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Tip: Administer Windows Server 2008 Server Core from the Command Prompt

To become an expert in administering Server Core from the command prompt, you need the following:

  • Familiarity with using the command-line tools included in Windows Server 2008
  • Knowledge of which tools can be used to administer a particular role or feature, as well as to perform a particular type of task

Here’s a quick guide to some of the more useful command-line tools you can use for performing specific types of administrative tasks in Server Core. The list is not meant to be complete and the task areas in it are not ordered in any particular way. Also, while most of the tools listed in this table are command-line tools, a few of them are scripts or GUI tools.

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Task: View system information

  • Msinfo32
  • Set
  • Systeminfo

Task: View user information

  • Whoami

Task: Manage users and groups

  • Net accounts
  • Net group
  • Net localgroup
  • Net user

Task: View or change computer name

  • Hostname
  • Netdom renamecomputer

Task: Join or leave a domain

  • Netdom join

Task: Log off or shut down

  • Logoff
  • Shutdown

Task: Configure networking

  • Ipconfig
  • Netsh interface
  • Netsh routing
  • Route

Task: Configure Windows Firewall

  • Netsh advfirewall

Task: Configure Internet Protocol security (IPsec)

  • Netsh ipsec
  • Scregedit.wsf

Task: Activate Windows

  • Slmgr.vbs

Task: Manage services

  • Net continue
  • Net pause
  • Net start
  • Net stop
  • Sc
  • Tasklist

Task: Manage processes

  • Taskkill
  • Tasklist
  • Taskmgr

Task: Manage tasks

  • At
  • Schtasks

Task: Collect and analyze performance data

  • Logman
  • Relog
  • Typeperf

Task: View events and manage event logs

  • Wevtutil

Task: Manage disks and storage

  • Compact
  • Defrag
  • Diskpart
  • Diskraid
  • Mountvol

Task: Manage Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)

  • Vssadmin
  • Cacl

Task: Manage file systems and file permissions

  • Convert
  • Fsutil
  • Icacls
  • Takeown

Task: Manage files

  • Openfiles
  • Sigverif

Task: Manage shares and share permissions

  • Net share

Task: Manage the registry

  • Reg
  • Regedit

Task: Install and manage drivers

  • Driverquery
  • Pnputil
  • Sc

Task: Install and manage updates

  • Pkgmgr
  • Scregedit.wsf
  • Systeminfo
  • Wuauclt
  • Wusa

Task: Install roles and features

  • Oclist
  • Ocsetup

Task: Install applications

  • Msiexec

Task: Manage Group Policy

  • Gpresult
  • Gpupdate
  • Secedit

Task: Manage certificates

  • Certreq
  • Certutil

Task: Manage Terminal Services (Remote Desktop for Administration)

  • Change
  • Logoff
  • Msg
  • Mstsc
  • Qappsrv
  • Qprocess
  • Query
  • Qwinsta
  • Reset session
  • Rwinsta
  • Shadow
  • Tscon
  • Tsdiscon
  • Tskill

From the Microsoft Press book Windows Server 2008 Server Core Administrator’s Pocket Consultant by Mitch Tulloch.

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