{"id":10390,"date":"2018-07-05T10:00:03","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T17:00:03","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2024-03-07T15:53:01","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T23:53:01","slug":"server-core-and-server-with-desktop-which-one-is-best-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows-server\/blog\/2018\/07\/05\/server-core-and-server-with-desktop-which-one-is-best-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Server Core and Server with Desktop: Which one is best for you"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On March 20, 2018 we announced the availability of Windows Server 2019<\/a> preview, the next Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release in the Windows Insider program. Seven weeks later, we released Windows Server, version 1803, the latest release in the Semi-Annual Channel. The Semi-Annual Channel primarily focuses on rapid application development. New cloud-born applications or migrated (\u201clift-and-shift”) traditional applications benefit significantly from the isolation, predictability, and orchestration offered by containers. Of course, container orchestrators are also cloud-based, which means that there is very little need to run an interactive desktop on the host operating system in these scenarios, so we’ve only included the Server Core installation option in the Semi-Annual Channel. Now that we’re about to release on both channels, and that we’re including the Server with Desktop Experience on only one of the channels, it’s a good time to talk about Server Core versus Server with Desktop Experience.<\/p>\n

Server Core \u2013 fast, secure, modern<\/h2>\n

For most server scenarios, the Server Core installation option<\/a> is the best (and recommended) choice. A Server Core installation is almost entirely headless, light weight, and ideally suited for large datacenters and clouds, both physical and virtual. Server Core\u2019s smaller footprint comes with a smaller attack surface, making it less vulnerable than the Server with Desktop Experience option. That same smaller footprint means Server Core requires less disk space and consumes less of your network bandwidth (when you migrate VMs or roll out a large environment). With the new Windows Admin Center<\/a> management capabilities, Server Core is easier than ever to manage, whether you like PowerShell scripts or a modern, graphical portal.<\/p>\n

When it comes to apps, in the past you may have had problems running apps that require local GUI interaction on Server Core. Either your apps fail to install or, worse, they fail later or just don\u2019t run right. We heard you \u2013 we\u2019re adding a new Server Core-based application compatibility feature to address these problems. You can install it or uninstall it on demand. For Windows Server Insiders, get the Server Core App Compatibility feature-on-demand (FOD) now<\/a> if some of the apps you\u2019ve been using don\u2019t run (or don\u2019t run well) on server core. You\u2019ll see that most of them run well with the App Compatibility FOD. New server management apps should be designed to work remotely, ideally as extensions to Windows Admin Center, so that you can overtime use Server Core everywhere without the App Compatibility FOD at all!<\/p>\n

Server with Desktop Experience \u2013 meeting the needs of today\u2019s apps<\/h2>\n

Some of you prefer the Server with Desktop Experience option, even on your servers. In some cases it\u2019s because you find managing servers from the desktop more familiar, and sometimes it\u2019s because of application requirements. We want to help you modernize how you manage servers because it\u2019ll make you more productive. You can manage servers remotely with Windows Admin Center<\/a> or other remote tools<\/a> most of the time, and you can do it from Windows 10 with all the bells and whistles. (You can connect to Windows Admin Center from a Mac too, if that\u2019s what works for you.) For those apps that must run locally, for setup or otherwise, and only run with a desktop, we\u2019d like you to do two things:<\/p>\n

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  1. Ask your OEM, IHV, or ISV for an app update that works in a modern, remotely-managed server environment.<\/li>\n
  2. Try out the App Compatibility FOD for Server Core that we mentioned above.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Server with Desktop Experience option is based on the Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC and excludes some of the more consumer-focused apps and features, like Cortana and the Microsoft Store. In Windows Server 2019 we\u2019re going even further, removing and disabling more client apps that you don\u2019t need or want in your enterprise server (like Xbox and Xbox Live services). We don\u2019t believe servers need or should have the personalized experiences that Windows 10 provides so well. Please note that while the features are gone, because of the overlap between some client and OS functions, you may see some elements of features, like Cortana binaries, that are still in the image. You don\u2019t have Cortana, but you do get search capability on Server.<\/p>\n

    When it comes to managing a server running the Server with Desktop Experience, use Windows Admin Center instead of the in-box management tools. Windows Admin Center combines most of the server management tools you\u2019re familiar with into a modern web interface. In other words, it makes managing Windows Server easy.<\/p>\n

    Something to remember about the desktop \u2013 you can\u2019t remove the desktop on demand. Once you choose the Server with Desktop Experience, there\u2019s no easy switch back to Server Core.<\/p>\n

    Finally, some Windows Server users have been using the Server with Desktop Experience in unexpected, ways like gaming. Because of changes in Windows Server 2019, that could become either difficult or, in some cases, impossible. For you, we offer the following alternatives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    \u00a0<\/caption>\n
    What you want\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nA better alternative<\/strong><\/td>\nWhy?<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A developer workstation<\/td>\nWindows 10<\/td>\n\n
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    • Server with Desktop Experience is only included in the LTSC release \u2013 that means it\u2019s several releases behind the Windows 10 SDK, and who wants to use old stuff?<\/li>\n
    • Windows Server doesn\u2019t support the Microsoft Store, Cortana, and some other functionality \u2013 Windows 10 does.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A gaming rig<\/td>\nWindows 10<\/td>\n\n
      \n
    • Same LTSC argument as above.<\/li>\n
    • Windows Server\u2019s support for GPU drivers is much more limited than Windows 10.<\/li>\n
    • You can\u2019t run Microsoft Store games because there\u2019s no Microsoft Store on Server.<\/li>\n
    • No game bar, and the Xbox services are either gone or disabled.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A place to run dev-ops troubleshooting tools (like Wireshark, sysinternals)<\/td>\nServer Core (optionally with App Compatibility FOD)<\/td>\n\n