Microsoft Server 2016: A Look at Core,

Nano, and Desktop Experience

Travis Reddick
reddicktw@more.net

Copyright ©2017 MOREnet and The Curators of the University of Missouri

What we will be covering

• Microsoft Server 2016 GUI or Desktop

Experience
• CORE
• NANO

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Quick Differences
• Microsoft Server 2016 Desktop Experience
• The same experience as Server 2008r2 & Server 2012r2.
• 36 Gigs Minimal

• 2016 Core
• No GUI / Desktop Experience
• 32 Gigs Minimal

• Nano
• 80MB of disk space (previous 390-MB size after version
1709)

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Microsoft Server 2016
Brief over view of license

OSE = Operating System Environment

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Microsoft Server 2016
Brief over view of license

• Standard Edition (Desktop Edition & Core)-

$882
• Datacenter Edition (Desktop Edition &
Core)- $6155
• HyperV – free
• Server 2016 Containers – Unlimited – Free

OSE = Operating System Environment

Commercial Cost

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 Microsoft Server 2016

Pre - Installations Decisions

• Unlike some previous releases of Windows

Server, you cannot convert between Server
Core and Server with Desktop Experience
after installation. If you install Server with
Desktop Experience and later decide to
use Server Core, you have to do a fresh
installation.

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Microsoft Server 2016
Desktop Experience

• All Roles and Features are available in

Microsoft Server 2016 Desktop Experience.

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Microsoft Server 2016
Core Installation
Available Roles and Features
• 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

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Microsoft Server 2016
Core Installation
Available Roles and Features
• 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 and the following sub-
roles:
• Remote Desktop Services Connection Broker

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Microsoft Server 2016
Core Installation
Available Roles and Features
• Licensing
• Virtualization
• Volume Activation Services

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 Microsoft Server 2016
Nano Installation

Available Roles and Features

• As a "compute" host for Hyper-V virtual

machines, either in clusters or not
• As a storage host for Scale-Out File Server.
• As a DNS server

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Microsoft Server 2016
Nano Installation

Available Roles and Features

• As a web server running Internet Information
Services (IIS)
• As a host for applications that are developed
using cloud application patterns and run in a
container or virtual machine guest operating
system
• Desired State Configuration

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Constraints of Nano Server
• Nano Server is "headless;" there is no local logon
capability or graphical user interface.
• Only 64-bit applications, tools, and agents are
supported.
• Nano Server cannot serve as an Active Directory
domain controller.
• Group Policy is not supported. However, you can
use Desired State Configuration to apply settings
at scale.

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Constraints of Nano Server
• Nano Server does not need to be activated with a
product key. When functioning as a Hyper-V host,
Nano Server does not support Automatic Virtual
Machine Activation (AVMA). Virtual machines
running on a Nano Server host can be activated
using Key Management Service (KMS) with a
generic volume license key or using Active
Directory-based activation.

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Constraints of Nano Server
• The version of Windows PowerShell provided
with Nano Server has important differences.
For details, see PowerShell on Nano Server.

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Changes to Nano
• Starting in Windows Server, version 1709,
Nano Server will be available only as
a container base OS image.

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Changes to Nano
• Optimized for .NET Core applications
• Smaller than the Windows Server 2016 version
• Windows PowerShell, .NET Core, and WMI are no
longer included by default, but you can include
PowerShell and .NET Core container packages when
building your container.

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Changes to Nano
• There is no longer a servicing stack included in Nano
Server. Microsoft publishes an updated Nano
container to Docker Hub that you redeploy.
• You troubleshoot the new Nano Container by using
Docker.
• You can now run Nano containers on IoT Core.

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What Is a Container
• A container image is a lightweight, stand-alone,
executable package of a piece of software that
includes everything needed to run it: code, runtime,
system tools, system libraries, settings. Available for
both Linux and Windows based apps, containerized
software will always run the same, regardless of the
environment. Containers isolate software from its
surroundings, for example differences between
development and staging environments and help
reduce conflicts between teams running different
software on the same infrastructure.

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What Is a Container

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What Is a Container

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Microsoft Server 2016
Managing Desktop Experience

• Manage with Remote Desktop Services

• Manage with Remote Server Administration
Tools (RSAT)
• Manage with Remote Powershell
• Manage with Server Manager

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Microsoft Server 2016
Managing CORE

• Manage with Remote Desktop Services

• Manage with Remote Server Administration
Tools (RSAT)
• Manage with Remote Powershell

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Microsoft Server 2016
Management of Nano

• Windows PowerShell
• Commands for remote PowerShell in the
resources section
• Server Administration
• Commands for remote PowerShell in the
resources section

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What Is Windows Server Apps (WSA)

• WSA is a significant shift from the

traditional MSI installer technology
• The only installer available on Nano
Server.
• WSA is now also available for
the Server with Full Desktop
Experience and Core
• Uniform WSA package regardless of
which Windows Server installation

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Windows Server Apps (WSA)
• WSA Introduction
• https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/n
anoserver/
• https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/n
anoserver/2015/11/18/installing-
windows-server-apps-on-nano-server/

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Security of Microsoft Server
2016

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Security of Microsoft Server
2016

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On to the DEMO
• Any Questions????

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•Questions

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Resources – Cont

• Learn more about Windows containers

• http://aka.ms/containers

• Remote Management Feedback

• https://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295071-remote-
management-tools

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Resources - Cont
• Deploy Nano Server, Apps, and Tools
• Deployment guide at: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-
server/get-started/getting-started-with-nano-server
• Give feedback and let Microsoft know where you encounter
difficulties.
• https://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295068-nano-
server
• http://aka.ms/containers/forum
• https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/Virtualization-Documentation

• Remote Management Feedback

• https://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295071-remote-
management-tools

• Nano – Powershell Versions

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-
started/powershell-on-nano-server

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Resources - Cont
• To add the Nano Server to the list of trusted hosts, run this
command at an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt
• Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts "<IP address
of Nano Server>”

• To start the remote Windows PowerShell session, start an elevated

local Windows PowerShell session, and then run these commands:
$ip = "\<IP address of Nano Server>"
$user = "$ip\Administrator"
Enter-PSSession -ComputerName $ip -Credential $user

• Manage Nano with Server Admin

• Enter-PSSession -ComputerName 192.168.1.110 -Credential
Nano01\Administrator

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 Questions?
Contact Information:
• Travis Reddick
• reddicktw@more.net
• Jim Long
• long@more.net
• Stephanie Hanson
• hansonjh@more.net
(800) 509-6673
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