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

Elastic Compute Service (ECS) provides Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel images that run in Server Core mode and do not have a graphical user interface (GUI). The images provide benefits such as support for remote management, lower requirements for hardware, and reduced need for updates. This topic describes how to manage an ECS instance created from such an image.

Background information

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 the instances by using tools such as Sconfig, Server Manager, PowerShell, and Windows Admin Center.

When you create an instance, you can view the following Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel images 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

Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel instances run in Server Core mode. We recommend that you use advanced management tools, such as PowerShell and Windows Admin Center, to manage the instances. For more information, see Manage a Server Core server in Microsoft documentation.

Manage an instance by using PowerShell

PowerShell runs on .NET Framework. You can use PowerShell to manage Windows instances in the same manner as you use SSH. For example, if the public IP address of your instance is 172.16.1XX.183, perform the following steps to manage your instance by using PowerShell.

Windows instance

Connect to a Windows instance by using a username and password.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI.

Run the following commands in PowerShell:

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

Add inbound rules to a security group to which the instance belongs to allow access over HTTP port 5985 and HTTPS port 5986.
For information about how to add rules to a security group, see Manage security group rules.

Management client

Enter PowerShell on the CLI on the client computer.
Run the following command in PowerShell:
```
Set-Item WSMan:localhost\client\trustedhosts -value 172.16.1XX.183 -Force
```
Note
172.16.1XX.183 indicates that only your instance is trusted. You can use * to specify that all computers are trusted.
Run the Enter-PSSession '172.16.1XX.183' -Credential:'administrator' command in PowerShell and enter the password of the instance as prompted.

After you complete the configurations, you can manage the Windows instance on the client computer.

Install Windows Admin Center

Windows Admin Center is a browser-based GUI management tool. It can replace existing server management tools, such as Server Manager and Microsoft Management Console (MMC), to manage Server Core servers. For example, if the public IP address of your Windows instance is 172.16.1XX.183, you can use one of the following methods to install Windows Admin Center:

Use commands

Connect to the Windows instance.
For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance by using a username and password.
Add rules to a security group to which the instance belongs to allow access over HTTP port 5985 and HTTPS port 5986.
For more information, see Manage security group rules.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI.

Run the following commands in PowerShell:

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

Run the following commands to 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 information similar to the following content is displayed in the log file, 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

If you want to install Windows Admin Center by using a browser on the client computer, make sure that PowerShell is configured to manage instances. For more information, see Manage an instance by using PowerShell.

Procedure

Download and install Windows Admin Center.
For more information, see Windows Admin Center overview.
Access https://localhost/ after you install Windows Admin Center.
Click Add. In the dialog box that appears, add the IP address of the instance.

After you complete the configurations, you can 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 that you want to copy are stored on the client computer, and Windows Admin Center is installed or PowerShell is configured to manage instances, you can use one of the following methods to copy the files to the instance.

Use a Remote Desktop (RDP) application

Connect to the Windows instance.
For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance by using a username and password.
Copy files from the client computer.
Enter notepad on the CLI of the instance.
Choose File > Open. In the dialog box that appears, right-click the destination directory and select Paste.

Use PowerShell

Start the Windows instance.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI of the client computer.
Use PowerShell to manage the instance.
For more information, see Manage an instance by using PowerShell.
Run the following commands on the client computer:
```
$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName 172.16.XX.XX
Copy-Item -ToSession $session -Path C:\1.txt -Destination c:\2.txt
```
Note
The path to the file that you want to copy (original file) on the client computer is C:\1.txt. The path to the file copy (new file) on the Windows instance is C:\2.txt.

Use Windows Admin Center

Start the Windows instance.
Configure Windows Admin Center.
For more information, see Install Windows Admin Center.
Start Windows Admin Center and select the Windows instance. Click File, select the file, and then 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.
For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance by using a username and password.
Enter sconfig on the CLI, select 13 to restart the instance or 14 to stop the instance, and then press the Enter key.

Use PowerShell

Connect to the Windows instance.
For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance by using a username and password.
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.
Use PowerShell to manage the instance.
For more information, see Manage an instance by using PowerShell.

Run the following PowerShell commands to 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.
For more information, see Install Windows Admin Center.
Start Windows Admin Center and select the Windows instance. In the left-side navigation pane, click Overview. On the Overview page, click Restart or Shutdown.

Question 3: How do I install the IIS service?

Use an RDP application

Connect to the Windows instance.
For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance by using a username and password.
Enter PowerShell on the CLI.

Run the following commands to 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.
Use PowerShell to manage the instance.
For more information, see Manage an instance by using PowerShell.

Run the following PowerShell commands on the client computer:

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.
For more information, see Install Windows Admin Center.
Start Windows Admin Center and select the Windows instance. In the left-side navigation pane, click Roles & Features. On the Roles & Features page, click Web Server. Select features based on your business 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 remote application displays a black screen and operations cannot be performed. To resolve this issue, perform the following steps:

If a Microsoft Terminal Services Client (MSTSC) connection is used, press Ctrl+Alt+End. In other cases, press Ctrl+Alt+Del.
Select Task Manager and press the Enter key.
In the Task Manager window, choose File > Run new task. In the dialog box that appears, enter cmd and click OK.