Name: The Foundation of Iron — Week 11 — Windows Server Fundamentals
Author: Amine RAITI

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THE FOUNDATION OF IRON · COURSE MATERIAL · WEEK 11

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WINDOWS SERVER
FUNDAMENTALS
Week 11 of 26 · Block 5 — Bare Metal OS
10h theory · 25h practice

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◆ WEEKLY LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Understand Windows Server architecture and its differences from Linux
2. Install Windows Server on bare metal
3. Configure initial settings (network, machine name, activation)
4. Manage roles and features via Server Manager
5. Navigate and administer the system via PowerShell

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⚠ WARNING — SHELF LIFE OF VERSIONS REFERENCED HERE

This material presents Windows Server as available in 2026. Version names, graphical interfaces and PowerShell commands change with each new edition. The instructor must check and adapt to the version actually available in the training environment at the time of delivery.

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Amine RAITI · Infrastructure Architect & SRE
Public document · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · AI Powered by Amine
Opération Dindon

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COURSE OUTLINE · 10H

THEORY GUIDING THREAD

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11.1 · Windows Server architecture vs Linux3h

— NT kernel, kernel/user-space model, Windows Registry
— Structural differences from Linux: filesystem (NTFS, link with Week 7), process management, integrated vs optional GUI
— Current versions and editions (Standard, Datacenter, Core) — update per version available in class

11.2 · Bare-metal installation2h

— Preparing installation media (ISO image, bootable USB — same tools as Week 8)
— Installation steps: choosing the edition, partitioning (link with Week 7), selecting the installation mode
— Initial post-installation configuration: machine name, network, regional settings

11.3 · Roles and features3h

— Concept of a Windows Server role (a set of server features) and a feature (a system component)
— Server Manager: main interface for role administration
— Adding a first simple role and checking it works correctly

11.4 · Introduction to PowerShell2h

— PowerShell as the Windows equivalent of the Linux shell (direct link with Week 8)
— PowerShell command structure (cmdlets, verb-noun), pipeline
— Essential cmdlets for navigation and basic administration

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EXERCISE 1 · INSTALLATION AND INITIAL CONFIGURATION · 12H

Equipment: physical machine or dedicated VM, Windows Server ISO (version available in the classroom), bootable USB or virtual media, training licence.

(2h) Preparing installation media, booting and accessing the setup programme.

(3h) Full installation: choosing the edition (with GUI recommended for this course), partitioning the disk (one system partition, in NTFS), creating the administrator account.

(2h) Post-installation configuration: assigning a machine name consistent with the classroom convention, setting a static IP address, verifying network connectivity.

(3h) Exploring Server Manager, adding the IIS Web Server role as a first test role, verifying it works from a browser.

(2h) First PowerShell session: navigating the hierarchy, listing running services, stopping and restarting the IIS service via PowerShell.

SOLUTION — EXERCISE 1

Checking IIS installation: open a browser on the same machine and navigate to http://localhost — the IIS welcome page should appear, confirming the role is active and the service is listening on port 80.

Expected PowerShell commands: Get-Service to list services, Stop-Service and Start-Service (or Restart-Service) with the IIS service name to restart it. Point out the consistency with the service management covered in Week 9 under Linux (systemctl) — same concept, different syntax.

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EXERCISE 2 · ADMINISTRATION VIA POWERSHELL AND SERVER MANAGER · 13H

Equipment: the system installed in Exercise 1.

(3h) Deep PowerShell exploration: variables, pipeline, output formatting, redirecting to a file — explicit parallel with the Linux shell from Week 8.

(3h) Role administration via PowerShell: install and uninstall a role from the command line, list installed roles, check the status of a service associated with a role.

(4h) Administration scenario: from a provided task list (check running services, list available updates, identify the most resource-intensive processes), complete the entire scenario using only PowerShell, without the GUI.

(3h) Writing a simple PowerShell script automating a repetitive administration task (direct link with the shell scripts from Week 10).

SOLUTION — EXERCISE 2

Central teaching point: stress the conceptual consistency between Linux and Windows — service management, automation scripts, output redirection — so trainees see both systems as two implementations of the same conceptual model, not two incompatible worlds.

Expected PowerShell script structure: same logic as the Week 10 shell script (variable, condition, action, message), simply with PowerShell syntax (cmdlets, named parameters, basic error handling with try/catch).

◆ SUMMARY SHEET — WEEK 11 SELF-ASSESSMENT

1. I can explain the structural differences between Windows Server and Linux.

2. I can install Windows Server on bare metal.

3. I can configure network and machine settings post-installation.

4. I can add and remove a role via Server Manager.

5. I can add and remove a role via PowerShell.

6. I can navigate the hierarchy and manage services via PowerShell.

7. I can write a simple PowerShell script with conditions.

8. I can draw the parallel between Linux and PowerShell commands for the same task.