Manage ECS instances created from Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel images -

Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel images run in Server Core mode without a GUI. Manage these instances with PowerShell or Windows Admin Center.

Background

Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel instances exclude Resource Manager, Control Panel, and Windows Explorer, and do not support the \*.msc command line option, such as devmgmt.msc. You can manage these instances with tools such as Sconfig, Server Manager, PowerShell, and Windows Admin Center.

The following Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel images are available in the public image list:

Windows Server Version 1809 Datacenter Edition
Windows Server Version 1709 Datacenter Edition
Windows Server Version 1903 Datacenter Edition
Windows Server Version 1909 Datacenter Edition
Windows Server Version 2004 Datacenter Edition

We recommend PowerShell and Windows Admin Center for managing these instances. See Manage a Server Core server in Microsoft documentation.

Manage an instance with PowerShell

PowerShell runs on .NET Framework and manages Windows instances similarly to SSH. The following example uses 172.16.1XX.183 as the public IP address of the instance.

Windows instance

Use RDP client or Windows App.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI.

Enable PS remoting and configure the firewall:

Enable-PSRemoting -Force
Set-NetFirewallRule -Name "WINRM-HTTP-In-TCP-PUBLIC" -RemoteAddress Any

Add inbound security group rules to allow HTTP port 5985 and HTTPS port 5986.

See Manage security group rules.

Management client

Enter PowerShell on the CLI of the client computer.
Add the instance to the trusted hosts list:
```
Set-Item WSMan:localhost\client\trustedhosts -value 172.16.1XX.183 -Force
```
Note
172.16.1XX.183 trusts only your instance. Use * to trust all computers.
Run Enter-PSSession '172.16.1XX.183' -Credential:'administrator' in PowerShell and enter the instance password when prompted.

After the configuration is complete, you can manage the Windows instance from the client computer.

Install Windows Admin Center

Windows Admin Center is a browser-based GUI tool that replaces Server Manager and Microsoft Management Console (MMC) for managing Server Core servers. You can install it by using one of the following methods:

Use commands

Connect to the Windows instance.

See Use RDP client or Windows App.
Add security group rules to allow HTTP port 5985 and HTTPS port 5986.

See Manage security group rules.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI.

Enable PS remoting and configure the firewall:

Enable-PSRemoting -Force
Set-NetFirewallRule -Name "WINRM-HTTP-In-TCP-PUBLIC" -RemoteAddress Any

Download Windows Admin Center:

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri http://download.microsoft.com/download/E/8/A/E8A26016-25A4-49EE-8200-E4BCBF292C4A/HonoluluTechnicalPreview1802.msi -UseBasicParsing -OutFile c:\HonoluluTechnicalPreview1802.msi
msiexec /i c:\HonoluluTechnicalPreview1802.msi /qn /L*v log.txt SME_PORT=443 SSL_CERTIFICATE_OPTION=generate

Run the Get-Content log.txt command to check the download progress.

When the log file shows content similar to the following, Windows Admin Center is installed:

MSI (s) (14:44) [09:48:37:885]: Product: Project 'Honolulu'(Technical Preview) -- Installation completed successfully. 
MSI (s) (14:44) [09:48:37:885]: Product installed by Windows Installer. Product name: Project 'Honolulu' (Technical Preview). Product version: 1.1.10326.0. Product language: 1033. Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation. Installation success or error status: 0.

Use a browser

Prerequisites

To install Windows Admin Center from a browser, first configure PowerShell for remote management. See Manage an instance with PowerShell.

Procedure

Download and install Windows Admin Center.

See Windows Admin Center overview.
Open https://localhost/ after installation.
Click Add . In the dialog box, enter the IP address of the instance.

You can then use Windows Admin Center to manage instances in Microsoft Edge or Chrome.

FAQ

Question 1: How do I copy files to a Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel instance?

If the files are on the client computer and Windows Admin Center or PowerShell remote management is configured, use one of the following methods to copy them to the instance.

Use an RDP application

Connect to the Windows instance.

See Use RDP client or Windows App.
Copy the files on the client computer.
Enter notepad on the CLI of the instance.
Choose File > On. Right-click the destination directory and select Paste.

Use PowerShell

Start the Windows instance.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI of the client computer.
Configure PowerShell remote management.

See Manage an instance with PowerShell.
Copy the file to the instance:
```
$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName 172.16.XX.XX
Copy-Item -ToSession $session -Path C:\1.txt -Destination c:\2.txt
```
Note
In this example, C:\1.txt is the source file on the client computer and C:\2.txt is the destination on the instance.

Use Windows Admin Center

Start the Windows instance.
Configure Windows Admin Center.

See Install Windows Admin Center.
Open Windows Admin Center, select the instance, click File, select the file, and click Upload.

Question 2: How do I connect to a Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel instance to stop or restart the Windows instance?

Use an RDP application

Connect to the Windows instance.

See Use RDP client or Windows App.
Enter sconfig on the CLI. Select 13 to restart the instance or 14 to stop it, then press the Enter key.

Use PowerShell

Connect to the Windows instance.

See Use RDP client or Windows App.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI.

Run one of the following PowerShell commands:

shutdown -r -t 00 # Immediately restart the instance. 
shutdown -s -t 00 # Immediately stop the instance. 
Stop-Computer -Force # Immediately stop the instance by using PowerShell. 
Restart-Computer -Force # Immediately restart the instance by using PowerShell.

Use PowerShell for remote management

Start the Windows instance.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI of the client computer.
Configure PowerShell remote management.

See Manage an instance with PowerShell.

Restart or stop the instance:

Enter-PsSession -ComputerName 172.16.XX.XX
Restart-Computer -Force # Restart the instance.
Stop-Computer -Force # Stop the instance.

Use Windows Admin Center

Start the Windows instance.
Configure Windows Admin Center.

See Install Windows Admin Center.
Open Windows Admin Center, select the instance, and click Overview. On the Overview page, click Restart or Shut Down.

Question 3: How do I install the IIS service?

Use an RDP application

Connect to the Windows instance.

See Use RDP client or Windows App.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI.

Install Internet Information Services (IIS):

Import-Module ServerManager
Add-WindowsFeature Web-Server, Web-CGI, Web-Mgmt-Console

Use PowerShell

Start the Windows instance.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI of the client computer.
Configure PowerShell remote management.

See Manage an instance with PowerShell.

Install IIS on the remote instance:

Enter-PsSession -ComputerName 172.16.XX.XX
Import-Module ServerManager
Add-WindowsFeature Web-Server, Web-CGI, Web-Mgmt-Console

Use Windows Admin Center

Start the Windows instance.
Configure Windows Admin Center.

See Install Windows Admin Center.
Open Windows Admin Center, select the instance, and click Roles & Features. On the Roles & Features page, select Web Server, choose features based on your requirements, and click Yes.

Question 4: How do I reopen a CLI window that I accidentally closed during an RDP session?

If a CLI window is accidentally closed during an RDP session, the screen turns black. To recover, perform the following steps:

For MSTSC connections, press Ctrl+Alt+End. For other connections, press Ctrl+Alt+Del.
Select Task Manager and press Enter.
In Task Manager, choose File > Run new task. Enter cmd and click OK.