Features on Demand is a new feature in Windows Server 2012 that allows the install files for features to be removed from the operating system. This reduces the size of the operating system. The features can be relocated to a file share or downloaded from Windows Update. This video looks at how to do this and also how much space you can potentially save. Download the PDF handout http://ITFreeTraining.com/handouts/server/features-on-demand.pdf Features on Demand When you install a role or feature in Windows Server you will not be prompted for the install media. This is because the install media is copied to the server when the server is first installed. These install files are also known as the pay load. In Windows Server, Features on Demand allows that pay load to be removed from the operating system. When a feature or role is installed on the server and Windows cannot find these install files it will prompt for the install files. These can be installed by DVD, network share or Windows Update. Demonstration 1. Right click the start menu and select the option command prompt. From the command prompt enter in PowerShell. 2. To uninstall a feature or role from a server, use the command "Uninstall-WindowsFeature" followed by what you want to remove. For example, if you wanted to remove the feature WINS you would enter in "Uninstall-WIndowsFeature WINS". This command however does not remove the payload. 3. To remove the payload the --Remove switch needs to be added. For example "Uninstall-WindowsFeature --Remove". If the feature or role is installed, this will also uninstall the role or feature. 4. To see all the features on the Windows Server, run the command "Get-WindowsFeature". This will show you all the features that are available on the Server and also if they are installed or not. Windows Side-By-Side Store In the Windows directory there is a folder called WinSxs. This contains all the files for the Windows Side by Side Store. The Windows Side by Side store was first introduced in Windows 98. It stores different versions of files in it. It was introduced to fix the following problem. When a dynamical linked library (DLL) is use by software, the software was first coded to use that particular version. This DLL may be later updated adding features and bug fixes which is normally a good thing. In some cases, a DLL may have a bug fixed that causes the software to crash. This is because the software was getting a result that was incorrect, however it was coded around this incorrect result. With multiple applications installed on the computer, certain applications may require different DLL versions in order to work. Finding the right set of DLL's could be difficult. When an administrator was faced with this kind of problem it was often referred to as DLL hell. In new versions of Windows, the side by side store contains roles and features in the operating system. When the operating system requires these files, for example a role is installed, the files are copied from the side by side store. This means that the side by side store can contain files that are not being used because that feature is not installed. These files can be removed. When a file exists in the side by side store and also the operating system, the file is accessed in the same location on the hard disk. This means that the one file is stored once on the hard disk even though it can be accessed in multiple locations on the hard disk. Description to long for YouTube. Please see the following link for the rest of the description. http://itfreetraining.com/server#features-on-demand See http://YouTube.com/ITFreeTraining or http://itfreetraining.com for our always free training videos. This is only one video from the many free courses available on YouTube. References "Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 Exam Ref 70-410" pg 10 -11 "Configure Features on Demand in Windows Server" http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj127275.aspx "Uninstall-WindowsFeature" http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj205471.aspx "What is the WINSXS directory in Windows 2008 and Windows Vista and why is it so large?" http://blogs.technet.com/b/askcore/archive/2008/09/17/what-is-the-winsxs-directory-in-windows-2008-and-windows-vista-and-why-is-it-so-large.aspx "Side-by-side assembly" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side-by-side_assembly

• published: 16 Mar 2014
• views: 11943