Wednesday, July 11, 2012

How to enable or disable the GUI interface with Windows Server 2012

One disadvantage of Server Core with versions prior to Windows Server 2012 was an option was not available to switch back and forth; once a server was configured to use Server Core, it had to be re-installed to restore the GUI.  Windows Server 2012 introduces the option to enable or disable the GUI with a reboot.  A few different methods are available, but below are the PowerShell commands to accomplish the task.

Either line below will remove the GUI from a non-Core installation of Windows Server 2012.  A reboot will be required.

Remove-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Shell, Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra

Uninstall-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Shell, Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra

powershell_2012_gui_1

powershell_2012_gui_2

Either line below will restore the GUI with a Core configuration.  A reboot again will be required.

Add-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Shell, Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra

Install-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Shell, Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra

powershell_2012_gui_3

powershell_2012_gui_4

NAS4Free

NAS4Free is an embedded Open Source Storage NAS (Network-Attached Storage) distribution based on FreeBSD. This project is a continuation of FreeNAS 7 series project. FreeNAS 8 is based on nanoBSD where as NAS4Free is based on FreeBSD 9.x, hence the name change.

NAS4Free supports sharing across Windows, Apple, and UNIX-like systems. It includes ZFS v28, Software RAID (0,1,5), disk encryption, S.M.A.R.T / email reports etc. with the following protocols: CIFS (samba), FTP, NFS, TFTP, AFP, RSYNC, Unison, iSCSI (initiator and target), UPnP, and Bittorent which is all highly configurable by its web interface. NAS4Free can be installed on Compact Flash/USB/SSD key, Hard disk or booted from a LiveCD with a small USB key for configuration storage.

www.nas4free.org

wiki.nas4free.org

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Microsoft .NET Framework Repair Tool

This tool detects and tries to fix some frequently occurring issues with the setup of or with updates to the Microsoft .NET Framework.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30135&WT.mc_id=rss_alldownloads_all

Calibre

Calibre is a free and open source e-book library management application developed by users of e-books for users of e-books.  It has the option of converting from different file formats as well as syncing with some e-readers.

http://calibre-ebook.com/

Monday, July 9, 2012

Active Directory Replication Status Tool

The Active Directory Replication Status Tool (ADREPLSTATUS) analyzes the replication status for domain controllers in an Active Directory domain or forest. ADREPLSTATUS displays data in a format that is similar to REPADMIN /SHOWREPL * /CSV imported into Excel but with significant enhancements.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30005&WT.mc_id=rss_alldownloads_all