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= Windows Server - General Information Common to Most Versions =
  
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= '''Welcome to TheBestLinux.com Wiki!''' =
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== Installation, Setup & Initial Configuration ==
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<br />
 
  
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= '''TheBestLinux.com''' is now co-located in multiple data-centers globally! =
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=== Common Pre-Requisites ===
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<br />
 
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= New Servers Added in Amsterdam & Singapore! =
 
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<br />
 
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The VM servers making up TheBestLinux.com and it's accompanying sites and services are physically located in data centers in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Singapore & Western Oregon.  If you are interested in any of these types of setups, let me know!
 
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<br /><br />
 
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[http://TheBestLinux.com TheBestLinux.com] is your source for Linux Operating System Solutions & Information,
 
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<br />
 
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and embraces "Open Source" sharing and collaborative development of useful solutions.
 
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<br /><br />
 
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TheBestLinux.com not only specializes with Linux based systems, with over 25 years of specializing in Linux based solutions, but also has over 40 years of experience with all things related to computers and computing, both hardware and software, as well as IoT - '''"The Internet of Things"''', embracing Internet based technology!
 
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<br /><br />
 
  
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= '''Ansible Information & How-To's''' =
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* Drive Storage Space
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Here is the [[Ansible]] info.
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** Size for OS & Data - Dependent on type of OS installation:  Core Minimal can install on as little as 10GB, but 12GB is the safest "minimal" drive size, or GUI(Graphical User Interface) Desktop Experience should have 20GB minimally.
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<br /><br />
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** Filesystem type - Normal default NTFS or other not so common types, such as exFAT for VERY LARGE file size storage & can be read and written to with newer versions of the Linux OS!
 +
** Partition Table type - Old school MBR(Master Boot Record) or GPT(GUID Partition Table) - Dependent on age of computer and hard drive(s) - Usually automatically setup during OS installation, but partition table and partitions can be manually setup using a bootable utility disk based on Linux(I use a Knoppix bootable disk or USB thumb drive, depending on the age of the computer and availability of bootable media drives).
 +
** Memory - 1GB minimal of RAM memory is best for initial installation, and can be lowered to as little as 512MB after installation of the OS.  Of course, the more apps the server needs to run and serve, the more RAM memory will be required!
 +
** At least one network interface card(NIC), but 2 or more is best for many server functions. Plus, if you have network based storage such as NAS or a SAN, like I having both, a dedicated network card and network switch is best practice by far, and will result in HUGE performance gains when utilizing network based data storage!
 +
** The Operating System(OS) installation media, either as an ISO image file, or as a virtual hard disk image, if your are using a pre-built OS image in a virtual environment.
  
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= '''New Docker & Kubernetes Information Section Created!''' =
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That's pretty much it, as there are of course extra options you can have and use, depending on your serer's purpose.  For now, this will get you going.
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Check out my new Container section with info on [[Docker & Kubernetes]] and more Right Here!!!
 
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<br /><br />
 
  
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= New Website Development & Programming Section Created =
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== Operating System Installation ==
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Learn HTML5, CSS & Javascript to create killer websites! - [[Check it out here!]]
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Boot up the system with the installation media connected to the server machine, and boot into the BIOS and configure it to boot up on either the CD/DVD ROM or USB device, depending of course on the type of installation media you are using, and go through the prompts to install the OS.
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<br /><br />
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Here is a great web page with excellent step-by-step instructions and photos of the entire process, both for the CORE OS installation(No GUI/Desktop), or the "Desktop Experience":  https://softwarekeep.com/help-center/windows-server-2022-installation-guide-step-by-step
  
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= New PHP Info Micro How-To Right Here! =
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== Initial Windows Server Bootup & Setup ==
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[[Phpinfo_page|PHP Info]]
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The first time your new server boots up, you will have to go through some initial steps to setup some basic stuff.  Among them, you will want to set the local Administrator's password to something very complex, with a mix of upper & lower case letters, along with some special characters and numbers, but something you will NEVER forget if you are not using a password manager, which I STRONGLY recommend!  I have used multiple clients based on the "Keepass" protocol, as there are many apps that use it for every OS and and phone!
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<br /><br />
 
  
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= Newest Linux Info, Tips & Tricks! =
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As this is a "SERVER", it should have it's IP address(s) configured to use "static" IP addresses, meaning the same IP address every time the server is booted up!  This will ensure the server is always available at the same IP address, which is critical for a "server"! To start up the Windows network card interface control window, type and run this command:  control netconnections
  
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== CentOS Specific Info ==
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A window will open up with network icons for each network interface card(NIC) connected to the server computer.  Right-click on the first "Ethernet icon, then left normal click on "Properties" in the pop-up menu.  Then, double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IPv4) to bring up the network configuration window.  Click on the radio button "Use the following IP address:" to allow you to then type in the IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway.  Type the appropriate IP addresses according to your local network configuration schema, and do the same for "Use the following DNS server:".  Click "OK", and then click on "OK" again to save the new network configuration.
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[[Amazon_Linux]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
  
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[[CentOS_8]]
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== Post Installation ==
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<br /><br />
 
  
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== Grub - GRand Unified Bootloader ==
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=== Setting up Server Roles ===
−
Grub has been around for a long time, taking over the bootup role on most Linux installations from the "OLD" Lilo tool.  Lilo stands for "LInux Loader", in case anyone is interested.
 
  
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The configuration files for Grub are usually in /boot/grub2/grub.cfg, /etc/grub2.cfg with additional configuration settings in /etc/grub.d/.
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If this server is "NOT" going to be an Active Directory Domain Controller(AD DC), it most likely then should join an existing Windows Active Directory "Domain", which you will know as it's a basic knowledge requirement of creating a new Windows server.  To join an existing Active Directory domain, and rename the server's hostname at the same time, using the "Computer System Properties tool", which can be quickly started by typing and running the command:  sysdm.cpl and hitting ENTER.  Click on the "Change" button to the right of "To rename this computer or change its domain or workgroup, click Change.  Type the new Computer name, as preferred, and then select the radio button to the left of "Domain", to allow you to then type in the domain you want to join. In my case, I used one of my personal domains, dawgland.com.
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After a change has been made to any of the grub configuration files, you must re-apply those changes using the grub2-mkconfig command as the root superuser.   
 
−
Here is an example of the usage of grub2-mkconfig:
 
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<pre style="color:blue">
 
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[root@cos8vm54.dawgland.com:/boot/grub2]# grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
 
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Generating grub configuration file ...
 
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done
 
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[root@cos8vm54.dawgland.com:/boot/grub2]#
 
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</pre>
 
−
<br /><br />
 
  
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== Scripts & Other Automation Tools ==
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A reboot will be required, and at next bootup, you will be required to login as either the local administrator user, or an existing Active Directory domain user account, which you should already know.  To login as the local Administrator, in the "User name" login field, type computers's hostname first, followed with a back-slash, and the name "Administrator", such as this:
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=== Shell/Bash Scripts ===
 
−
<br /><br />
 
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Display IP version 4 address of first network interface on a Linux machine one-liner:
 
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<pre style="color:blue">
 
−
ip -4 addr show `ip -4 addr | grep -m 1 '2:' | awk '{ print $2; }' | sed 's/\:.*$//'` | grep inet | awk '{ print $2; }' | sed 's/\/.*$//'
 
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</pre>
 
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<br /><br />
 
  
−
== Conditional Statements ==
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hostname\administrator
−
Conditional statements are the basic building blocks of creating scripts that test for certain conditions, and then do something or don't do something, depending on what you want to end results to be.
 
  
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One of the most common and most useful statements are the "if ... else", to test for a condition to be true or false, or equal to something else, and so on.
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In my case, to log into the VM(Virtual Machine) Windows Server I have running on my home network, I use this:
  
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Here's a basic example of how "if... else" works. Note that the "if" statements always end with "fi", as seen in this example which tests to see if the MySQL database server is running.  This is just the basic begging of the script I am creating, so doesn't do anything other than print statements to the screen as to the results of the test within the "if... else" statement:
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win19vm10\administrator
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<pre style="color:blue">
 
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#!/usr/bin/bash
 
  
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chksql=`ps ax | grep -v grep | grep mysqld_safe`
 
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if [[ -z $chksql ]]
 
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then
 
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        echo "The Database Server is NOT RUNNING!!!"
 
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        echo "MUST FIX NOW!!!"
 
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else
 
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        echo "All Good!"
 
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fi
 
  
−
</pre>
 
  
−
I will then add code to send an email to me if the DB server is down.  Or I can just have the script start the database server back up, or do both!  The choice is up to you!
+
Type in the local administrator password you setup during initial installation of the Windows Server operating system, hit enter, and you should then be logged into the new server!
  
−
Now, we need to have the script actually fix the issue, if it finds the issue is occuring, as this particular issue is intermittant, so I never know when it will occur, causing one of my websites to break.  Here is the final version of the script where we remove the "echo" informational statements and have it fix the MariaDB database server is it happens to be down when the script is run.  Here is the final version of the script using the standard systemctl tool:
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You can then proceed to install and configure the Windows Server "Roles" and "Features" your new server will be running/serving.  Here's a great page from Microsoft on installing and uninstalling those Roles and Features your new server will be serving/hosting:
−
<pre style="color:blue">
 
−
!/usr/bin/bash
 
  
−
chksql=`ps ax | grep -v grep | grep mysqld_safe`
+
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/server-manager/install-or-uninstall-roles-role-services-or-features
  
−
if [[ -z $chksql ]]
 
−
then
 
−
        /usr/bin/systemctl start mariadb &
 
−
fi
 
  
−
</pre>
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=== Server Licensing ===
  
−
The last step is to automate the running of the script. Since this issue is critical, causing the entire website to be down, I want to run this script at intervals that are not too far apart.  I chose to have it run every 5 minutes, and I use the standard Linux/UNIX scheduling tool "CRON".
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Windows Server - Command-Line tool SLMGR.VBS - A Visual Basic tool used to manage Windows Server license from the command line.
  
−
Cron has a ton of options and will already be configured to your particular Linux distribution to run many maintenance tools, so I will not get into the detail of how Cron works, and what each cron "job", as they are referred to, are actually doing.  This is how I created the new cron job.  The first step is to edit the crontab as the root superuser:
+
Basic usage from a command prompt is as follows:
 
<pre style="color:blue">
 
<pre style="color:blue">
−
[root@mail:~]# crontab -e
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C:\Users\Administrator>slmgr.vbs /dli
−
</pre>
 
−
 
 
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Then, I add the following line:
 
−
<pre style="color:blue">
 
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*/5 * * * * /usr/local/sbin/ChkMySQL
 
−
</pre>
 
−
 
 
−
Use the Vi commands :x to exit saving the file.
 
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−
You can confirm it created the new cron job by typing "crontab -l", without the quotes.  That's an L, for list in this command.
 
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−
== Hard Drives & Other Storage Devices ==
 
−
Hard drives have come a VERY LONG WAY, and are still, in my opinion, the most common and most certain common point of most computer hardware failures.  It's not about if a hard drive will die, but WHEN it WILL DIE, because ALL hard drives eventually DIE!!!
 
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−
That being said, there are many things you can do to help alleviate the horrors of losing a hard drive or other type of storage devices.  Some are as simple as following simple basic backup procedures regularly, but that is easier said than done, especially if it needs to be done manually.  Automating backups is something EVERYONE should do!!!
 
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−
Other things you can do is use redundancy, either manually saving copies of important or critical files in more than one location, on more than one device, preferably in different physical locations, so that even disaster recovery is possible!  I once read a book titled that about 30-some years ago!
 
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−
One of the things I really also like to do, on top of backups, is using RAID arrays, such as simple I mirroring, so that every bit of every byte of data is redundantly stored on two mirrored identical hard drives, which is exactly what I do on my main production servers! I use both hardware and software based RAID, and both are rock-hard solid stable and reliable within the Linux operating system! If one hard drive dies, which one always will, the other takes over and when the failed drive is replaced, a mirror image of the other drive is automatically created and synchronized into the mirror RAID array!  Suffice it to say, I LOVE RAID!!!
 
−
 
 
−
On to actually useful information, instead of my personal long-time experience with thousands upon thousand of hard drives in my lifetime!  Here are some very useful hard drive and other storage devices useful commands, in no particular order.
 
−
 
 
−
* [[fsck]]
 
−
* [[lsblk]]
 
−
* [[blkid]]
 
−
* [[fdisk]]
 
−
* [[df]]
 
−
* [[parted]]
 
−
* [[gparted]]
 
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* [[dd]]
 
−
* More to come...
 
−
 
 
−
There are many more and I will add them as they come to mind, but off the top of my head, these are the most useful on a day-to-day basis. Each of these command has multitudes of options, arguments, and the like, so I will detail them as I have time.  Most require elevated root superuser privileges, so be VERY VERY CAREFUL, and DO NOT HIT the ENTER key until you are certain you have typed the command exactly as you intended and then double and triple check again before you hit the ENTER key!!!  There is no going back if you make a mistake as the root superuser, most often, so again, I can't stress enough the important of double and triple checking your commands before committing them!!!  Commands run as the root superuser will NOT warn you, or say "Are you sure...", so you MUST BE SURE!  Enough on that.  You have been warned!
 
−
 
 
−
<br /><br />
 
  
−
== Accessing Data on Windows and Other File Systems on Other Partitions ==
 
−
Coming soon - Detailed step-by-step instructions with screenshots detailing how to access your data on other partitions, such as Windows partitions on dual-boot/multi-boot machines.
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
 
−
== XFS Recommended FSTAB settings ==
 
−
Here is an example of my recommended "/etc/fstab" mount option settings for XFS filesystems:
 
−
<pre style="color:blue">
 
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/dev/sda5 /mnt/data xfs rw,seclabel,noatime,attr2,discard,inode64,logbufs=8,logbsize=32k,noquota 0 0
 
 
</pre>
 
</pre>
−
<br /><br />
 
−
 
−
== Add Windows Partitions to FSTAB with Correct Read/Write Permissions Using FMASK & DMASK ==
 
−
Although it's easy enough to simply add the partition and mount point of your Windows installation to your /etc/fstab file, so as to allow it to be auto-mounted when the machine is booted up, having the "CORRECT" permissions is another major concern!
 
  
−
In the "old" days, we used to use "UMASK" with a value of 022 as the "standard" way of setting up Windows partitions to be mounted with correct read/write permissions.  These days, the "preferred" method is using FMASK and DMASK.
+
This causes a pop-up graphical window with current license information.   
  
−
When I first purchased the laptop I am typing on right now, it only had Windows 10 on it, so I used the Linux "parted" tool to shrink down the Windows partition, allowing me to then create Linux partitions on which I then installed my favorite desktop Linux distro, Fedora Linux.  My example below assumes your UID & GID are 1000.  Adjust as appropriate.  If you don't know what a UID is, use Google to look it up.  Basically, as it's name implies, UID(User ID), this is the unique number assigned to your user account.  UID number 1000 is usually the first normal user created on a Linux system.  GID is basically the same thing, but on a group level.  On most Linux systems, your main group and group ID is the same as your username and user ID.  For instance, in my case on this laptop I am currently using, my username is "jamie", case sensitive without the quotes, and my main group membership is also "jamie".  My UID is 1000 and the GID of the "jamie" group is also 1000. 
+
For more detailed information, change the commandline switch from /dli to /dlv, like this:
−
 
 
−
Here is the /etc/fstab contents of this laptop:
 
 
<pre style="color:blue">
 
<pre style="color:blue">
−
# /etc/fstab
+
C:\Users\Administrator>slmgr.vbs /dlv
−
# Created by anaconda on Tue Mar  9 00:57:29 2021
 
−
#
 
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# Accessible filesystems, by reference, are maintained under '/dev/disk/'.
 
−
# See man pages fstab(5), findfs(8), mount(8) and/or blkid(8) for more info.
 
−
#
 
−
# After editing this file, run 'systemctl daemon-reload' to update systemd
 
−
# units generated from this file.
 
−
#
 
−
UUID=dca7d381-2784-4839-8c55-141702999d41 /                      xfs    defaults        0 0
 
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UUID=68e3c043-0b5d-40a6-af84-a39527756962 /boot                  ext4    defaults        1 2
 
−
UUID=c9db933c-2101-4032-ae0d-b359c523c3be /home                  xfs    defaults        0 0
 
−
UUID=ec82d8bd-8bcd-4c8e-9a95-217baeb8b004 none                    swap    defaults        0 0
 
  
−
# Added 04-05-2021 by Jamie to correctly auto-mount the Windows partition:
 
−
UUID=5C2C252E2C25049C /windows ntfs rw,auto,user,fmask=133,dmask=022,uid=1000,gid=1000 0 0
 
 
</pre>
 
</pre>
−
<br /><br />
 
−
 
−
== GNOME Desktop Sharing Not Accessable from Windows --> Finally Fixed!!! ==
 
−
After many years of not being able to log into my Linux desktops from work laptops that of course have Windows installed on them, even within my own home network, gsettings comes to the rescure to resolve this long standing issue that's been a major inconveneice for me being a Linux guy working in the corporate world!  The solution fixing the terminal menu below got me thinking that gsettings must be able to re-configure the default behavior of modern GNOME desktop's desktop shareing feature, which uses VNC, Virtual Network Computing, and specificially "x11vnc", it's default configuration is a security model not supported by most WIndows VNC clients. Therefore, the easy fix for me is to disable the security when using VNC on my local network(LAN).  I actually do use VNC on through the internet as well, but always through an SSH tunnel, so it's highly encrypted!
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
Anyways, on to the fix.  Within a terminal, as your normal user, type this gsettings command and hit the ENTER key:
 
−
<pre style="color:blue">
 
−
[jamie@server.dawgland.com:~]$ gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.remote-desktop.vnc encryption "['none']"
 
−
</pre>
 
−
<br />
 
−
If your system uses Vino, as many do, you may also have to type this command and hit ENTER:
 
−
<pre style="color:blue">
 
−
[jamie@server.dawgland.com:~]$ gsettings set org.gnome.Vino require-encryption false
 
−
</pre>
 
−
<br />
 
−
You can verify the above command worked and made the desired change by typing this command and hitting the ENTER key:
 
−
<pre style="color:blue>
 
−
[jamie@server.dawgland.com:~]$ gsettings list-recursively org.gnome.Vino
 
−
</pre>
 
−
<br />
 
−
You will have to scroll back up through all the data that the above command will provide to find the section you are looking for, or you can grep for it!  For instance, modifying the above command to grep for the remote-desktop setting, type this command in a terminal and hit the ENTER key:
 
−
<pre style="color:blue">
 
−
[jamie@server.dawgland.com:~]$ gsettings list-recursively org.gnome.desktop.remote-desktop.vnc | grep encryption
 
−
</pre>
 
−
<br />
 
−
Restart your window manger or your entire computer, your choice, but logging out and back in should suffice.  You should then be able to use VNC from any operating system, including Windows and MAC, along with Linux which has always worked regardless of the security modes and settings!
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
 
−
== Fedora Terminal Missing Menu Fix ==
 
−
gsettings set org.gnome.Terminal.Legacy.Settings headerbar false
 
−
 
−
== USB Flash Drive Info ==
 
−
 
−
= Controlling USB Devices from the Linux Command Line =
 
−
 
−
There are many tools available for use in controlling and managing USB devices connected to a Linux machine from the command line, giving you the most powerful means of managing USB devices!
 
−
 
−
Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:
 
−
 
−
* [[udisksctl]]
 
−
* [[lsusb]]
 
−
* [[uhubctl]]
 
−
 
−
 
−
Have a USB flash drive floating around, and not sure of it's capabilites?  I just ran into that same exact issue, though with a brand new USB flash drive that's a really kewl 500GiB double-ended thumb-type drive, one end the standard USB-A connector, and the other end, an iPhone "Lightning" connector!  Perfect for me with all my iPhones, iPads, and over 74 computers just in my house!
 
−
 
−
So, here's a simple one-liner to find out how fast it will run at, which is all I really wanted to kmnow at this immediate moment in time!
 
−
Here it is:
 
−
<pre style="color:blue">
 
−
[jamie@fc33hw01.dawgland.com:~]$ sudo lsusb -vvv | grep operate
 
−
</pre>
 
−
<br />
 
−
And here is the output of the above command, showing the speeds the device is capable of operating at:
 
−
<pre style="color:blue">
 
−
can't get debug descriptor: Resource temporarily unavailable
 
−
      Device can operate at Full Speed (12Mbps)
 
−
      Device can operate at High Speed (480Mbps)
 
−
      Device can operate at SuperSpeed (5Gbps)
 
−
can't get debug descriptor: Resource temporarily unavailable
 
−
can't get device qualifier: Resource temporarily unavailable
 
−
can't get debug descriptor: Resource temporarily unavailable
 
−
can't get debug descriptor: Resource temporarily unavailable
 
−
can't get device qualifier: Resource temporarily unavailable
 
−
can't get debug descriptor: Resource temporarily unavailable
 
−
can't get debug descriptor: Resource temporarily unavailable
 
−
can't get device qualifier: Resource temporarily unavailable
 
−
can't get debug descriptor: Resource temporarily unavailable
 
−
[jamie@fc33hw01.dawgland.com:~]$
 
−
</pre>
 
−
<br />
 
−
You can totally ignore the lines starting with the word "cant", as they are meaningless.
 
−
As you can see from the above output, the device can operate at "Full", "High", and "SuperSpeed"!  Wonderful, I now know what I wanted. I hope you find that little tidbit useful.  Of course, you do have to be a member of the "sudoers" group.  So, on that note, why not create another little snippet on how to add a normal, already existing user account to the sudoers group, allowing them to "safely" run apps with eleveate administrator/root user privileges.  I'll put it here:  [[SUDO|SUDO - Running commands and apps with elevated superuser/root/administrator privileges safely!]]
 
−
 
−
= News =
 
−
The LinuxJamie.com, TheBestLinux.com & Dawgland.com web and email servers have been moved over to a new box that should provide much faster performance and more stability.  Previously, the servers had been running on a very old VMWare server on my Fedora desktop.
 
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<br /><br />
 
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I have also maxed out the RAM memory that my new Xeon based server motherboard is able to use, doubling it from 16GB to 32GB!
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
Please let me know if you experience any performance or other issues with any of my websites.
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
The best way to let me know is by email, @ Jamie at Dawgland.com.
 
−
<br />
 
−
<br />
 
−
 
−
= New Pages Created! =
 
−
<br />
 
−
I've created '''LOTS''' of new Windows related pages with all sorts of Windows tips, tricks,and How-To's.  They can all be accessed directly at [[Windows]] so be sure to check them out, as I am currently added many new tips almost daily as I remember how to do things as I need to recall for both work and personal purposes.
 
−
<br /><br >
 
−
Previous "New Wiki Pages":
 
−
<br />
 
−
New VMWare page created including two new custom how-to solution pages! Check it out here: [[VMWare|VMWare Page]]
 
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<br />
 
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<br />
 
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= '''Special Interest''' =
 
−
== '''Linux''' ==
 
−
[[Linux|Linux - THE BEST OS(Operating System) EVER!]]
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
[[Linux_Acronyms|Linux Acronyms - What do they all mean?!?!]]
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
[[Linux_Distros|Linux Distributions, aka "Distros" - Bundles of software that makes up an entire usable operating system, including apps, utilities, etc.]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
−
 
−
== '''Brand New Linux Server Administration Info, Tips & Guides''' ==
 
−
[[NewLinuxInfo|Brand New Linux Server Info, Configuration Guides & Very Useful Info on The Newest Distro Versions, Including Systemctl, the Replacement for Init.d Scripts and DNF, the new and modern Yum replacement!  There's also lots of other new more modern Linux information added to this section all the time, so be sure to check it out often!  For example, just today I added a really cool and handy Red Hat Enterprise 5,6 & 7 cheat sheet for common administrative commands in PDF format suitable for printout as "Hang-on-the-Wall" posters!!!]]
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
 
−
== Apple iOS ==
 
−
[[iOS|Apple iOS Info]]
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
== Linux Gaming ==
 
−
[http://store.steampowered.com/steamos SteamOS: Linux based gaming operating system]
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
 
−
== MS Windows ==
 
−
=== Operating Systems ===
 
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==== Windows Desktop/End-User Operating Systems (OS) ====
 
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[[windows|Microsoft Windows Desktop/End-User Operating System Info - The Desktop operating system most people use at home and at work.]]
 
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[[win10|Windows 10 Information, Tips, Tricks, & Very Useful Stuff! - Includes Business Related Must Have Info and How-To's!]]
 
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[[win11|Windows 11 Info, Upgrading, Configuring, Tweaking & Other Hopefully Useful Stuff Going Forward]]
 
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==== Windows Server Information ====
 
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[[win22|Windows Server 2022 Info - The Latest Greatest!]]
 
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[[win19|Windows Server 2019 Info]]
 
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== VirtualBox by Oracle ==
 
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[[VirtualBox|VirtualBox provided for free by Oracle!!!  Great VM solution which is totally free, unlike how VMWare has gone commercial, and is supposed to remain free forever.  Better than VMWare in my tests and opinion, and is now being used to host all of my VM's, including this one running my Apache web server!]]
 
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== DNS Info ==
 
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[[DNS_Info|DNS, Bind, Named and other DNS related information]]
 
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[https://www.google.com/search?site=&source=hp&q=simple+setup+of+local+dns+server+on+fedora+20&oq=simple+setup+of+local+dns+server+on+fedora+20&gs_l=psy-ab.3..33i160k1.5620.23848.0.24086.59.50.8.0.0.0.132.3794.47j3.50.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..1.53.3523.0..0j0i3k1j0i131k1j0i13k1j0i13i5i30k1j0i13i10k1j0i10k1j0i22i30k1j33i22i29i30k1j33i21k1.xdyAYoDBEa0 BIND Named DNS Server on Fedora Google Search]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAuZ4sRRcOw Bind on Fedora YouTube Video How-To]
 
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More info on the BIND DNS server to come as I find the time to create more documentation...
 
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== VMware ==
 
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[[VMWare|VMware - Run virtual machines(computer running on top of your computer - let's you run Linux on Windows, Windows on Linux, other versions of Windows on Windows, etc.) on your existing computer and it's free & easy!]]
 
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== Remote Desktop & VNC Info For Linux & Windows! ==
 
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[[RDP_Info|RDP - Remote Desktop Protocol for Windows - Now Safe Using SSH Tunneling!]]
 
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== VNC - Virtual Network Computing ==
 
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[[VNC_Info|VNC - Remote Virtual Network Computing for All Operating Systems!]]
 
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== VPN Server & Client Setup Using Linux ==
 
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[[VPN_Info|VPN - Setup a Virtual Private Network Easily Using a Linux Server!]]
 
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== MySQL & MariaDB ==
 
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[[MySQL|MySQL & MariaDB, the FREE MySQL Clone! - My Favorite SQL Database Servers]]
 
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== Vi/Vim ==
 
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[[Vi|Vi/Vim Information, Tips & Tricks]]
 
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== PERL ==
 
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[[PERL_Info|Perl Scripting Information]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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== PHP ==
 
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[[PHP_Info|PHP Scripting Information]]
 
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== DOS & Windows ==
 
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[[DOS_Windows|DOS & Windows - Still gotta use it for some work, unfortunately...]]
 
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<br />
 
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[[iTunes_Info|iTunes Information for Windows]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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[[wmic|WMIC Info & Tips - wmic diskdrive list brief]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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== Hardware ==
 
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=== Raspberry Pi ===
 
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* Versions
 
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* Types
 
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* Upgrades
 
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** Cameras
 
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** Other
 
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== Cisco Information ==
 
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[https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/ios/12_2/configfun/command/reference/ffun_r/frf001.html Cisco IOS Command Line Information]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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[https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/routers/10000-series-routers/tsd-products-support-series-home.html Cisco 1000 Series Enterprise Routers]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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== Some of My Old floppy Disk Utilities ==
 
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[http://dawgland.com/floppy-disks/ Here is a link to the link to the ISO of Jamie's Floppy Disk Utilities]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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== Network Utilities ==
 
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[[Dropbox|Dropbox info for All Platforms & Operating Sytems - Great for synchronizing, backing up, restoring and archiving all of your important files over the local network and Internet to all of your computers and mobile devices!  Keeps all of your files the same on all of your computers, iPhones, iPads, and other networked devices at all times!!!]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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== UPnP & DNLA Info ==
 
−
Differences and similarities between the two media sharing protocols can be found here [https://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=138198 UPnP & DNLA Comparison]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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== Web Utilities ==
 
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[[Sitebar|Sitebar Bookmarks/Favorites utility which stores and organizes all your bookmarks/favorites in an online database accessible from any web browser and any computer anywhere.  Plugs available for your favorite web browsers are also available.  Run your own Sitebar on your own Linux server, or use mine!  Just email jamie@dawgland.com to request your own free Sitebar database!]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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== CA Certificate Info ==
 
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[[FreeCA_Certs|Free CA Certificate Information]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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== Other Operating Systems ==
 
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[[ReactOS|ReactOS]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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== Drupal Info ==
 
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[[Drupal|Drupal_Information]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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= Online Shopping & Related Info =
 
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[[online_shopping|Internet Based Shopping Including Online Store Info & Personal Experiences]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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[[online_pmnts|Online Banking, Payment Options & Other Monetary  Information]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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= Download Safe Software! =
 
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[[Downloads|Tested Safe Software Downloads]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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= Some Useful Links =
 
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[[Useful|Here are some lists of useful URL's and other links on all sorts of topics yet to be categorized!]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
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= Reference & Miscellaneous Information =
 
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[[Conversions|Miscellaneous Conversion and Other Reference Information - Including Metric Conversions]]
 
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<br /><br />
 
  
−
= Coming Soon =
+
It will also create a pop-up graphical window with much more detailed information about the current license status.
−
I just bought the new iPad 3rd generation, so will be adding a new section dedicated to tips and tricks I learn on the way!
 
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<br /><br />
 
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I've already learned a lot of cool things that are not normally available without jail breaking the thing,
 
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<br />
 
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so check back every so often for new iPad content!
 
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<br /><br />
 
−
Thanks for visiting [http://www.dawgland.com/wiki/ My Wiki!]
 
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<br /><br />
 
  
−
= Wiki Abuse =
+
Here are MUCH MORE detailed information regarding the slmgr.vbs tools at Microsoft:
−
The ability to create your own account has been seriously abused for personal and commercial gain, so I have disabled this feature.
 
−
<br /><br />
 
−
If you wish to contribute content here, please email Jamie at
 
−
[mailto:jamie@dawgland.com jamie@dawgland.com], and I will create an account for you.
 
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<br /><br />
 
−
This policy is subject to change.
 
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<br /><br />
 
  
−
= Copyright Statement =
+
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/activation-slmgr-vbs-options
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All content and information on this website is the sole property of Jamie D. Rubinstein.
 
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<br />
 
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Any type of duplication is strictly prohibited by United States copyright law unless otherwise granted by Jamie D. Rubinstein.
 
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<br />
 
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&copy; 1992 - 2021 Jamie D. Rubinstein - LinuxJamie.com - Dawgland.com - TheBestLinux.com - J.R. Computers. All rights reserved.
 
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<br /><br />
 

Revision as of 21:39, 1 October 2022

Windows Server - General Information Common to Most Versions

Installation, Setup & Initial Configuration

Common Pre-Requisites

  • Drive Storage Space
    • Size for OS & Data - Dependent on type of OS installation: Core Minimal can install on as little as 10GB, but 12GB is the safest "minimal" drive size, or GUI(Graphical User Interface) Desktop Experience should have 20GB minimally.
    • Filesystem type - Normal default NTFS or other not so common types, such as exFAT for VERY LARGE file size storage & can be read and written to with newer versions of the Linux OS!
    • Partition Table type - Old school MBR(Master Boot Record) or GPT(GUID Partition Table) - Dependent on age of computer and hard drive(s) - Usually automatically setup during OS installation, but partition table and partitions can be manually setup using a bootable utility disk based on Linux(I use a Knoppix bootable disk or USB thumb drive, depending on the age of the computer and availability of bootable media drives).
    • Memory - 1GB minimal of RAM memory is best for initial installation, and can be lowered to as little as 512MB after installation of the OS. Of course, the more apps the server needs to run and serve, the more RAM memory will be required!
    • At least one network interface card(NIC), but 2 or more is best for many server functions. Plus, if you have network based storage such as NAS or a SAN, like I having both, a dedicated network card and network switch is best practice by far, and will result in HUGE performance gains when utilizing network based data storage!
    • The Operating System(OS) installation media, either as an ISO image file, or as a virtual hard disk image, if your are using a pre-built OS image in a virtual environment.

That's pretty much it, as there are of course extra options you can have and use, depending on your serer's purpose. For now, this will get you going.

Operating System Installation

Boot up the system with the installation media connected to the server machine, and boot into the BIOS and configure it to boot up on either the CD/DVD ROM or USB device, depending of course on the type of installation media you are using, and go through the prompts to install the OS. Here is a great web page with excellent step-by-step instructions and photos of the entire process, both for the CORE OS installation(No GUI/Desktop), or the "Desktop Experience": https://softwarekeep.com/help-center/windows-server-2022-installation-guide-step-by-step

Initial Windows Server Bootup & Setup

The first time your new server boots up, you will have to go through some initial steps to setup some basic stuff. Among them, you will want to set the local Administrator's password to something very complex, with a mix of upper & lower case letters, along with some special characters and numbers, but something you will NEVER forget if you are not using a password manager, which I STRONGLY recommend! I have used multiple clients based on the "Keepass" protocol, as there are many apps that use it for every OS and and phone!

As this is a "SERVER", it should have it's IP address(s) configured to use "static" IP addresses, meaning the same IP address every time the server is booted up! This will ensure the server is always available at the same IP address, which is critical for a "server"! To start up the Windows network card interface control window, type and run this command: control netconnections

A window will open up with network icons for each network interface card(NIC) connected to the server computer. Right-click on the first "Ethernet icon, then left normal click on "Properties" in the pop-up menu. Then, double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IPv4) to bring up the network configuration window. Click on the radio button "Use the following IP address:" to allow you to then type in the IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway. Type the appropriate IP addresses according to your local network configuration schema, and do the same for "Use the following DNS server:". Click "OK", and then click on "OK" again to save the new network configuration.

Post Installation

Setting up Server Roles

If this server is "NOT" going to be an Active Directory Domain Controller(AD DC), it most likely then should join an existing Windows Active Directory "Domain", which you will know as it's a basic knowledge requirement of creating a new Windows server. To join an existing Active Directory domain, and rename the server's hostname at the same time, using the "Computer System Properties tool", which can be quickly started by typing and running the command: sysdm.cpl and hitting ENTER. Click on the "Change" button to the right of "To rename this computer or change its domain or workgroup, click Change. Type the new Computer name, as preferred, and then select the radio button to the left of "Domain", to allow you to then type in the domain you want to join. In my case, I used one of my personal domains, dawgland.com.

A reboot will be required, and at next bootup, you will be required to login as either the local administrator user, or an existing Active Directory domain user account, which you should already know. To login as the local Administrator, in the "User name" login field, type computers's hostname first, followed with a back-slash, and the name "Administrator", such as this:

hostname\administrator

In my case, to log into the VM(Virtual Machine) Windows Server I have running on my home network, I use this:

win19vm10\administrator


Type in the local administrator password you setup during initial installation of the Windows Server operating system, hit enter, and you should then be logged into the new server!

You can then proceed to install and configure the Windows Server "Roles" and "Features" your new server will be running/serving. Here's a great page from Microsoft on installing and uninstalling those Roles and Features your new server will be serving/hosting:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/server-manager/install-or-uninstall-roles-role-services-or-features


Server Licensing

Windows Server - Command-Line tool SLMGR.VBS - A Visual Basic tool used to manage Windows Server license from the command line.

Basic usage from a command prompt is as follows: 

C:\Users\Administrator>slmgr.vbs /dli

This causes a pop-up graphical window with current license information.

For more detailed information, change the commandline switch from /dli to /dlv, like this: 

C:\Users\Administrator>slmgr.vbs /dlv

It will also create a pop-up graphical window with much more detailed information about the current license status.

Here are MUCH MORE detailed information regarding the slmgr.vbs tools at Microsoft:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/activation-slmgr-vbs-options

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