Nano Server customizations

You can customize Nano Server using the NanoServerImageGenerator PowerShell module or using the DISM tool. Microsoft divides the customizations into required and optional packages, as shown here:

With the required parameters, you can set the following:

• Adding the right set of drivers. Microsoft has the OEM drivers package. If you want to host Nano Server on a physical machine, the OEM package contains the inbox drivers that are used to ship with Server Core. Microsoft packaged these for convenience purposes, so you can test Nano Server without having to bump into situations where you have to download a driver or find the right driver for your machine. Alternatively, you can use the guest drivers if you want to host Nano Server in a virtual machine.
• Adding the required roles and features. You can create a Nano Server image without adding any role or feature, but ideally you want to run Nano Server for a purpose, whether it's a storage host, compute host, or you want to run, for example, ASP.NET applications on top of Nano Server.
• Set the Administrator password which is required. If you don't specify a computer name, the Operating System will generate a random computer name during setup for you.
• The last one is converting WIM to VHD(X), which is required if you want to use Nano Server in a VM. However, there is a way to apply the WIM image as it is, without conversion to the physical hardware. We will cover that in Chapter 3, Deploying Nano Server in a Virtual Machine and on Physical Hardware.

With the optional parameters, you can set the following:

• Add computer name
• Add the IP address, DNS, and gateway
• Join Nano Server to the domain
• Set dual boot with bcdboot more on that in Chapter 3, Deploying Nano Server in a Virtual Machine and on Physical Hardware
• Enable Emergency Management Services (EMS): more on that at the end of this chapter
• Add packages: see further for more information