Server Core Roles & Features of Windows Server 2008

The Server Core installation option is a new option that you can use for installing Windows Server 2008.

A Server Core installation provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles, which reduces the maintenance and management requirements and the attack surface for those server roles.
To accomplish this, the Server Core installation option installs only the subset of the binary files that are required by the supported server roles.

A server running Windows Server Core 2008 supports the following 9 server roles:

1. Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) using dcpromo.exe
2. Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS)
3. DHCP Server
4. DNS Server
5. File Services
6. Print Services
7. Streaming Media Services
8. Web Server (IIS)
9. Hyper-V (Windows Server Virtualisation) - supported since RC1 - running as the parent virtual machine

All Server Core server roles can be installed via OCsetup.exe, with the exception of the Active Directory Domain Controller role which is done through dcpromo using an unattend file and the Web Server which is done through the PackageManager (PkgMgr.exe).

Installing a specific server role follows the syntax below:

start /w ocsetup <serverrole-name>

1. Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS): dcpromo /unattend:<unattendfile.xml>
2. Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS): start /w ocsetup DirectoryServices-ADAM-ServerCore
3. DHCP Server: start /w ocsetup DHCPServerCore
4. DNS Server: start /w ocsetup DNS-Server-Core-Role
5. File Services: installed by default
6. Print Services: start /w ocsetup Printing-ServerCore-Role
7. Streaming Media Server: start /w ocsetup MediaServer (After copying the appropriate Microsoft Update Standalone package (.msu files) to your Server Core installation, and running the .msu file(s)).
8. Web Server: start /w pkgmgr /iu:IIS-WebServerRole;WAS-WindowsActivationService;WAS-ProcessModel
9. Hyper-V

You might be missing some of the server roles when looking through the Optional Component list (via OClist.exe) such as Streaming Media Server and Hyper-V.
To add updates/roles/features to the list, use the following command:  wusa <update>.msu /quiet

A typical example is the Streaming Media Server role, which only becomes available after copying the appropriate Microsoft Update Standalone package (.msu files) to your Server Core installation and running the .msu file(s).

Installing a specific feature follows the syntax below:

start /w ocsetup <feature-name>

start /w ocsetup BitLocker
start /w ocsetup BitLocker-RemoteAdminTool
start /w ocsetup FailoverCluster-Core
start /w ocsetup WINS-SC

 

Source: trycatch.be