The following article will guide you step by step to install Windows Server 2008, from the preparation process until the real install. Problem: Any operating system also provides minimum requirements and optimize the hardware to the system can run smoothly. So you need to determine the strength of your system hardware meets the system requirements of Windows Server 2008 or not? Solution: Determine hardware requirements at three levels at a minimum, recommended and optimal Windows Server 2008, which compares with your system. You need to focus on three major components, such as RAM, processors, and free space on your hard drive. Hardware / Configuration Minimum Suggest Optimal RAM 512MB 1GB 2GB Microprocessors 1Ghz 2Ghz 3GHz Hard drives (empty) 10GB 40GB 80GB Requirements on just the requirements needed to run the operating system. You should refer to the hardware requirements of these applications will be running on the system to be adjusted accordingly. If you upgrade to more than 16GB of RAM, you need extra space on your hard drive to make room for virtual memory (pagefile), hibernation, and dump files (dump file). You can use the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP) to assess the host system. This tool will generate a report to help you determine which servers are ready to install Windows Server 2008. Page 2: Perform the preparations Fulfillment of preparation Problem: After you have identified the system meets the hardware requirements of Windows Server 2008, the next step is to implement the preparatory work prior to installation. Specifically, there are what? Settlement: The following is a list of things to do in the process of preparation before installation. Check the compatibility of applications Disconnect the power supply is interrupted UPS Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool To prepare the driver for the storage device Backup server Disable antivirus software Prepare Active Directory These are all things that should be done prior to installing Windows Server 2008. You might not have to perform all operations on, because it will depend on you to install new or upgrade complete directly from the old operating system. Also, you only need to perform steps to prepare Active Directory if you intend to turn your computer using Windows Server 2008 into a domain controller (the domain controller) and add it to the existing Windows 2000/2003 domain. Following are details of each job: Check the compatibility of applications Before you install Windows Server 2008, you must make sure that third-party applications will run on the system are operating system support. To do this, you can learn together with the application documents or contact the supplier to be answered whether this application can run on Windows Server 2008 is not. In a professional environment, technical documentation is something extremely important because it helps you to deploy applications on the system correctly and efficiently. Another tool you can use the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 (ACT 5.0). This tool is used to collect data on compatibility and stored in a centralized data warehouse. This is very useful information when assessing risks that may occur after you upgrade the operating system. Note: You can also use ACT 5.0 in the case of systems with smaller changes, such as upgrading your browser only, or update Windows. You are invited here for more details. Disconnect the power supply is interrupted UPS During the installation process, Windows Server 2008 will try to detect the device connected to the serial port. If you are connecting a UPS via the serial port, you may be experiencing problems with the installation. So it is best to disconnect the UPS power until the installation is complete. Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool You can use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to test the RAM on the server. You here to download the tool and then follow these steps: Running mtinst.exe file to start the installation of Windows Memory Diagnostic. If you want to use floppy disks to boot the server, select Create Startup Disk to install Windows Memory Diagnostic on a floppy disk. If you used a CD, select the Save CD Image to Disk. Reboot the server with the newly created boot disk. The server will start automatically on Windows Memory Diagnostic interface and begin the test. Note: To check the server memory rather carefully, you can run more extended test mode by pressing T while Windows Memory Diagnostic is working. When selecting this mode, it's best to run overnight to program. To prepare the driver for the storage device If your storage device drivers (drivers) attached, you should save the driver to a floppy disk, CD, DVD or USB drive. During the installation process, you might be in need of this driver. Backup server Backup server data manipulation is indispensable before implementing the change on the system. Ensure that your important data is backed up carefully. When performing the OS upgrade, you should have a backup of the system boot partition and system state data. This data can be backed up by creating a backup for Automated System Recovery (ASR) Disable antivirus software Anti-virus software will conduct scans all files being copied to the server, so is likely to affect the pace of upgrading the system. Prepare Active Directory There are two steps to prepare Active Directory service: Prepare forest. Prepare domain. Note: You only need to prepare Active Directory when there is intent to build a domain controller running Windows Server 2008 and join existing Windows 2000/2003 domain. Preparing forest: Login to the Schema Master of account existing domain with a member of one of the Enterprise Administrators, Schema Administrators or Domain Administrators. Copy adprep folder from sources \ adprep on Windows Server 2008 installation CD into the Schema Master. From the command prompt, navigate to the adprep folder you just copied and then run adprep / forestprep. For read-only domain controller (RODC), run adprep / rodcprep. Wait for the task to complete and cloned prior to the second step in the preparation of the Active Directory service. Next is the domain preparation steps: Log on to the infrastructure master domain's current account by a member of the Domain Administrators group. Copy adprep folder from sources \ adprep on Windows Server 2008 installation CD into the Infrastructure Master. From the command prompt, navigate to the adprep folder you just copied and then run adprep \ domainprep \ gpprep Wait for the task to complete and cloning. At this point, you've done the preparation and can begin immediately to install Windows Server 2008. However, you first need to decide whether to install any edition? Page 3: The decision of Windows Server 2008 will be installed Decision of Windows Server 2008 will be installed Problem: Windows Server 2008 has many different versions, supports processors x86, x64 and Itanium support simultaneous high availability, load balancing and virtualization. You need to consider all the editions and determine what is the most suitable for their company needs. Solution: You need to have a detailed view for each version of Windows Server 2008 and make a judgment in terms of the needs of the company. Windows Server 2008 with the following publications: Windows Web Server 2008 Windows Server 2008 Standard Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V Windows HPC Server 2008 Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems Note: The following article does not describe Windows Server 2008 Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter, "without Hyper-V" by their respective identical versions with Hyper-V. Windows Web Server 2008 True to its name, this edition is built for a single purpose: to become web hosts. Windows Web Server 2008 with architectural improvements in IIS 7.0, ASP.NET, and the Microsoft .NET Framework. This is used to deploy the website, web applications and web services. Windows Web Server 2008 support: 32GB of RAM on 64-bit systems (4GB on 32-bit systems) 4 multi-core processors Windows Server 2008 Standard Windows Server 2008 Standard is a powerful operating system for servers, which integrates many features to improve security, management, and reduce infrastructure costs, including: Web services Hyper-V Terminal Services Presentation virtualization Application virtualization Network Access Protection (NAP) BitLocker RODCs Windows Service Hardening Bidirectional Windows Firewall Next-generation cryptography support Server Manager Windows Deployment Services Windows PowerShell Next-generation TCP / IP Server Core Windows Server 2008 Standard supports: 32GB of RAM on 64-bit systems (4GB on 32-bit systems) 4 multi-core processors 250 connected network access services (Network Access Services - NAS) 50 connected network policy server (Network Policy Server - NPS) 250 connecting server terminal (Terminal Server) Virtualization Hyper-V with a free solution Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Windows Server 2008 Enterprise additional high availability, the latest security technology and the ability to upgrade the Standard edition. Here are some key features: Failover groups - up to 16 buttons (Failover Clustering) Synchronize ignore the error memory (Fault-tolerant memory) Copy Cross Licensing max 4 additional VMs Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) Advanced Certificate Services Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Windows Server 2008 Enterprise support: 8 processors 2TB of RAM on 64-bit systems (64 GB on 32-bit systems) Unlimited number of VPN (virtual private network) Unlimited number of connected network access service Unlimited number of connected network policy server Windows Server 2008 Datacenter This publication is intended for the needs of large-scale virtualization and additional scalability for mission-critical applications in large IT infrastructures. Here are the salient features: Large-scale virtualization - allowing you to add an unlimited number of virtual Failover clustering Dynamic hardware division Windows Server High Availability Program Windows Server 2008 Datacenter supports: 2TB of RAM on 64-bit systems (64 GB on 32-bit systems) 64 processor 64-bit x64 and 32-processor 32-bit x86 Unlimited virtual image use rights 16 node failover clustering (group link failover) Hot Add / Replace hot memory and processors on hardware support Synchronize ignore the error memory Copy Cross Unlimited number of connected network access service Unlimited number of connected network policy server 65,535 terminal server connections Advanced identity management Windows HPC Server 2008 Dedicated to environmentally high-performance computing (HPC), this edition allows you to scale to thousands of processing cores. This is beneficial when you are balancing the work load large volumes across multiple processors and to manage and monitor the health and stability of HPC environments. Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems lets you run Windows Server 2008 on Itanium-based systems. The Itanium processor platform is capable of handling intensive computing demands of professional applications in enterprise-class environments. Itanium Processor uses completely new structure not only extend from the structure 32-bit to 64-bit. Another feature of this processor architecture that is parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC) help improve performance through instruction-level parallelism, maximizing opportunities to execute instructions in parallel. A maximum of six commands can be executed in parallel. Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems supported: Dynamic hardware division Take advantage of Itanium (reliability, availability and scalability) 2TB RAM 64 Itanium processors or 64's Hot Add / Replace hot RAM and processor 8 node failover clustering Synchronize ignore the error memory Licensed unlimited virtualization solution with virtualization products third party At this point, you already know about the edition of Windows Server 2008 and can make their own decisions. Suppose you choose to install Windows Server 2008 Standard edition, we will proceed with the installation right now. Page 4: Installing Windows Server 2008 Installing Windows Server 2008 Problem: You have decided to install the Windows Server 2008 Standard. Next, you must choose whether to proceed with the installation manually or automatically installed. There may be multiple servers also need to upgrade. Settlement: The sequel of the article will be presented in turn gradually install Windows Server 2008, both manually and automatically. Installation Manual The installation of Windows Server 2008 is organized very reasonable. If you've installed Windows Server 2003 would you still remember that during installation, you are asked to answer questions about configuration. With Windows Server 2008, these requests were forwarded to the Initial Configuration Task Wizard appears when installation is complete. Here is a list of information you need to provide during installation: Language, currency and information keyboard (input language) Lock valid product activation Place settings Upcoming edition of the operating system installed (if not enter the product key) Installing upgrades or new installations Complete the installation of Windows Server 2008 only three stages: Install the operating system, including a valid passcode confirmation Initialization Configuration Initial Configuration Tasks Install Server Manager Install OS Follow these steps to install the operating system: For Windows Server 2008 installation disk into the drive and boot the server from the installation CD. When asked to select a language, time and currency and keyboard information, please make the appropriate selection and then click Next. *Setting language, time and currency, and keyboard information. Install Now option appears. If uncertain about hardware requirements, you can click on What to Know Before link Installing Windows for more details. Enter your product activation key (product key), and check the box Automatically Activate Windows When I'm Online. Click Next. * Enter your product activation key valid. If you did not enter a product key in the previous item, now you'll have to choose Windows Server 2008 edition is about to install, and check the box I Have Selected Security Edition of Windows That I Purchased. If you've entered a valid product key, the installer automatically detects which edition of Windows Server 2008 you are about to install. Click Next. * Selecting Windows Server 2008 to install. Read the terms stipulated and accepted by checking the box. Click Next. In the new window that appears, so you boot from the installation CD should be optional Upgrade (upgrade) was disabled. Click Custom (Advanced). * Upgrade option was disabled when you boot from the installation CD. Note: If you want to install the upgrade, you must run the installer in the Windows environment. On the next window, you need to select the location to install Windows. If drivers of the storage device a third party, must install them by clicking the link Load Driver. ** Download drivers for storage devices and choose where the third party installation. At this point, Windows will begin to be installed on the system. You can see the complete step by step process expressed as a percentage. During installation, the server will have to reboot several times. The installer should complete the following tasks: - Copy files - Expanding files - Install function - Installing Updates - Complete When the installation is complete, change the administrator account password before logging administrator. After the password is changed and you are logged into the operating system, such as you've finished part 1 of the installation. Initialization Configuration After you log into the operating system, the Initial Configuration Tasks Wizard window appears, consists of three categories: Provide Computer Information (Provide information system) Update this server (Update Server) Customize this server (Server Customization) * Initial Configuration Tasks Wizard So, in this position, you can make changes to profile? Under Provide Computer Information, you can perform the following: Change the time zone Configuring network interface network interface card (NIC). You can also assign a static IP address, subnet mask, default gateway (default gateway) and DNS server / WINS. In many environments, you'll probably be heading two NICs for LAN data production (using third-party software) and has a separate network interface card for data backup connected to the LAN backup. Alternatively, you can let the setup automatically assigned by a DHCP server, of course in case you have a DHCP server has been configured. Note: In fact, you will often assign a static IP address for the server infrastructure. In this case, you will need to collect that information along with the IP address and default gateway valid DNS server / WINS before installation. Provide a name for the server computer, along with information domain or workgroup. You need to restart the server for the changes to take effect. Under Update This Server, you can perform the following: Allow automatic updating and feedback Configure the download and install of the operating system update In the Customize This Server, you can perform the following: 1. Adding roles (roles) server. When you select a role, the wizard will help you complete the installation role. You can choose the following roles: Active Directory Certificate Services Active Directory Domain Services Active Directory Federation Services Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services Active Directory Rights Management Services Application Server DHCP Server DNS Server Fax Server File Services Network Policy and Access Services Print Services Terminal Services UDDI Services Web Server (IIS) Windows Deployment Services 2. Add features. As more roles, when you select the function, the wizard will help you complete the installation of the feature. There are plenty of features to choose from. Selection of features you want to install Note: For both the list of roles and features, if you highlight a role or certain features, you will find a description in the right list. When you select the roles and features, remember that you should install as few as possible, it is best to just choose what you intend to use. If you install roles or features that are not necessary, you will also install the service useless and potentially open up ports that have no value in production that server is no longer safe. Allow Remote Desktop connection to the server Configure firewall settings OS. By default, the firewall is enabled. Next will be the third of the installation process. Install Server Manager Server Manager gives you an overview of your server. When looking at the details of the default, you can see the computer information, security information and a summary of the roles and features installed. Looking down below, you will find resources and support. The left side of the window is the tool that helps you add / remove and configure roles and features. You will also find options to diagnose, configure and manage disk drives. After establishing the change in Server Manager, the installation work your craft has actually completed. Page 5: Install automatic Automatic Installation Now that you have completed the installation manually, the next part of the article will introduce you to the installation process automatically. With Windows Server 2008, you use the unattend.xml file instead unattend.txt. Actually, unattend.xml files also replace the Sysprep.inf file, Winbom.ini, and Cmdlines.txt. The XML format was adopted because it helps the job description nested values, add new elements and authentic answer file becomes easier. You can open the unattend.xml file in Internet Explorer version 5.5 or higher to parse .xml file and whether it has been fully constructed. If the file is not built correctly, Internet Explorer will let you know where the errors. To install automatically, you run setup.exe with keywords unattend C:> setup.exe /unattend:<path>\unattend.xml Unattend.xml file contains the answers required when running setup.exe, namely information such as computer name, accepting the license agreement end user (EULA), the installation disk information v .. v ... You can also show or hide user interface (UI) for each value is set by using ShowUI flag = Yes / No. Here is how the installation react when you use ShowUI flag: ShowUI flag = Yes and setting specified in the unattend.xml file: Setup uses the setting specified in the unattend.xml file and display the user interface according to that setting. ShowUI flag = No and setting specified in the unattend.xml file: Setup uses the setting specified in the unattend.xml file and does not display the user interface. ShowUI flag = Yes and setting is not specified in the unattend.xml file: Setup displays the user interface with default values, and users can change the settings if necessary. ShowUI flag = No and setting is not specified in the unattend.xml file: Setup uses default values and do not display the user interface. When conducting installed automatically over the network, system installers must have access to the unattend.xml file. When launching the installation CD / DVD, it will seek unattend.xml file in the following locations: Current directory Location launch setup.exe Floppy Drives, USB or CD / DVD Other The syntax for the unattend.xml file is broken down into the elements, and each element needs to open and close the correct order (when nested). Once ensure this, it would be an .xml file is constructed completely. Only a single root element: <unattend>. * One paragraph in the unattend.xml file Unattend.xml file operation process will stop with an error message if any of the following are true: The licensing agreement is the end user does not accept Product activation is not valid Unable to write to disk installed The creation of unattend.xml can file a little bit confusing, but once you've successfully created, it will make your job a lot easier. There are several tools available on the web that can help you create this file. You can also get very creative by adding some scripting to automatically name the computers comply with the convention of placing your name as well as many other configuration options. Good lucky!