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Q. Is there a Server Core tool for graphical management of some key core aspects?

A. Microsoft MVP Guy Teverosvsky released CoreConfigurator, a great configuration utility available at blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/guyt/archive/2008/03/22/windows-server-core-coreconfigurator-to-the-rescue.aspx. It’s a graphical interface to some of Server Core’s key configuration items that require trickier command-line combinations, such as IP address configuration and activation.

To install CoreConfigurator in Server Core, use

msiexec /i

as in the following example:

msiexec /i CoreConfigruator.msi

Once installed, the program executes by navigating to the Program Files\CoreConfigurator folder and executing CoreConfigurator.exe. You’ll see a main dialog-box with buttons for each of its capabilities, as shown on the left side of Figure 1. I did find some problems, but hey, it’s a first version. For example, if you don’t start CoreConfigurator from the main Windows\system32 folder as the working folder, by using the following command as an example:

windows\system32>"C:\Program Files\CoreConfigurator\CoreConfigurator.exe

you’ll get errors trying to change the Product Key because the program won’t be able to find the slmgr.vbs script. The following figure shows the CoreConfigurator Licensing dialog box when opened from the correct folder.

Remember, if you run 64-bit Server Core, use the Program Files (x86) folder instead of the Program Files folder.

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