Adding an FTP and or WEB Server

It is really quite simple, I just downloaded these FREE apps zFTPSever and Abyss Web Server copied them to the server and then installed them from the server console as I have explained in previous posts.

The Free FTP server has an administration part you can copy (C:\Program Files (x86)\zFTPServer\zFTPSererAdmin.exe, how cool just one file) to your PC and run to remotely administer the FTP site or you can run it at the console however it takes like 3 minutes to load the program from the console. The FTP part is free however for a small fee you can get much more that will make it more like a true NAS server.  NOTE: if you have two NIC's in the server, when you configure the port number for FTP (normally 21) just place the IP address of the NIC you wish to use like so 10.1.100.55:21 separate nultiple IP's or ports with a ;. IE 10.1.100.55:21;10.1.100.57:3333

The Free Webserver installs and then tries to load IE to manage the webserver, since there is no IE on core server 2012, you will need to point your workstation's browse to the Http://servername or IP:9999. If you get a message that you are not authorized access the remote administration page, you will need to edit abyss.conf file and towards the bottom you will see

192.168.0.1-192.168.255.254

Edit the IP address scheme to fit your networks IP address scheme and restart the web server.
I did this with taskmgr, to stop the running process and then executed the abyssws.exe to restart it. You should be able to access the web administration part and set a password on the web adminstration access. Your web server is http://servername or IP running on port 80 by defaul,t but you can change it.Your web root is C:\Abyss Web Server\htdocs if you just chose the defaults during install. You can change your servers IP if you have multiple NIC's. Within the webserver manager browse to Abyss Web Server Console :: Hosts - Edit - Default Host On Port 80 :: General :: Edit - Advanced Parameters, as you saw getting to this point you can also change the default web port or add others.

For further instructions on how to use or configure these software packages see their websites.

Also to make them start up when the server starts each of them has that option in the administrative function or during install, but it that fails you can always add then with regedit.exe to
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
Add new string value, name what you like and then point to the exe that start the ftpserver and repeat for the webserver.

I HATE the Metro Desktop of full Server 2012

Well you are in luck... so do I and this is how i got around it. Three ways really.

TIPS to working within metro
Windows key+X to get a power users menu where the start menu is normally
Windows key or Ctrl+Esc will load the metro start
Windows key+Q will open all programs and a search area
Windows key+W will open a Search tab
Windows key+R will open  RUN tab
Windows key+E will open  My Computer
Windows key+I will open Settings/control panel
Windows key+Break will open System/device manager/remote settings/ advanced system settings
this is where I got this list, not all of them work as per the site

To get to the metro start menu put your mouse in the lower left corner and click the menu when it appears
you should be able to get to IE and Explorer from here. If you cannot seem to get the metro start menu to load with the hot corner you can always press Ctrl+Esc to get it to load. Once it is loaded you have to right-click some of the blue area to get another tab to show itself so you can go to All Programs.

With either of these two products #1 STARTMenu8 or  #2 ClassicShell. I like them both but I will let you decide. Startmenu8 looks better and shows the shutdown and logoff buttons and is customizable but you cannot add custom menu items and even with the "start with windows" checked it fails to auto start. While Classicshell is highly customizable and lets you add custom items, I cannot get the shutdown or logoff buttons to show up.(FREE SOFTWARE.. GOTTA LOVE IT).

Download and install the startmenu package of your choice or both if you really want to. Their websites explain how to use this software very well, so I will not go into it.

Or OPTION #3 (FREE) you can download my pre-built shortcuts and add them to your taskbar.
Simply download and unzip the start.zip and place it on on the root of C: Drive. Then right-click on the taskbar, add toolbar/new and point to the start folder full of shortcuts you just place on the C: drive. This will create a shortcut called Start (by the clock) in the taskbar that points the folder named C:\Start.  If you wish to add more short cuts you simply create them and place them within the start folder structure where you want them.

Using Free core server 2012 as a NAS

Well you want a free NAS, then with Free Core Server 2012 you have one. Oh yeah it is still has Hyper-V 3.0 but you can turn that off, if all you want is a free NAS. See future posts about adding web server and ftp server.

To turn off Hyper-v 3.0 service:
From the DOS prompt type regedit
browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vmms\start and change it from 2 to 3 and reboot. this will set the hyper-v vmms service to not start automatically.
to check type taskmgr Choose more details (bottonm left) then go to the services tab and see if VMMS is running or not.

Now you have a free server with diskspace just begging to become your NAS.

To make it a NAS with a share open to everyone
At the DOS prompt cd\  md Share
type net share SHARE1=C:\Share /grant:Everyone,FULL
you now have a share names SHARE1 open to everyone on your 2012 server

If you have workgoup and you want some security you can follow these steps at the dos prompt
net localgroup NAS /add

net user JohnDoe Pa55word /add
net localgroup NAS JohnDoe /add
cd\
md share1
net share SHARE2=C:\Share1 /grant:NAS,FULL
Your share names SHARE2 will only be accessible for member of the local group NAS.

Syntax for commands
type the command  followed by /?  - Example = Net User /?
NOTE: If you want to delete a user, group or share just do the same command you used to create except change /add to /delete

If you want to view the groups
net localgroup  - will list the local group
net localgroup NAS - will list who is in the local NAS group
net share - list the shares
net share Share1 - list the properties of the share share1
net user - lists the users local to this server
net users johndoe - shows the properties for the user Johndoe

OR  USE A GUI

From a Sever 2008 go to your start button then type MMC in the "Run" or "search programs and files" field and hit Enter.

Once the Console opens, go to File > add/remove Snap-in...
Choose the "Shared Folders" snapin, and add it. Select "another computer" and browse to the Windows 2012 Core server you want to create the share on. (leave the "View" set for "All").
Click Finish.
Click OK
If you select "Shares" listed in the Console Tree, you can see a list of shares on the connected server.
If you right click on the "Shares" tree you can create a "New Share" and assign permissions.
This only works on shared folders and Services, not Users and Groups from server 2008

Easy peasy...

V2V - Converting VMware VM to Hyper-v

Converting your W2K3 from vmware to hyper-v using V2V from 5Nine


RDP to server
uninstall vmware tools
shutdown
Use v2v from 5nine
Follow the prompts as required, once it completes the conversion
power up hyper-v vm
insert intergration services setup disk
crtl+esc to load start menu
r to open Run
cmd to open dos window
D:\support\x86\setup.exe    this will install the Hyper-V tools
reboot
Login again
everything should be fine

You may need to resetup the IP address, I am using DHCP so not sure how this is affected.

I did a Windows 2008 vmware server using V2V from 5Nine and it went like this.

RDP to server

shutdown
Use v2v from 5nine
Follow the prompts as required, once it completes the conversion
power up hyper-v vm
insert intergration services setup disk
install the Hyper-V tools
reboot
Login again
Uninstall Vmware tools
reboot

Login again
everything should be fine

You may need to resetup the IP address, I am using DHCP so not sure how this is affected.

P2V - Physical to Virtual Server converting

Now that you have built the hypervisor server, now you want to get that old physical server onto your hypervisor as a VM.  But how, Microsoft's converter is from a VMware VM to a hyper-v VM and so is the 5Nine product V2V (which i love and it works great)?  Never fear there is a app for that. Sysinternals (wholely owned by MS now) has a tool called disk2vhd. Now it works great but there are draw backs. such as you need to have some diskspace available on the server or an external USB drive with space available. Not a huge deal but still a deal, so make sure you have some disk space available or a drive handy. Download the app and run it on the server in question, mine was a Dell R710 with RAID 5 and Windows 2008. I ran it, followed the prompts and it went to town while the server cranked away. It will tell you the space required to get a dynamic VHD file created of your server, sorry those are your only choices. I then mapped a drive to my vhost, created a folder where I wanted my server to reside and copied the VHD file into it.
Once that was complete, I unplugged the NIC from the pysical Server and created a new VM with the specs I wanted for the vCPUs and RAM etc, and attached the VHD to it for my new/old server. Now I started it up, logged into it, uninstalled any physical server software junk, like Dell Open Manage, Broadcomm NIC manager and MATROX video stuff and rebooted. You might have to setup the static IP address again but since mine was DHCP there was no such fooliness.

Now I have a new/old server on the network ready to roll and once some testing is done to make sure everything is fine, I can power off the old box and re-cycle or reuse it.

Hold on, I just checked the spec's on my new/old server and it a setup to be a dynamic disk and the size is 136GB and only 25 is used. How do I make it a fixed /static disk and 70GB which is my standard.

Ok here are your steps:
1. Power the VM Server off (hence forth to be called VM)
2. From the server console, open the powershell window, type (substitute C:\temp\ for your path)
PS C:\> Convert-VHD –Path c:\test\test.vhd –DestinationPath c:\test\test.vhdx -VHDType Fixed
This will convert your VHD file to a VHDX file and make it Fixed or Static. The -VHDType options are Fixed, Dynamic and Differencing. According the technet you cannot shrink a VHD file but you can expand a VHD file. If you want to shrink it, it must be in VHDX format.
3. Edit VM setting with your hyper-v manager and point to the new VHDX file you just created.
4. Powerthe VM up and log into it as Administrator
5. Right-click on the volume in Disk Management and select Shrink Volume. (was 136GB)

6. Enter the amount of space to shrink and press the Shrink button. (shrink by 66GB)
7. Power the VM off
8. To shrink a VHDX file size, from the server console open the powershell window and type

PS C:\> Resize-VHD –Path c:\test\test.vhdx –ToMinimumSize
9. Power the VM on and check to make sure you got your re-sizing right.
You are done

You might want to delete the old VHD file unless you are not done with it or like to waste disk space.