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Auto Updates on Server Core and scregedit.wsf

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This is somewhat interesting. Auto updates are not running when server core is installed. The command line to do this is a bit different. Not all tasks can be managed on Server Core via the command line or an MMC. For those tasks, Microsoft provided a script called SCRegEdit.WSF. Automatic updates is one of those things this script takes care of. The script also:

· Enable automatic updates
· Enable Remote Desktop for Administration
· Enable Terminal Server clients on previous versions of Windows to connect to a server running a Server Core installation
· Configure DNS SRV record weight and priority
· Manage IPsec Monitor remotely

You will want to add enabling Automatic Updates to your deployment procedure for Server Core.
Below are the command lines for each of these tasks.
Enable automatic updates
· Enable automatic updates
- Cscript c:\Windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /AU 4
· Disable automatic updates
- Cscript c:\Windows\system32\scregedit.esf /AU 1
· Options 2 and 3 are not available because the pop up balloon is not part of Server Core.

Enable Remote Desktop for Administrators
· Enable Remote Deskop from Windows Vista/2008:
o Cscript %windir%\system32\SCRegEdit.wsf /ar 0
· Enable Remote Desktop from Windows XP/2003 and earlier
- Cscript %windir%\system32\SCRegEdit.wsf /ar 0
- Cscript %windir%\system32\SCRegEdit.wsf /cs 0 and press Enter.

Enable Terminal Server clients on previous versions of Windows to connect to a server running a Server Core installation

· Enable
- cscript c:\windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /cs 0
· Disable
- cscript c:\windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /cs 1

Enable Terminal Server clients on Windows Vista/2008 to connect to a server running a Server Core installation

· Enable
- cscript c:\windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /ar 0
· Disable
- cscript c:\windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /ar 1

Configure DNS SRV record priority
· Enable
- cscript c:\windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /dp xxx
- xxx can be 0 through 65535
- Microsoft recommends 200
Configure DNS SRV record weight
· Enable
- cscript c:\windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /dw xxx
- xxx can be 0 through 65535
- Microsoft recommends 200

Manage IPsec Monitor remotely
· Enable
- cscript c:\windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /im 0
· Disable
- cscript c:\windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /im 1

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