| There are many useful customizations you can make after installing the operating system. Some of the configuration options I cover in this chapter include setting the time and date, joining a server to a domain, configuring page files, and configuring startup and failure options. I then cover some settings that disable annoying Windows features. These aren't terribly important from a performance point of view, but are down-right necessary to reduce your frustration level when dealing with a server. Good examples of this include disabling the Manage/Configure Your Server Wizard and the Windows Server 2003 Shutdown Tracker. Using a Command-Line Interface Commands to help configure Windows Server are not in short supply. In Table 2-1, I list all the command-line utilities I use in this chapter along with where each can be found. Table 2-1. Command-line tools used in this chapter| Tool | Windows Server 2003 | Windows 2000 Server | Recipes |
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| bootcfg | %SystemRoot%\system32 | N/A | 2.14 | | compname | http://www.willowhayes.co.uk/ | http://www.willowhayes.co.uk/ | 2.8 | | date | CMD shell | CMD shell | 2.7 | | dsmod | %SystemRoot%\system32 | N/A | 2.10 | | hostname | %SystemRoot%\system32 | %SystemRoot%\system32 | 2.8 | | msoobe | %SystemRoot%\system32\oobe | N/A | 2.1 | | net | %SystemRoot%\system32 | %SystemRoot%\system32 | 2.2, 2.7 | | netdom | Windows 2003 Support Tools | Windows 2000 Support Tools | 2.8-2.10 | | nltest | Windows 2003 Support Tools | Windows 2000 Support Tools | 2.10 | | psinfo | http://sysinternals.com/ | http://sysinternals.com/ | 2.6, 2.16 | | reg | %SystemRoot%\system32 | Windows 2000 Support Tools | 2.2, 2.3, 2.7, 2.12, 2.15, 2.17, 2.18 | | setx | Windows 2003 Support Tools | Windows 2000 Resource Kit | 2.11 | | shutdown | %SystemRoot%\system32 | Windows 2000 Resource Kit | 2.8, 2.19 | | srvinfo | Windows 2003 Resource Kit | Windows 2000 Resource Kit | 2.6, 2.16 | | systeminfo | %SystemRoot%\system32 | N/A | 2.6, 2.12, 2.16 | | time | CMD shell | CMD shell | 2.7 | | wmic | %SystemRoot%\system32\wbem | N/A | 2.6, 2.11, 2.15 |
Using VBScript When it comes to querying and configuring basic system properties of a server, WMI fits the bill in most cases. I use a variety of WMI classes throughout the chapter, which I've listed in Table 2-2. Table 2-2. WMI classes used in this chapter| WMI Class | Recipes |
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| StdRegProv | 2.3, 2.8, 2.17, 2.18 | | Win32_BIOS | 2.6 | | Win32_ComputerSystem | 2.6, 2.8, 2.9, 2.14 | | Win32_Environment | 2.11 | | Win32_Localtime | 2.7 | | Win32_OSRecoveryConfiguration | 2.15 | | Win32_OperatingSystem | 2.6, 2.8, 2.16, 2.19 | | Win32_PageFileUsage | 2.12 | | Win32_Processor | 2.6 | | Win32_TimeZone | 2.7 | | Win32_WindowsProductActivation | 2.1 |
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