Anyone played with Server 2012 yet?

[Rob_NNCC]

I am building a new server for my shop.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816101364
4 GB RAM
3x 750 WD 2.5 HDDs RAID 5
C:\ 90 GB System
E:\ 1.3 TB ReFS Data
Server 2012 Std.
(Note, this is not the kind of server I would build for a client)
I am setting the system up for DHCP and DNS in prep for WDS.

I am having a hard time getting the DHCP server to hand out IPs.
The whole experience with windows 2012 is quite painful. Every service I have set up does not work and many have errors in event viewer. This is not my first, or the 20th time I have set up servers. Setting up DHCP is trivial, so this is not likely user error.

Basically, my question is, what is your opinion on Server 2012. Should I blow it away and try installing again, or wait for some updates to make it work and in the mean time use 2008 R2.

Also, Does IPMI interfere with DHCP servers on the same NIC?

 

[Nerm]

Yep have played with it quite a bit. I even have a few instances running in production environments already. Have not had any issues like what you are describing with services/dhcp/etc. Can you post some of the event log errors you are getting? Did you have any problems or errors during the OS install process?

As for my opinions there are some things I like and some things I don't as with any new OS. One thing that really sticks out is Server 2012 is built from the ground up to be virtualized, even more so than Server 2008 was. I can see server administration becoming almost too easy as 2012 becomes more prevalent in production environments

 

[smashedbotatos]

Unless you specifically need a MS Server version. You should use CentOS or Ubuntu Server. Use my PXE guide to install pxe services and boot Win7 PE to start installs over the network. It is easy a pie. You can also setup a NAS, DHCP offline WSUS and DNS pretty painlessly.

Unless you NEED to have a variation of MS Server I would give it a serious thought.

If you are afraid to try and dive in to a Linux solution for a server. Now might be the chance for a great learning opportunity. If you have trouble with any certain aspect I will give you a hand.

 

[Rob_NNCC]

Unless you specifically need a MS Server version. You should use CentOS or Ubuntu Server. Use my PXE guide to install pxe services and boot Win7 PE to start installs over the network. It is easy a pie. You can also setup a NAS, DHCP offline WSUS and DNS pretty painlessly.

Unless you NEED to have a variation of MS Server I would give it a serious thought.

If you are afraid to try and dive in to a Linux solution for a server. Now might be the chance for a great learning opportunity. If you have trouble with any certain aspect I will give you a hand.

Thanks, but our Imap mail server is running Ubuntu. Our Imaging station is running Mint and my field Netbook is triboot between Windows 7, Backtrack and Mint.

I want WDS, so I have a PXE server that can do windows deployments without disks, AND boot into linux programs from PXE. I also went for server 2012 so I could learn to support it in my clients networks and learn the differences between 2008R2 and 2012.

 

[Rob_NNCC]

OK, thanks for your input guys.

The server was fine, it is taking a bit for me to get used to Microsoft's new interface but every version gets growing pains.

The issue was:
In order not to drive my wife nuts working on the network she gets online with, I used a old netgear router to create a network to simulate the one at our shop. As soon as I switched to a DD-WRT WRT54G router all the errors went away and DHCP started working.