Interview Question:- Tell Me Installation Types of Windows Server 2008?

hi Noman..

When you install Windows Server2008, you can choose between Server Core Installation and Server with a GUI. 

Server Core Installation 

With this option, the standard user interface (the “Server Graphical Shell”) is not installed; you manage the server using the command line, Windows PowerShell, or by remote methods.

• User interface: command prompt (Server Graphical Shell is not installed)
• Install, configure, uninstall server roles locally: at a command prompt with Windows PowerShell.
• Install, configure, uninstall server roles remotely: with Server Manager, Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT), or Windows PowerShell.
• Microsoft Management Console: not available locally.
• Desktop Experience: not available.
• Server roles available: 
  • 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
  • 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
    • Licensing
    • Virtualization
• To convert to a Server with GUI installation with Windows PowerShell: follow the steps in the procedure below.

• Determine the index number for a Server with a GUI image (for example, SERVERDATACENTER, notSERVERDATACENTERCORE) with Get-WindowsImage -ImagePath <path to wim>\\install.wim.

• Run Install-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra,Server-Gui-Shell –Restart –Source c:\\mountdir\\windows\\winsxs

• Alternatively, if you want to use Windows Update as the source instead of a WIM file, use this Windows PowerShell cmdlet:

  Install-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra,Server-Gui-Shell –Restart

server with the GUI Option

With this option, the standard user interface and all tools are installed. Server roles and features are installed with Server Manager or by other methods.

• User interface: standard graphical user interface (“Server Graphical Shell”). The Server Graphical Shell includes the new Windows8 shell, but does not include the Windows Store or support for Windows Store apps. To enable support for the Windows Store and Windows Store apps, install the Desktop Experience feature.
• Install, configure, uninstall server roles locally: with Server Manager or with Windows PowerShellInstall, configure, uninstall server roles remotely: with Server Manager, Remote Server, RSAT, or Windows PowerShell
• Microsoft Management Console: installed
• Desktop Experience: installable with Server Manager or Windows PowerShell
• To convert to a Server Core installation with Windows PowerShell: run the following cmdlet:Uninstall-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra -Restart

If you initially install with the Server with a GUI option and then use the above command to convert to a Server Core installation, you can later revert to a Server with a GUI installation without specifying a source. This is because the necessary files remain stored on the disk, even though they are no longer installed. For more information, and for instructions to completely remove the Server with a GUI files from disk, see the “Features on Demand” section of this document.

If you convert to a Server Core installation, Windows features, server roles, and GUI management tools that require a Server with a GUI installation will be uninstalled automatically. You can specify the -WhatIf option in Windows PowerShell to see exactly which features will be affected by the conversion.

There are two types Core Installation and Graphically means GUI based installation

Installation Types of Windows Server2008

Windows Server2008 Standard 

Windows Server2008 Enterprise 

Windows Server2008 Datacenter 

Windows HPC Server2008 

Windows Web Server2008 

Windows Storage Server2008 

Windows Small Business Server2008 

Windows Essential Business Server2008 

Windows Server2008 for Itanium-based Systems

Windows Server2008 Foundation OEM only

Server Core is available in the Web, Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter editions. It is not available in the Itanium edition. Server Core is simply an alternate installation option supported by some of the editions, and not a separate edition by itself. Each architecture has a separate installation DVD. 

MS Windows Server 2008 Installation types:

1) GUI Installation

2) Core Installation 

Double glazing windows and single glazing windows projected windows sliding windows and cutting walling installation