The setup GUI for Windows Server 2012 is very
similar to the installation process for Windows Server 2008 and Windows
Server 2008 R2. After the installation software loads into memory, the
configuration setup pages have a consistent look and feel. Each step
outlined in the following sections also has integrated links to relevant
Help topics. Many of the choices and options that were historically
part of the pre-installation setup process in Windows 2000/2003 are now
relegated to post-install configuration after the base OS installation
has completed. Therefore, the steps required during initial installation
are minimized, allowing for a faster installation and more streamlined
initial process, consolidating operations pertaining to settings
specific to the final role of the server to the post-installation phase.
The following sections outline the elements that must be entered during a clean installation of Windows Server 2012.
Customizing the Language, Time, Currency, and Keyboard Preferences
The first element when installing Windows
Server 2012 is to choose the language to install on the server. Usually,
the language selected is English; however, the language selections vary
based on a region. Examples of languages include English, Arabic,
French, Dutch, Spanish, and many more. The next element to be specified
is the time and currency format. This setting dictates how the server
will handle currencies, dates, and times, including daylight savings.
The final element is the keyboard or input method. Specify the country
code, such as US, Canada, or China, and click Next to begin the
installation.
The Install Now Page
The next page in the installation process
prompts you with an action to Install Now. Click Install Now to commence
the Windows Server 2012 installation. In addition, this screen provides
access to the new Windows Server 2012 repair console via the Repair
Your Server link.
The repair console includes a link to a group of troubleshooting tools:
• System Image Recovery—Initiates a wizard-driven process to restore the system from a previously created system image
• Command prompt—A
conventional command prompt including access to useful tools such as
diskpart, bcdedit and xcopy. This command prompt can be a useful tool
for troubleshooting installation problems and even problems with
existing servers that won’t boot.
Selecting the Type of Operating System to Install
The next page in the installation process is
Select the Operating System You Want to Install. One of the first items
that needs to be addressed on every new installation of Windows Server
2012 is which edition and type of operating system will be installed.
The options include a Full installation or a Server Core installation. A
Full installation is a traditional installation of Windows and includes
all the user interfaces and supports all the server roles. As mentioned
earlier, a Server Core installation is a scaled-down installation of
Windows Server 2012 with the intent to reduce the attack surface and
management.
Thanks to the new ability of a Windows Server
2012 server to transition quickly from a Full installation to a Server
Core installation, the operating system type can be changed at a later
time.
In addition to the server type, the operating
system edition must also be selected. Here, again, Windows Server 2012
simplifies the choices with two editions: Standard and Datacenter. There
are no longer any feature differences between the editions, only a
difference in hardware and virtual systems supported.
Accepting the Terms of the Windows Server 2012 License
The License Terms page is presented next.
Review the license terms and check the I Accept the License Terms check
box if you comply with these terms. Click Next to continue.
Selecting the Type of Windows Server 2012 Installation
On the Which Type of Installation Do You Want
page, you can either select to upgrade an existing Windows server or
install a clean copy of Windows. Because this is a clean installation
and a legacy operating system does not exist, the upgrade selection will
present a message to this effect and prevent the installation from
proceeding. Therefore, in this scenario, select Custom: Install Windows
Only (Advanced) to perform a clean installation of Windows Server 2012.
Click Next to continue, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Specifying whether to upgrade or install a clean copy of Windows.
Selecting the Location for the Installation
On the next page, the Install Windows Wizard
asks where you want to install Windows. You need to specify where you
want to install the OS and then click Next to continue, as illustrated
in Figure 2.
At this point, you can supply additional disk drivers, or add, delete,
extend, or format partitions in preparation for the install. Once any
required operations are done, select the partition for the new operating
system installation and click Next.
Figure 2. Specifying the location for the installation.
Note
As with the previous two versions of the
operating system, there is no choice as to the file system on the
partition. Windows Server 2012 automatically uses the new ReFS file
system for all created partitions. ReFS is an improved and updated
version of the NTFS file system.
Finalizing the Installation and Customizing the Configuration
After the Windows Server 2012 Install Windows
Wizard collects the information and installs the Windows operating
system, the system restarts. The administrator must set a password
before logging on to complete the installation process. When logged on,
Server Manager is automatically invoked and presents the Dashboard view,
which provides a quick-start series of steps to getting started with
the server. By selecting the first link, Configure This Local Server,
the Local Server view is activated and presents basic information about
the server as well as links to common core configuration tasks, as shown
in Figure 3. These tasks are commonly used to initially configure the server:
• Computer Name/Workgroup—Both links allow the configuration of the computer name and workgroup or domain membership as well as primary DNS suffix.
• Last Installed Updates/Windows Update/Last Checked for Updated—These
sections display the configuration and recent activity for the Windows
Update client. All three links open the Windows Update control panel.
• Windows Firewall—Shows the state of the firewall. The link opens the Windows Firewall control panel.
• Remote Management—Shows whether Remote Management is enabled. The link allows the option to be configured.
• Remote Desktop—Shows whether Remote Desktop is enabled. The link open the System control panel to the Remote tab.
• Network Adapter Teaming—Shows whether NIC teaming is enabled. The link opens the NIC teaming configuration console
• Wired Ethernet Connection—Shows the status of the network connection. The link opens the Network Connections control panel
Figure 3. The Local Server view.
• Windows Error Reporting/Customer Experience Improvement Program—Shows participation setting for each program. The link allows participation to be configured.
• IE Enhanced Security Configuration—Shows the state of the IE protection mechanism. The link opens the configuration dialog for the mechanism.
• Time Zone—Shows the current time zone. The link opens the Date/Time control panel.
• Product ID—Shows the configured product ID. The link opens the Windows Activation Wizard.
