disable a role or feature, but you can also completely remove its files, a state called “disabled with payload removed.” To reinstall a role or feature that is disabled with payload removed, you must have access to an installation source.

To completely remove a role or feature, use –Remove with the Uninstall-WindowsFeature cmdlet of Windows PowerShell. For example, to completely remove Windows Explorer, Internet Explorer, and dependent components, run the following Windows PowerShell command:

Uninstall-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Shell -remove

To install a role or feature for which the payload has been removed, use the Windows PowerShell –Source option of the Install-WindowsFeature Server Manager cmdlet. The –Source option specifies a path to a WIM mount point. If you do not specify a –Source option, Windows will use Windows Update by default.

Only component sources from the exact same version of Windows are supported. For example, a component source derived from the Windows Server Developer Preview is not a valid installation source for a server running Windows Server 2012.

Permissions might affect the system’s ability to access Windows features for installation over a network. The Trusted Installer process runs within the machine account. If you encounter network access issues, try issuing a net use command (for example, net use * \\path\to\network) to mount the network source and then copy the source locally. Then use the local copy as the installation source.

Practical applications

These examples give you an idea of how you can choose the installation option that might be most appropriate for your deployment needs:

Server Core installations require approximately 4 GB less space than a Server with a GUI installation. By using Server Core installations on virtual machines, you can achieve a significant space savings by not having to store the GUI files on the virtual machine’s disk.

Servers often have comparatively large amounts of memory and complex disk arrays, both of which can take a significant amount of time to initialize at startup. Because Server Core installations minimize the number of restarts required for updates, the frequency at which disk arrays and memory must be re-initialized is reduced.

Certain server applications have dependencies on certain Windows services, libraries, applications, and files that are not available in Server Core installations, but the administrator wants to take advantage of the reduced need for updating typical of Server Core installations. The Minimal Server Interface offers additional compatibility while still maintaining a reduced system footprint (though to a lesser extent than a Server Core installation).

Features on Demand can be used to reduce the footprint for your virtual machine deployments by removing roles and features that will never be deployed in your virtual machines. Depending on the roles and features used in your virtual machines, it is possible to reduce the size by over 1 GB.

Reference table

This table summarizes which features are available locally depending on which installation option you choose.

Server Core installation option

Minimal Server Interface

Server with a GUI installation option

Desktop Experience feature installed

Command prompt available available available available

Windows

PowerShell /

Windows .NET

available available available available

Server Manager not available available available available

Microsoft

Management

Console

not available available available available

Control Panel not available not available available available

Control Panel

applets

not available some

available

available available

Windows Explorer not available not available available available

Taskbar not available not available available available

Notification area not available not available available available

Internet Explorer not available not available available available

Built-in help

system

not available not available available available

Themes not available not available not available available

Metro-style Start

screen

not available not available not available available

Metro-style apps not available not available not available available

Windows Media

Player

not available not available not available available

Server Core and Full Server Integration Overview

[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

In Windows Server 2012, the Server Core installation option is no longer an irrevocable selection that is made during setup. In Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008, if your requirements changed, there was no way to convert to a full installation or a Server Core installation without completely reinstalling the operating system. An administrator now has the ability to convert between a Server Core installation and a full installation as needed.

There are several scenarios in which this capability is especially useful:

An administrator installed and is running a full installation option of Windows Server 2012, but exclusively using the roles that run on a Server Core installation. The administrator can convert the servers to Server Core installations to reduce the image size and increase servicing advantages without having to reprovision all of their servers.

An administrator installs a Server Core installation and now needs to make a change or troubleshoot something that is not possible with the remote GUI. The administrator may not know how to make the change from the command line or cannot find a command-line equivalent. The administrator can convert the server to a full installation, perform the changes, and then convert it back to a Server Core installation to reduce the image size and maintain servicing advantages.

An administrator wants to use the GUI for all of the initial configuration steps to make the initial configuration experience as easy as possible, yet wants to reduce the image size and maintain the servicing advantages that a Server Core installation provides. The administrator can install a full installation, configure the server as needed, and then convert it to a Server Core installation.

An enterprise mandates a single server operating system image, so it cannot use a Server Core installation because it requires two images. Windows Server 2012 integrates the Server Core installation and the full server installation options. Now the enterprise can use a single server operating system image to deploy full installations of Windows Server 2012 and then convert them to Server Core installations to reduce the image size and provide the servicing advantages that it offers.

Requirements

You need a Server Core installation or a full installation of Windows Server 2012. No special hardware is required.

Technical overview

In Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008, the Server Core installation and the full installation options were selections that an administrator made at the time of installation.

Figure 1 Earlier Windows Server installations

In Windows Server 8, the installation options are integrated, and three large optional features are provided. An administrator can install or uninstall these options to move between Server Core and full server installations.

Figure 2 Windows Server 2012 installation options

Features Removed or Deprecated in Windows Server 2012

34 out of 38 rated this helpful - Rate this topic

Published: February 29, 2012

Updated: May 31, 2012

Applies To: Windows Server 2012

[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

The following is a list of features and functionalities in Windows Server® 2012 that have either been removed from the product in the current release or are planned for potential removal in subsequent releases. It is intended for IT professionals who are updating operating systems in a commercial environment. This list is subject to change in subsequent releases and may not include every deprecated feature or functionality.

Features removed from Windows Server 2012

The following features and functionalities have been removed from this release of Windows Server 2012. Applications, code, or usage that depend on these features will not function in this release unless you employ an alternate method.

Active Directory Federation Services

Support for applications that use the “NT Token mode” configuration of the web agent is removed. Applications are expected to move to Windows Identity Foundation and use the

“Claims to Windows Token Service” to convert a UPN from a SAML token to a Windows token for consumption in the application.

Support for “Resource Group” is removed. (Resource groups are explained at http://technet.microsoft.com/library/cc753670(WS.10).aspx)

Support for using Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) as an authentication store is removed

You are required to migrate to the AD FS version in Windows Server 2012. In-place upgrade from AD FS 1.0 or “out of box” AD FS 2.0 is not supported.

Server Core components

Oclist.exe has been removed. Instead, use Dism.exe. For documentation on using Dism.exe, see http://technet.microsoft.com/library/dd772580(WS.10).aspx.

Clustering

The Cluster Automation Server (MSClus) COM application programming interface (API) has been made an optional component called FailoverCluster-AutomationServer which is not installed by default. Cluster programmatic functionality is now provided by the Failover Cluster API and the Failover Cluster WMI provider.

The Cluster.exe command-line interface has been made an optional component called FailoverCluster-CmdInterface which is not installed by default. Cluster command-line functionality is provided by the Failover Cluster PowerShell cmdlets.

Support for 32-bit cluster resource DLLs has been deprecated. Use 64-bit versions instead.

Graphics

Support for hardwire drivers for XDDM has been removed. As a result, XDDM graphics drivers will not load in Windows Server 2012. Instead, you can do any of the following:

Use the WDDM “basic display-only driver” included in the operating system.

Use a WDDM “display-only driver” provided by a hardware vendor.

Use a full WDDM driver provided by a hardware vendor.

Support for native VGA via the PC/AT BIOS is removed. The WDDM “basic display-only driver” included in the operating system will replace this functionality. In UEFI systems, you may see fewer high-resolution (VESA) modes, but there is no other impact.

Hyper-V

VM Chimney (also called TCP Offload) has been removed. The TCP chimney will not be available to guest operating systems.

Support for Static VMQ has been removed. Drivers using NDIS 6.3 will automatically access Dynamic VMQ capabilities that are new in Windows Server 2012.

Networking

NetDMA has been removed.

Support for Token Rings has been removed.

Server roles

The Role Collector (Ceiprole.exe) and the associated API (Ceiprole.dll) have been removed. To collect telemetry data on server roles, use Server Manager.

Server Message Block

SMB.sys has been removed. The operating system now uses the Winsock Kernel (WSK) to provide the same functionality.

SQL Server

Versions of Microsoft SQL Server prior to 7.0 are no longer supported. Computers running Windows Server 2012 that connect to computers running SQL Server 6.5 (or earlier) will receive an error message.

Storage

The Storage Manager for SANs snap-in for MMC has been removed. Instead, manage storage with PowerShell cmdlets and Server Manager.

The Storage Explorer snap-in for MMC has been removed.

The SCSIport host-bus adapter driver has been removed. Instead, either use a Storport driver or a different host-bus adapter.

Visual Studio

Support for Visual Studio Analyzer 2003 over ODBC, OLEDB, and ADO has been removed.

Windows Help

The Windows Help program (specifically, WinHlp32.exe, the executable file that opens *.hlp help files) has been removed from Windows since Windows Server 2008. Previously, downloadable packages that provide this functionality were made available (see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917607). Starting with this release, no download will be provided to enable you to view *.hlp files on Windows Server 2012. For this milestone release, Windows Help is also currently unsupported in Windows® 8 Release Preview.

Features deprecated starting with Windows Server 2012

The following features and functionalities are deprecated starting with this release. Eventually, they will be completely removed from the product, but they are still available in this release, sometimes with certain functionality removed. You should begin planning now to employ alternate methods for any applications, code, or usage that depend on these features.

Database management systems

ODBC support for 16- and 32-bit applications and drivers is deprecated. Use 64-bit versions instead.

ODBC/OLEDB support for Microsoft Oracle is deprecated. Migrate to drivers and providers supplied by Oracle.

Jet Red RDBMS and ODBC drivers are deprecated.

Networking

The Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) version 5.0, 5.1, and 5.2 APIs are deprecated. New drivers for NDIS 6.0 must be written.

Hyper-V

The WMI root\virtualization namespace is deprecated. The new namespace is root\virtualization\v2.

Windows Authorization Manager (AzMan) is deprecated. You may need to use new management tools for virtual machines or redesign the authorization model.

Printing

The line printer daemon protocol (LPR/LPD) is deprecated. Clients that print to a server using this protocol, such as UNIX clients, will not be able to connect or print. Instead, UNIX clients should use IPP. Windows clients can connect to UNIX shared printers using the Windows Standard Port Monitor (see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/246868 for more information).

Remote Data Service

The Remote Data service is deprecated. Migrate to the Windows Web Services API.

SMTP

SMTP and the associated management tools are deprecated. Though the functionality is still available in Windows Server 2012, you should begin using System.Net.Smtp. With this API, you will not be able to insert a message into a file for pickup; instead configure Web applications to connect on port 25 to another server using SMTP.

Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications

The Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (SUA) is deprecated. If you use the SUA POSIX subsystem with this release, use Hyper-V to virtualize the server. If you use the tools provided by SUA, switch to Cygwin's POSIX emulation, or use either mingw-w64 (available from Sourceforge.net) or MinGW (available from MinGW.org) for doing a native port.

Transport protocols

The Transport Driver Interface (TDI) is deprecated. Use Windows Filtering Platform instead.

Layered Service Providers (LSP) are deprecated. Use Windows Filtering Platform instead.

Winsock Direct is deprecated. Use Network Direct instead.

SQL Server

ODBC/OLEDB support for SQL is deprecated for versions beyond SQL Server 7and SQL 2000. Migrate to SQL Native Client (SNAC) to use features provided by SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, and later versions.

SQLXMLX is deprecated. Migrate code to use SQLXML.

Windows System Resource Manager

Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM) is deprecated. Similar functionality is provided by Hyper-V.

WMI providers

The WMI provider for Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is deprecated because the SNMP service is being deprecated.

The WMI provider for the Win32_ServerFeature API is deprecated.

The WMI provider for Active Directory is deprecated. Manage Active Directory with PowerShell cmdlets.

The WMI command-line tool (Wmic) is deprecated. Use PowerShell cmdlets instead.

The namespace for version 1.0 of WMI is deprecated. Prepare to adapt scripts for a revised namespace.

XML

XML-Data Reduced (XDR) schema elements are deprecated. Migrate Web applications that use this schema to the W3C Standards-compliant XML schema.

The XSL pattern feature of MSXML3 is deprecated. Migrate Web applications that use this feature to the W3C Standards-compliant XML Path Language (XPath) feature set.

Common Management Tasks and Navigation in Windows Server 2012

29 out of 33 rated this helpful - Rate this topic

Updated: March 22, 2012

Applies To: Windows Server 2012

[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

Windows® 8 Release Preview and Windows Server® 2012 feature the new Windows Metro style user interface. This topic will help you find and open common management tools, create shortcuts to frequently-used programs, run programs with elevated privileges, and perform common tasks like signing in and out, restarting, and shutting down computers running Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 Release Preview.

Options are available for installing Windows Server 2012 with a minimal user interface well-suited to remote management. For more information, see Windows Server Installation Options.

In this topic:

Open the Start screen

Shut down or restart the computer

Lock the computer or sign out

Close a Metro style app

Access Settings for the current screen

Access Control Panel

Access Administrative Tools

Create shortcuts

Open the Run dialog box

Run a program as administrator or as another user

Use common IT Pro tools:

Open Server Manager

Start Windows PowerShell

Open Remote Desktop Connection

Open Command Prompt

Open Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and snap-ins

Keyboard shortcuts

Use keyboard shortcuts in a Remote Desktop session

Use keyboard shortcuts in Hyper-V virtual machines

Open the Start screen

The Start screen is the home of Windows Metro style apps. To open the Start screen, use one of these methods:

Press the Windows logo key. In a virtual machine, you can press Ctrl+Esc.

Hover the mouse cursor in the upper right corner of the screen, and then click Start.

On the desktop, hover the mouse cursor in the lower left corner of the screen, and click when the thumbnail of the Start screen appears.

Shut down or restart the computer

To shut down the computer

1. Hover the mouse cursor in the upper right corner of the screen, and then click Settings.2. Click Power, and then click Shut down.

To restart the computer

1. Hover the mouse cursor in the upper right corner of the screen, and then click Settings.2. Click Power, and then click Restart.

Lock the computer or sign out

To lock the computer

On the Start screen, click your user name in the upper right corner, and then click Lock. Alternatively, on the Start screen, press the Windows logo key+L.

To sign out from the computer

On the Start screen, click your user name in the upper right corner, and then click Sign out.

Close a Metro style app

When Windows Metro style apps like Internet Explorer are open but not in use, they are automatically minimized and become inactive, freeing resources for other apps. This functionality is similar to a cell phone, tablet PC, or other mobile computer. It is not necessary to close a Metro style app, but you can follow steps in this section if you want to do so.

To close a Metro style app

With the Metro style app active, hover at the top edge of the screen until the mouse cursor becomes a hand, click and drag the app to the bottom of the screen, and then release.

Access Settings for the current screen

To open the Settings bar

Press the Windows logo key+i to open the Settings bar for the current screen (for example, Start, the desktop, or a Metro style app).

Alternatively, hover the mouse cursor in the upper right corner of the screen, and then click Settings.

Access Control Panel

You can access Control Panel from the Start screen and from the desktop.

To open Control Panel from the Start screen

On the Start screen, click Control Panel.

To open Control Panel from the desktop

1. On the desktop, hover the mouse cursor in the upper right corner of the screen, and then click Settings.

2. Click Control Panel.

To add Control Panel to the desktop

1. Open Control Panel.2. In the Control Panel Search box, type desktop.3. In the Control Panel Search results, in Display, click Show or hide common icons on

the desktop.4. In Desktop Icon Settings, select Control Panel, and then click OK.

Access Administrative Tools

The Administrative Tools folder contains links to many common Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-ins, including Computer Management, Event Viewer, and the management tools for installed roles or features.

Tip

The Start screen settings (accessed by pressing the Windows logo key+i on the Start

screen) include an option to enable or disable Administrative Tools appearing in search

results and on the Start screen. This setting is enabled by default.

To access Administrative Tools in Server Manager

In the Server Manager menu bar, click Tools to access the contents of the Administrative Tools folder.

To open the Administrative Tools folder from the Start screen

1. On the Start screen, type Administrative Tools, and in the Search bar, click Settings.2. In the Settings results, click Administrative Tools.

Tip

If the Show Administrative tools setting is disabled, the Administrative Tools folder and its

contents will not appear in the Settings results. The Show Administrative tools setting is

available when you hover the mouse cursor over the upper or lower right edge of the Start

screen, and then click Settings.

To open the Administrative Tools folder from the Control Panel

Open Control Panel, click System and Security, and then click Administrative Tools.

Create shortcuts

To create a shortcut on the desktop

1. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the location of the program for which you want to create a shortcut.

2. Right-click the executable file in the program folder, and then click Create shortcut.

To pin a program to the desktop taskbar from the Start screen

1. On the Start screen, search for or navigate to the app that you want to pin to the desktop taskbar.

2. Right-click the app tile, and in the app bar, click Pin to taskbar.

To pin a program to the desktop taskbar from Windows Explorer

1. Open Windows Explorer.2. Navigate to the folder where the program that you want to pin to the desktop taskbar is

located.3. Right-click the executable file in the program folder, and then click Pin to Taskbar.

To pin a program or folder to the Start screen

1. Open Windows Explorer.2. Navigate to the program or folder that you want to pin to the Start screen.3. Right-click the executable file or folder, and then click Pin to Start.

Open the Run dialog box

To open the Run dialog box

On the desktop, press the Windows logo key+R to open the Run dialog box.

Alternatively, on the Start screen, type Run, and then press Enter.

Run a program as administrator or as another user

To run a program as administrator from the Start screen

1. On the Start screen, navigate to the app that you want to run as Administrator.2. Right-click the app tile, and in the app bar, click Run as administrator.

To run a program as administrator from the desktop

1. Right-click the executable file in Windows Explorer, or right-click the program shortcut on the desktop.

2. Click Run as administrator.

To run a program as another user

Do one of the following. Add the Run as a different user command to the app bar by enabling the following

Group Policy setting: User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Start Menu and Taskbar/Show "Run as different user" command on Start. To start Local Group Policy Editor, on the Start screen, type gpedit.msc, and then press Enter.

Use the runas command from a command prompt. For more information about how to use the runas command, at a command prompt, type runas /?, and then press Enter.

Open Server Manager

By default, Server Manager starts when a member of the Administrators group signs in to a computer that is running Windows Server 2012. If Server Manager is not already open, or if administrators have changed Server Manager default settings so that it does not open automatically at sign-in, open Server Manager by using procedures in this section.

To open Server Manager from the Start screen

On the Start screen, click Server Manager.

Tip

If the Show Administrative tools setting is disabled, the Server Manager tile will not

appear on the Start screen.

To open Server Manager from the desktop

On the taskbar, click Server Manager.

Start Windows PowerShell

To start Windows PowerShell® from the Start screen

On the Start screen, click Windows PowerShell.

To start Windows PowerShell from the desktop

On the taskbar, click Windows PowerShell.

To start Windows PowerShell with elevated user rights (Run as administrator)

To run Windows PowerShell as an administrator from the Start screen, right-click the Windows PowerShell tile, and in the app bar, click Run as administrator.

To run Windows PowerShell as an administrator from the desktop, right-click the Windows PowerShell shortcut in the taskbar, and then click Run as Administrator.

Open Remote Desktop Connection

To open Remote Desktop Connection from the Start screen

1. On the Start screen, type mstsc.2. In the Search Apps results, click mstsc.

To open Remote Desktop Connection from the desktop

1. On the desktop, press the Windows logo key+R to open the Run dialog box.2. In the Run dialog box, type mstsc, and then press Enter.

Open Command Prompt

To open Command Prompt from the Start screen

1. On the Start screen, type cmd.2. In the Apps results, click cmd.

To open Command Prompt from the desktop

1. On the desktop, press the Windows logo key+R to open the Run dialog box.2. In the Run dialog box, type cmd, and then press Enter.

Open Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and snap-ins

To open MMC from the Start screen

1. On the Start screen, type mmc.2. In the Apps results, click mmc.

To open MMC from the desktop

1. On the desktop, press the Windows logo key+R to open the Run dialog box.2. In the Run dialog box, type mmc, and then press Enter.

To open an MMC snap-in from the Start screen

1. On the Start screen, type the executable file name of a snap-in.

Example: Type gpedit.msc.

2. When the snap-in is displayed in the Apps results, click the tile.

To open an MMC snap-in from the desktop

1. On the desktop, press the Windows logo key+R to open the Run dialog box.2. Type the executable file name of a snap-in, and then press Enter.

Example: Type gpedit.msc.

Tip

Alternatively, you can open a technology-specific snap-in from the Administrative Tools

folder. For information about how to access the Administrative Tools folder, see Access

Administrative Tools in this topic.

Keyboard shortcuts

This section provides keyboard shortcuts that are unchanged from Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, and a table of shortcuts that are new for the Windows Metro style user interface in Windows 8 Release Preview and Windows Server 2012.

Note

Keyboard shortcuts require certain settings and environments to work in a Remote Desktop

or virtual machine session.

Keyboard shortcuts that are unchanged from Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2

Key Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Functionality

Windows logo key Display or hide the Start screen

Windows logo key+left arrow Dock active window of a desktop app to left half of screen (no

effect on Metro style app windows)

Windows logo key+right

arrow

Dock active window of a desktop app to right half of screen (no

effect on Metro style app windows)

Windows logo key+up arrow Maximize active desktop app window (no effect on Metro style

app windows)

Windows logo key+down

arrow

Restore or minimize active desktop app window (no effect on

Metro style app windows)

Windows logo key+Shift+up

arrow

Maximize active desktop app window vertically, maintaining

width (no effect on Metro style app windows)

Windows logo

key+Shift+down arrow

Restore or minimize active desktop app window vertically (no

effect on Metro style app windows)

Windows logo key+Shift+left

arrow

Move active desktop app window to monitor on the left (no

effect on Metro style app windows)

Windows logo

key+Shift+right arrow

Move active desktop app window to monitor on the right (no

effect on Metro style app windows)

Windows logo key+P Display projection options

Windows logo key+Home Minimize all non-active windows, restore on second keystroke

(no effect on Metro style app windows)

Windows logo

key+<number>

Open or switch to the program located at the specified position

on the taskbar (Example: Windows logo key+1 to open first

program.)

Windows logo

key+Shift+<number>

Open a new or additional session in the program located at the

specified position on the taskbar

Windows logo

key+Ctrl+Shift+<number>

Open a new or additional session of the program located at the

specified position on the taskbar, running as Administrator

Windows logo key+B Set focus in the notification area.

Windows logo key+Break Display the System Properties dialog box.

Windows logo key+D Show the desktop, restore on second keystroke (no effect on

Metro style app windows)

Windows logo key+E Open Windows Explorer to display the Computer page

Windows logo key+Ctrl+F Search for computers (if you are on a network)

Windows logo key+G Cycle through installed Windows Desktop Gadgets

Windows logo key+L Lock your computer (if you are connected to a network

domain), or switch users (if you are not connected to a network

domain)

Windows logo key+M Minimize all windows

Windows logo key+Shift+M Restore minimized windows to the desktop (no effect on Metro

style app windows)

Windows logo key+R Open the Run dialog box.

Windows logo key+T Set focus on the taskbar and cycle through programs

Windows logo key+Alt+Enter Open Windows Media Center

Windows logo key+U Open Ease of Access Center

Windows logo key+X Open Windows Mobility Center

Windows logo key+F1 Open Windows Help and Support

Windows logo key+N Creates a new note (OneNote)

Windows logo key+S Opens screen clipper (OneNote)

Windows logo key+Q Opens Lync (Lync)

Windows logo key+A Accepts incoming call (Lync)

Windows logo key+X Rejects incoming call (Lync)

Windows logo key+Minus (-) Zoom out (Magnifier)

Windows logo key+Plus (+) Zoom in (Magnifer)

Windows logo key+Esc Close Magnifier

Keyboard shortcuts that are new for Windows 8 Release Preview and Windows Server 2012

Key Windows 8 Release Preview or Windows Server 2012 Functionality

Windows logo key+spacebar Switch input language and keyboard layout

Windows logo key+O Locks device orientation

Windows logo key+Y Temporarily displays the desktop

Windows logo key+V Cycles through notifications

Windows logo key+Shift+V Cycles through notifications in reverse order

Windows logo key+Enter Opens Narrator

Windows logo key+PgUp Moves Windows Metro style apps to the monitor on the left

Windows logo key+PgDown Moves Windows Metro style apps to the monitor on the right

Windows logo

key+Shift+period (.)

Moves the gutter to the left (snaps an application)

Windows logo key+period (.) Moves the gutter to the right (snaps an application)

Windows logo key+C Opens charms bar

Windows logo key+I Opens Settings pane

Windows logo key+K Opens Devices pane

Windows logo key+H Opens Share pane

Windows logo key+Q Opens Search pane

Windows logo key+W Opens Settings Search app

Windows logo key+F Opens File Search app

Windows logo key+Tab Cycles through Windows Metro style apps

Windows logo

key+Shift+Tab

Cycles through Windows Metro style apps in reverse order

Windows logo key+Ctrl+Tab Cycles through Windows Metro style apps and snaps them as

they are cycled

Windows logo key+Z Opens app bar

Use keyboard shortcuts in a Remote Desktop session

Before you connect to a Remote Desktop (also known as RDP) session, you can configure the session to accept Windows key combinations, whether the session is contained within a window, or occupies the full screen.

To apply keyboard shortcuts to a Remote Desktop session

1. If the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box is not already open, open it by typing mstsc on the Start screen, and then pressing Enter.

2. On the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box, click Show Options to display connection setting tabs.

3. In the Keyboard area of the Local Resources tab, select one of the following from the Apply Windows key combinations drop-down list.

To apply keyboard shortcuts to a full-screen Remote Desktop session, select Only when using the full screen.

To apply keyboard shortcuts to a Remote Desktop session that is contained within a window, select On the remote computer.

4. When you are finished configuring other settings for your Remote Desktop session, click Connect to connect to the session and start working, or click Save on the General tab to save your connection settings as an RDP file that you can use for future connections.

Use keyboard shortcuts in Hyper-V virtual machines

Before you start a virtual machine connection, you can apply Windows key combinations to virtual machine connections on a physical host computer by editing the Hyper-V settings for the physical computer in the Hyper-V Manager console.

Note

The setting in this procedure is selected by default if the Hyper-V host computer is running

Windows Server 2012. If the host computer is running Windows 8 Release Preview, Windows

Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2008, you must change the setting to apply Windows key

combinations to virtual machine connections.

To apply keyboard shortcuts to new virtual machine connections

1. Open the Hyper-V Manager snap-in if it is not already open.

If you are running Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8 Release Preview, or you are running Windows Server 2012, open Server Manager, and then open Hyper-V Manager from the Tools menu in Server Manager.

On the Start screen, click Hyper-V Manager.

If the Hyper-V Manager tile is not on the Start screen, type all or part of the name, Hyper-V Manager until the Hyper-V Manager tile appears on the Start screen.

2. In the tree pane, right-click the physical host computer, and then click Hyper-V Settings.

3. In the User area of the navigation pane, click Keyboard to display keyboard shortcut settings.

4. Select Use on the virtual machine to allow new virtual machine connections to accept Windows key combinations from the physical computer. Click OK to save your changes and close the Hyper-V Settings dialog box.

Note

This setting does not apply to virtual machine connections that are already open.