It is essential to install the DNS server role on any Domain Controller you promote in an Active Directory domain. This can be accomplished on your Windows Server 2008 Core systems using the OCSetup command-line utility.

You can demote the last domain controller in an Active Directory domain using the DCPromo command-line utility. Once it has been demoted you can safely remove the DNS Role from the server and reboot.

To configure Windows Server 2008 Core to be the first Domain Controller (DC) in a new Active Directory (AD) Domain Services (DS) Forest, you must configure some prerequisites such as Rename the Computer with NetDom, Configure the Network Interface with NetSh, and Install the DNS Server Role with OCSetup.

After a fresh Windows Server 2008 Core installation, the computer is given a random hostname. One of the first steps to configuring the server is to rename the computer. To do this you must use the NetDom command-line utility and then reboot the server.

While you can use a remote MMC to make configuration changes to a Windows Server 2008 Core installation, you can only use a remote MMC once you have already configured the required network and administrative configuration of the Server Core system from the command line first.

VMware Tools is a suite of utilities that enhances the performance of the virtual machine’s guest operating system and improves management of the virtual machine. Installing VMware Tools in the guest operating system is vital. Although the guest operating system can run without VMware Tools, you lose important functionality and convenience. Windows Server 2008 Core requires a simple additional step to install these essential tools.