Managing Windows Server 2012 Storage and File Systems : Storage Management (part 2) - Installing and configuring file services - Configuring the File And Storage Services role

7/2/2013 9:53:23 PM

2. Installing and configuring file services

File servers are central repositories for an organization’s data. As you seek to manage and distribute the data stored on your organization’s file servers, you might find that you need to optimize file and storage services. Although basic file and storage services are installed by default on servers running Windows Server 2012, you must specifically configure other services and features as they’re needed. Use the Add Roles And Features Wizard in Server Manager to add the appropriate role services and features, and then use the related management tools to configure the role services and features as needed.

2.1 Configuring the File And Storage Services role

You can add role services and features to a file server by following these steps:

In Server Manager, tap or click Manage and then tap or click Add Roles And Features, or select Add Roles And Features in the Quick Start pane. This starts the Add Roles And Features Wizard. If the wizard displays the Before You Begin page, read the Welcome text and then tap or click Next.

Note

Beginning with Windows Server 2012, binary source files for roles, role services, and features can be removed to enhance security. If the binaries for the tools you want to use have been removed, you need to install the tools by specifying a source.
On the Installation Type page, Role-Based Or Feature-Based Installation is selected by default. Tap or click Next.
On the Server Selection page, you can choose to install roles and features on running servers or virtual hard disks. After you make your selection, do one of the following and then tap or click Next:
1. Select the server that you want to configure. Keep in mind that only servers running Windows Server 2012 and that have been added for management in Server Manager are listed.
2. Select the server host to use, and then type the UNC path to the offline virtual hard disk (VHD) file on that server, as shown in Figure 3. Keep in mind that Windows Server 2012 must already be installed on the VHD. Alternatively, tap or click Browse and then use the Browse For Virtual Hard Disks dialog box to locate the offline VHD.
Figure 3. If you are adding roles and features to a VHD, specify the UNC path to the VHD.
On the Server Roles page, select File And Storage Services. Expand the related node, and select the additional role services to install, as shown in Figure 4. If additional features are required to install a role, you’ll see an additional dialog box. Tap or click Add Features to close the dialog box and add the required features to the server installation. When you are ready to continue, tap or click Next.

Figure 4. Select the appropriate role services for the file server.
On the Features page, shown in Figure 5, select any features you want to install. If additional features are required to install a feature you selected, you’ll see an additional dialog box. Tap or click Add Features to close the dialog box and add the required features to the server installation. When you are ready to continue, tap or click Next.

Figure 5. Select the additional features for the file server.
On the Confirm page, tap or click the Export Configuration Settings link to generate an installation report that can be displayed in Internet Explorer.
If the server on which you want to install roles or features doesn’t have all the required binary source files, the server gets the files via Windows Update by default or from a location specified in Group Policy. You also can specify an alternate path for the required source files. To do this, click the Specify An Alternate Source Path link, type that alternate path in the box provided, and then tap or click OK. For network shares, enter the UNC path to the share, such as \\CorpServer14\WinServer2012\. For mounted Windows images, enter the WIM path prefixed with WIM: and including the index of the image to use, such as WIM:\\CorpServer14\WinServer2012\install.wim:4.
After you review the installation options and save them as necessary, tap or click Install to begin the installation process. The Installation Progress page tracks the progress of the installation. If you close the wizard, tap or click the Notifications icon in Server Manager and then tap or click the link provided to re-open the wizard.
When Setup finishes installing the server with the roles and features you selected, the Installation Progress page will be updated to reflect this. Review the installation details to ensure that all phases of the installation were completed successfully. Note any additional actions that might be required to complete the installation, such as restarting the server or performing additional installation tasks. If any portion of the installation failed, note the reason for the failure. Review the Server Manager entries for installation problems, and take corrective actions as appropriate.