CtxAdmTools: Visual Core Configurator 2008 on Windows 2008 Core R2 (Beta)

How to setup Windows Server 2008 Core R2 (BETA) to run Visual Core Configurator 2008?

Run Start /w ocsetup ServerCore-WOW64
Restart server

VMware: Install VMware Tools on Windows 2008 Core R2

To install VMware Tools on Windows 2008 Core R2 you need to follow this procedure:

Run Start /w ocsetup ServerCore-WOW64

Restart server

Install VMware Tools from VM menu.

Change to the CD/DVD drive

Run msiexec /i "VMware Tools64.msi" /passive

MS: Windows Update on Windows 2008 Core

Windows 2008 Core don't provide too many options to install Windows Updates. Server Core removes pretty much all of the user interface components. You can enable or disable Windows Update, set Automatic Updates or Turn Off Automatic Updates using scripting, but you can't choose to install specific updates or show availables updates.

Until I released Visual Core Configurator 2008 Beta 2 Refresh.

List all Windows Update available.

Select Windows Updates.

Install Windows Updates.

Download and Install all Windows Updates available.

Enable/Disable Windows Update, Set Automatic Updates

You can download Visual Core Configurator 2008 at http://ctxadmtools.musumeci.com.ar

CtxAdmTools: Visual Core Configurator v1.1 (Beta 2 REFRESH) Released!

Visual Core Configurator 2008 is a FREE tool to Setup and Configure Windows 2008 Core servers.

Today, January 6, 2009, I released the Beta 2 Refresh of Visual Core Configurator 2008.

Build 275 (Beta 2 Refresh) is available for download at http://ctxadmtools.musumeci.com.ar/

You can download the .EXE file package (include extra files) or .ISO file (Best Option for Virtual Machines).This Beta was tested on both versions of Microsoft Windows 2008 Core (x86 and x64) and physical servers, and VMware, Microsoft and XenServer virtual machines.

New Features of this Version: Windows Update

List of Features included in this Build:

Network menu
Network: Show Network Information: Show IP, DNS and NIC configuration
Network: Network Manager: View or change IP, DNS and WINS configuration
Network: Change Computer Name / Domain / Workgroup: Change Computer Name or Join Machine to a Domain or Workgroup

System menu
System: Control Panel: Customize the Operating System (Time and Keyboard)
System: Event Viewer: Display monitoring and troubleshooting messages from Windows
System: Services: Manage Windows Services
System: Screen Saver: Change Screen Saver Configuration
System: Remote Desktop: Configure Remote Desktop (formerly Terminal Server Administration Mode)
System: Video: Configure Screen Resolution
System: Windows Update: Install Windows Updates and HotFixes

Tools menu
Tools: Windows Explorer: Show Files and Folders
Tools: Notepad: Tool to Edit Files
Tools: Registry Editor: Tool to Edit the Registry
Tools: OS Information: Show Operating System Information

Help menu
Help: About: Show the Application Information

Exit menu
Exit: Close Visual Core: Close the Application
Exit: Shutdown: Log Off, Restart or Shutdown the Computer

CtxAdmTools: Visual Core Configurator v1.1 (Beta 2) Released!

Visual Core Configurator 2008 is a FREE tool to Setup and Configure Windows 2008 Core servers.

Today, January 2, 2009, I released the Beta 2 of Visual Core Configurator 2008.

Build 240 (Beta 2) is available for download at http://ctxadmtools.musumeci.com.ar/
You can download the .EXE file package (include extra files) or .ISO file (Best Option for Virtual Machines).

This Beta was tested on both versions of Microsoft Windows 2008 Core (x86 and x64) and physical servers, and VMware, Microsoft and XenServer virtual machines.

New Features of this Version: Event Viewer.

List of Features included in this Build:

Network menu
Network: Show Network Information: Show IP, DNS and NIC configuration
Network: Network Manager: View or change IP, DNS and WINS configuration
Network: Change Computer Name / Domain / Workgroup: Change Computer Name or Join Machine to a Domain or Workgroup

System menu
System: Event Viewer: Display monitoring and troubleshooting messages from Windows
System: Video: Configure Screen Resolution
System: Remote Desktop: Configure Remote Desktop (formerly Terminal Server Administration Mode)
System: Screen Saver: Change Screen Saver Configuration
System: Services: Manage Windows Services
System: Control Panel: Customize the Operating System (Time and Keyboard)
System: Shutdown: Log Off, Restart or Shutdown the Computer

Tools menu
Tools: Windows Explorer: Show Files and Folders
Tools: Notepad: Tool to Edit Files
Tools: Registry Editor: Tool to Edit the Registry
Tools: OS Information: Show Operating System Information

Notes about this build: I wrote the entire Event Viewer module (from scratch) in only 1 day (almost 700 lines of codes), but when I start testing the Save Log option on Windows 2008 core I discovered the Common Dialog never show up on Core, so I developed an entire Common Dialog interface.

CtxAdmTools: Visual Core Configurator v1.1 (Beta 1 Refresh) Released!

Visual Core Configurator 2008 is a FREE tool to Setup and Configure Windows 2008 Core servers.

Today, December 29, 2008, I released the Beta 1 Refresh of Visual Core Configurator 2008.

Build 215 (Beta 1 Refresh) is available for download at http://ctxadmtools.musumeci.com.ar. You can download the .EXE file package (include extra files) or .ISO file (Best Option for Virtual Machines).

This Beta was tested on both versions of Microsoft Windows 2008 Core (x86 and x64) and physical servers, and VMware, Microsoft and XenServer virtual machines.

New Features of the Version:

* New GUI with Icons!
* Windows Explorer
* Shortcuts to Notepad and Registry Editor

CtxAdmTools: Visual Core Configurator 2008 Update

New Visual Core Configurator 2008 interface is coming soon......

CtxAdmTools: Visual Core Configurator v1.1 (Beta 1) Released!

Visual Core Configurator 2008 is a FREE tool to Setup and Configure Windows 2008 Core servers.

Today, December 28, 2008, I released the first public Beta of Visual Core Configurator 2008.

Build 195 (Beta 1) is available for download at http://ctxadmtools.musumeci.com.ar. You can download the .EXE file package (include extra files) or .ISO file (Best Option for Virtual Machines).

This Beta was tested on both versions of Microsoft Windows 2008 Core (x86 and x64) and physical servers, and VMware, Microsoft and XenServer virtual machines.

I developed a Basic version of Visual Core Configurator 2008 in August 2007, called Visual Core 2008 v1.0 Basic when I lived in Madrid. The first code I wrote was for Microsoft Windows 2008 Core Beta 1. This version was just a GUI.

Then I decided to develop a more "serious" tool and start replacing shell calls with "real" code. The project was interrupted for several months and several reasons (reallocation to USA, vacations, new job, more focus on Citrix technologies, etc).

Finally at the end of November I start reviewing the code... more than 2,000 lines of code on Forms and more 3,300 lines of code on Modules on this Beta 1. This Beta include a new networking module. This module included more than 1,500 lines, and I rewrite it from scratch in the last 2 weeks.

I removed from this Beta 1 several modules to finish testing and rewrite some code: User/Groups Management, Firewall Management, Activation, etc. These modules will be included in next Beta release.