In 1982 the Dragon32 entered the home computer market but unfortunately there was one small problem ...lower-case letters were almost impossible to access. Two years later Dragon was no more. In 2008 Microsoft released ServerCore providing a fast and streamlined (but reduced functionality) edition of Windows with minimal GUI support and with Windows 2012/R2 Server Core is "by default". Ever since SQL 2012, installation onto Server Core became a "supported" option and meant the single biggest administrative shift for a DBA since the release of SQL 2005 ...or did it? In this exciting session we will discuss administration, configuration and installation of both SQL 2014 and ServerCore in both standalone and advanced AlwaysOn configurations but will the lack of GUI support send Server Core in the same direction as the Dragon32 or spell a bright new beginning for Server based computing and SQL Server?

1. SQL 2014 on
Server
Core
Enter The Dragon

2. Ivan Daniel Campos:

3. Rui Barreira:

4. Paulo Matos:

5. Pedro Simões:

6. André Batista:

7. Last but not least... Niko Neugebauer

8. About
Mark Broadbent.
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server
“30 billion times more intelligent than a live mattress”
PASS UK Regional Mentor
Email: mark.broadbent@sqlcambs.org.uk
Twitter: retracement
Blog: http://tenbulls.co.uk
Event Lead to the UK’s first ever SQLSaturday(Cambridge)
Event #3 due on Sept 2014 (pre-con/s) and (Community day)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sqlsaturdaycambridge/
Cambridgeshire PASS Chapter UG Leader http://sqlcambs.org.uk

9. Agenda
We will take a look at the following:
•Introduction to Windows Server Core
•Installation of SQL
•SQL Server Manageability
•Advanced Implementations of SQL on Core

13. Faster boot times
Reduced patching
Reduced and obfuscated surface area of attack
Reduced .NET Framework
Less space consumed
Greater Availability
Faster Deployment
Why move to Server Core?

14. Active Directory/ Certificate Services/ Domain Services/ Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS)
Active Directory DNS and DHCP Server
File Services (including File Server Resource Manager)
Hyper-V
Print and Document Services
Streaming Media Services
Web Server (& subset of ASP.NET)
Roles supported by Server Core 200R2
For more detail see:-
http://bit.ly/JtgzKJ

15. Configuration of Server Core
sconfig
Native
(e.g. scand regedit)
cscript
(e.g. vbs, jscript)
MMC
RSAT
RDP
PowerShell Remoting
Local
Remote
WMI
Specialist tools
(e.g. sysinternals)
SSH
oclist/ ocsetup
e.g. cygwin& putty
scregedit.wsf
PowerShell
Plus modules
DISM

16. Introduction to Windows Server Core
Demo

17. Native
•Database Engine and Replication
•Full Text Search
•Analysis Services
•Integration Services Server (SSIS Engine)
•SQL Client Tools Connectivity SDK
•Microsoft Sync Framework (separate install)
Remote Only
•Management Tools (including SSMS!)
•Distributed Replay Client
What is Supported for SQL 2014?
For more detail see:-
http://bit.ly/104lKiV

18. 32 Bit Editions of SQL2012 and SQL 2014
Reporting Services
Master Data Services (MDS)
Data Quality Services (DQS)
SQL Server Books Online
SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)
Client Tools SDK
Distributed Replay Controller
SQL Client Connectivity SDK
…and what is not supported?
Well, it depends if you want to add a web browser!

20. Open file and save

21. Replay from here!

22. 1.Grab configfile from full install on Full-Fat Edition.
2.Replace Features with core compatible ones and remove all lines below.
3.Run file through Wizard, grab new core-compatible file.
From Zero to Core Configuration File

25. Installing SQL on Server Core
Demo

26. How do you install SQL Server on Core?
Do you need the Browser Service to automatically start?
How to you set static TCP/IP address and port?
Do you need to open up Firewall ports?
How do you manage and configure storage?
Limited graphical support Executing Queries.
SQL configuration considerations

27. SQL Server Administration Tools
Cluster.exe
and other advtools
logman, relog, typeperf
http://bit.ly/IGKbF0
PowerShell
Plus modules
MMC
and snap-ins
SSMS
SQLPS
Local
Remote
SQLCMD
WMI
(SQL related)
System Monitor
Server Side Traces
Profiler

28. SQL Manageability
Demo

29. Configure Quorum
Cluster Networks
Shared or Asymmetric Storage configuration
Cluster Validation
Availability Group Considerations

30. Configure Quorum
Cluster Networks
Shared or Asymmetric Storage configuration
Cluster Validation
How to create new Clustered Instance?
How to add Cluster node to Clustered Instance
Clustered Instance Considerations

31. Server Core provides many benefits and challenges to overcome.
Achieve greater availability.
Less wasted man hours on deployment and maintenance.
Not every technology is currently supported so start thinking outside the box.
SQL on Server Core is an excellent combination.
Summary