manage Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel images and instances - Elastic Compute Service

This topic describes how to manage an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance that is created from a Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel image.

Background information

Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel runs in Server Core mode and does not have a graphical user interface (GUI). Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel provides benefits such as support for remote management, lower requirements for hardware, and reduced need for updates. 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 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 runs in Server Core mode. We recommend that you use advanced management tools, such as PowerShell and Windows Admin Center. For more information, see Manage a Server Core server in Microsoft documentation.

Manage an instance by using PowerShell

PowerShell runs on .NET Framework and uses object-oriented scripts. 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:

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

Run the following commands in PowerShell of the instance:

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

Add 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 Add a security group rule.
Enter PowerShell on the command line on your computer to start PowerShell.
Run the following command in PowerShell on your computer:
```
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 your Windows instance on your 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 Add a security group rule.
Enter PowerShell on the command line to start PowerShell.

Run the following commands in PowerShell of the instance:

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

Run the following commands to download Windows Admin Center:

wget -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 cat 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

PowerShell is configured and can be used to manage instances. If you want to install Windows Admin Center by using a browser, complete the installation on your computer. For more information, see Manage an instance by using PowerShell.

Procedure

Download and install Windows Admin Center.
For more information, see Windows Admin Center.
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 your 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
1. Connect to the Windows instance.
  For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance by using a username and password.
2. Copy files from your computer.
3. Enter notepad on the command line of the instance.
4. Choose File > Open. In the dialog box that appears, right-click the destination directory and select Paste.
Use PowerShell
1. Start the Windows instance.
2. Enter PowerShell on the command line on your computer to start PowerShell.
3. Use PowerShell to manage the instance.
  For more information, see Manage an instance by using PowerShell.
4. Run the following commands on your 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 your 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
1. Start the Windows instance.
2. Configure Windows Admin Center.
  For more information, see Install Windows Admin Center.
3. 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
1. Connect to the Windows instance.
  For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance by using a username and password.
2. Enter sconfig on the command line, 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 command line to start PowerShell.

Run one of the following commands to restart or stop the instance:

shutdown -r -t 00 :: Restart the instance in 0 seconds by using the command line.
shutdown -s -t 00 :: Stop the instance in 0 seconds by using the command line.
Stop-Computer -Force # Instantly stop the instance by using PowerShell.
Restart-Computer -Force # Instantly restart the instance by using PowerShell.

Use PowerShell
1. Start the Windows instance.
2. Enter PowerShell on the command line on your computer to start PowerShell.
3. Use PowerShell to manage the instance.
  For more information, see Manage an instance by using PowerShell.
4. Run the following 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
1. Start the Windows instance.
2. Configure Windows Admin Center.
  For more information, see Install Windows Admin Center.
3. 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
1. Connect to the Windows instance.
  For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance by using a username and password.
2. Enter PowerShell on the command line to start PowerShell.
3. Run the following commands to install IIS:
```
Import-Module ServerManager
Add-WindowsFeature Web-Server, Web-CGI, Web-Mgmt-Console
```
Use PowerShell
1. Start the Windows instance.
2. Enter PowerShell on the command line on your computer to start PowerShell.
3. Use PowerShell to manage the instance.
  For more information, see Manage an instance by using PowerShell.
4. Run the following PowerShell commands on your computer:
```
Enter-PsSession -ComputerName 172.16.XX.XX
Import-Module ServerManager
Add-WindowsFeature Web-Server, Web-CGI, Web-Mgmt-Console
```
Use Windows Admin Center
1. Start the Windows instance.
2. Configure Windows Admin Center.
  For more information, see Install Windows Admin Center.
3. 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 command line window that I accidentally closed during an RDP session?

If a command line 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.