When installing Windows Server Why is Server Core installation recommended?

When you install Windows Server 2019, you need to choose between installing the server with or without the Desktop Experience. This is an important decision because you can't add or remove the Desktop Experience after you install the server.

Server Core is an installation of Windows Server without the Desktop Experience. Server Core is available for both Standard and Datacenter editions, but it isn't available for Windows Server 2019 Essentials, and the free version of Hyper-V server is only available as a Server Core installation.

You can administer and configure Server Core on the server itself through PowerShell, the command line, or through the text-based tool called Sconfig. Remote administration is the normal method of managing the server by using several tools such as PowerShell Remoting, the Remote Server Administration Tool (RSAT), and the Windows Admin Center.

Note: There are some GUI-based tools available in Server Core. For example, Regedit, Notepad, Msinfo32, and Task Manager (Taskmgr) will launch from the command prompt in their traditional GUI.

Server Core has advantages over Windows Server with Desktop Experience and is the recommended installation for most scenarios, but it might not be suitable in every case.

Choosing your installation

Choosing your installation will depend on the workload you need the server to perform. For network infrastructure roles, such as Hyper-V, Active Directory, File Server, and Web Server, Server Core is the better option.

Additional reading: For more information about server roles and features not available for Server Core, go to Roles, Role Services, and Features not in Windows Server - Server Core.

Additional reading: For more information about available server roles and features for Server Core, go to Roles, Role Services, and Features included in Windows Server - Server Core.

If you have requirements for a line of business apps that require a GUI or the presence of certain binaries, then Windows Server with Desktop Experience will be the right choice.

Server Core installation and post-installation tasks

The installation of Server Core is straightforward and the same whether you are installing with Desktop Experience or not. There are some tasks you should perform before installing the operating system:

• Disconnect any uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that is connected to the destination computer with a serial cable. This is because setup attempts to detect any devices connected to serial ports, and UPS equipment can cause problems with this process.
• Back up your server if this is an upgrade install.
• Disable or remove virus protection software that might be installed on the target computer if this is an upgrade.
• Ensure you have any mass storage driver files provided by the manufacturer on a disk, flash drive, or other portable media so that the driver files can be provided during setup. Most modern servers provide a disk or built-in wizard with appropriate drivers to guide you through the installation for that specific hardware.

Typically, before you install the operating system, you will use the vendor-provided guidance to do the initial hardware configurations, which includes the following tasks:

• Update BIOS, firmware, and drivers
• Configure disk arrays
• Configure out of band management
• Configure network settings

After those tasks are complete, you can install the operating system by performing the following steps:

1. Connect to the installation source. Options for this include:

• Insert a DVD-ROM containing the installation files, and boot from the DVD-ROM.
• Connect a specially prepared USB drive that hosts the installation files.
• Perform a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) boot and connect to a Windows Deployment Services server.

1. On the first page of Windows Setup Wizard, select the following locale-based information:

• Language to install
• Time and currency format
• Keyboard or input method

1. On the second page of Windows Setup Wizard, select Install now.
2. In Windows Setup Wizard, on the Select The Operating System You Want To Install page, choose from the available operating system installation options. The default option is Server Core Installation.
3. On the License Terms page, review the terms of the operating system license. You must choose to accept the license terms before you can go ahead with the installation process.
4. On the Which Type Of Installation Do You Want page, you have the following options:

• Upgrade. Select this option if you have an existing installation of Windows Server that you want to upgrade to Windows Server 2019. You should launch upgrades from within the previous version of Windows Server rather than booting from the installation source.
• Custom. Select this option if you want to perform a new installation.

1. On the Where do you want to install Windows page, choose an available disk on which to install Windows Server. You can also choose to repartition and reformat disks from this page. When you select Next, the installation process will copy the files and reboot the computer several times.
2. On the Settings page, provide a password for the local Administrator account.

Install features on demand

In the past, if you tried to install an application that had dependencies on certain binaries and packages from the Desktop Experience that were not present in Windows Server Core, the install would fail. Microsoft is striving to improve the Windows Server Core experience by releasing the Server Core App Compatibility feature-on-demand (FOD), making it possible to install these applications.

The FOD does not come pre-installed. You must download and install it. You can obtain it through Windows Update if your server connects directly to the internet or you can download the ISO image file from the Microsoft Volume License Service Center. Some operating system components that become available after installing the FOD include:

• Event Viewer
• Performance Monitor
• Resource Monitor
• Device Manager
• Microsoft Management Console
• File Explorer
• Internet Explorer
• Windows PowerShell ISE
• Failover Cluster Manager

Installing the FOD

There are two ways to install the FOD. The simplest way to install the FOD is through Windows Update by using PowerShell. Launch an elevated PowerShell session and run the following command:

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