Deployment Guide

Converting A Full Operating System To Minimal Server Interface And Vice Versa

Run the following command to convert a server with the full operating system to a minimal server interface:

Dism /online /disable-feature /featurename:Server-Gui-Shell

Run the following command to convert a server with minimal server interface to a full operating system:

Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Server-Gui-Shell

Features On Demand Installation

Features on Demand is no longer available as an option during the normal course of installation of Microsoft Windows

Server 2012. You can add or remove a feature when required.

NOTE: To reinstall a role or feature that is disabled, you must have access to an installation media.

To remove a role or feature using Powershell cmdlets, run the following command:

Uninstall-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Shell -remove

To install a role or feature, perform the following steps:

1. Insert the Windows 2012 media into the optical drive.

2. Copy install.wim from D:\sources\install.wim to C:\test\images.

Create the folder C:\test\images if it does not exist.

NOTE: D: is the drive where the media has been inserted.

3. Create a folder MountDir under C:\test.

4. Run the following command to retrieve the name or index number of the image:

Dism /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:C:\test\images\install.wim

5. Run the following command to mount the offline Windows image:

Dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:C:\test\images\install.wim /index:4 /

MountDir:C:\test\MountDir

NOTE: index:4 represents the Data Center Edition; for the Standard Edition replace index:4 with index:2.

6. To upgrade the operating system, run:

– With DISM cmdlets:

Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Server-Gui-Mgmt /

featurename:Server-Gui-Shell featurename:ServerCore-FullServer /

source:c:\test\MountDir\windows\winsxs

– With Powershell cmdlets:

Import-Module DISM Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -online -Featurename

Servercore-FullServer,Server-Gui-shell,Server-Gui-Mgmt

NOTE: To access the Powershell interface, type powershell in the command prompt.