Win Server on Home Network?

[Jeff Gaines]

I forgot to run my "NoShutdown" app and last night MSFT decided to
re-boot my main PC.

I am thinking of putting Windows Server 2022 Essentials on the machine
that acts as a server here and setting up a domain so my PCs can join it.

Objective is to have absolute control over when and how updates are
applied so I can run them centrally when it suits me.

Anybody actually doing this who can point out the pitfalls please? I have
unused MSDN keys for various flavours of Server 2003 but that's probably a
bit ancient even for me!

Happy to read online articles but haven't found any useful ones yet...

[Andy Burns]

Post by Jeff Gaines
I am thinking of putting Windows Server 2022 Essentials on the machine
that acts as a server here and setting up a domain so my PCs can join it.
Objective is to have absolute control over when and how updates are
applied so I can run them centrally when it suits me.
Anybody actually doing this who can point out the pitfalls please?

I have yet to install a server2022 with wsus, so can't say if it's any
different from the past ... but you should be able to control them

[Jeff Gaines]

Post by Andy Burns

Post by Jeff Gaines
I am thinking of putting Windows Server 2022 Essentials on the machine
that acts as a server here and setting up a domain so my PCs can join it.
Objective is to have absolute control over when and how updates are
applied so I can run them centrally when it suits me.
Anybody actually doing this who can point out the pitfalls please?

I have yet to install a server2022 with wsus, so can't say if it's any
different from the past ... but you should be able to control them

Thanks Andy :-)

I put a question on a MSFT forum and one of their people replied saying
she "understands my frustration". If that's the case it begs the question
why don't they fix it! Anyway she gave me instructions on setting it up
and there is a 180 day trial of Server 2022 so I will give it a whirl.

[Adrian Caspersz]

I forgot to run my "NoShutdown" app and  last night MSFT decided to
re-boot my main PC.
I am thinking of putting Windows Server 2022 Essentials on the machine
that acts as a server here and setting up a domain so my PCs can join it.
Objective is to have absolute control over when and how updates are
applied so I can run them centrally when it suits me.
Anybody actually doing this who can point out the pitfalls please? I
have unused MSDN keys for various flavours of Server 2003 but that's
probably a bit ancient even for me!
Happy to read online articles but haven't found any useful ones yet...

I do this, but it's my day job so am familiar with the tools, and it
helps with personal training for someone in employment as such.

Looking after a WSUS service instance and getting clients to talk to it,
will drive you mad. WSUS is a crap MS product with bugs. IMHO Completely
over the top solution for taming Windows Update on a single client, but
that is Microsoft for ya.

But anyway, for Active Directory to work you will have to have the
server looking after DNS, and then worry about DNS provision for your
network when the server is down. So you will be deep in networks theory.

I have multiple domain controllers, some virtualised for high
availability. You will need something for Server backup, and then worry
about tombstone lifetime. And apart from Microsoft defender, there are
no cheap anti-malware suites available.

This is "home lab" territory and there is PLENTY of online articles and
videos out there. You can also ask chat-gpt for specifics instead of
reading a lot of guff.

[Jeff Gaines]

I forgot to run my "NoShutdown" app and  last night MSFT decided to
re-boot my main PC.
I am thinking of putting Windows Server 2022 Essentials on the machine
that acts as a server here and setting up a domain so my PCs can join it.
Objective is to have absolute control over when and how updates are
applied so I can run them centrally when it suits me.
Anybody actually doing this who can point out the pitfalls please? I have
unused MSDN keys for various flavours of Server 2003 but that's probably
a bit ancient even for me!
Happy to read online articles but haven't found any useful ones yet...

I do this, but it's my day job so am familiar with the tools, and it helps
with personal training for someone in employment as such.
Looking after a WSUS service instance and getting clients to talk to it,
will drive you mad. WSUS is a crap MS product with bugs. IMHO Completely
over the top solution for taming Windows Update on a single client, but
that is Microsoft for ya.
But anyway, for Active Directory to work you will have to have the server
looking after DNS, and then worry about DNS provision for your network
when the server is down. So you will be deep in networks theory.
I have multiple domain controllers, some virtualised for high
availability. You will need something for Server backup, and then worry
about tombstone lifetime. And apart from Microsoft defender, there are no
cheap anti-malware suites available.
This is "home lab" territory and there is PLENTY of online articles and
videos out there. You can also ask chat-gpt for specifics instead of
reading a lot of guff.

Many thanks Adrian :-)

It actually sounds as if I might enjoy it, I have just finished a couple
of heavy programming projects so I'm looking for something to keep my
brain active!

I am down-loading the 180 day trial as we speak....

[Jaimie Vandenbergh]

Post by Jeff Gaines
I forgot to run my "NoShutdown" app and last night MSFT decided to
re-boot my main PC.
I am thinking of putting Windows Server 2022 Essentials on the machine
that acts as a server here and setting up a domain so my PCs can join it.

Heavily not recommended, you'll spend a thousand times as much effort
doing that than recovering from after a surprise PC reboot. Windows
Server is a steaming pile, and you need at least two of them.

I would suggest instead:
1) Move to apps with continuous state. Most things now are autosaving or
temp-saving to restart where you left off, in the phone app sort of
fashion. Browsers can be set to keep tabs and windows. Even Windows
Explorer can do it, though it gets confused sometimes if network drives
don't map quickly enough.
2) Automate the noshutdown thing. Use a tool to daily launch it if it's
not running already.
3) Or automate the "don't reboot" control panel thing, resetting it to
+14 days or whatever it is, on a daily basis.

Or you can do what I did,
4) Move to an OS that *doesn't do that shit*. Fortunately you're spoiled
for choice in this one, as all other OSes don't do that shit. I went
Mac, and the ability to do a system update and then be back with exactly
the same windows and apps in the same state as you were before the
reboot is part of the deal there.

Cheers - Jaimie

[Jeff Gaines]

[snipped]

I am not changing OS at my age, I have far too much invested in Windows!

I have a Linux box (HP N54L) that just runs Braserio and a Mac Mini M1
that my Re.Corder connects to - because it is much better for music than
Windows.

I spend 99% of my time programming in Visual Studio, something I have
thoroughly enjoyed since my Vic 20, and there is nothing that good for any
other OS. I did try XCode when I had a Mac Pro but its logic and mine were
somewhat different. Whatever MSFT says the Windows API hasn't changed
since forever and apps I wrote for Win 98 using the API all work perfectly
on Win 10.

There is a 180 day trial of Server 2022 and of Windows 11 IoT Enterprise
LTSC (thanks Theo!) and I will give them both a try on a spare machine.

[Pancho]

Post by Jeff Gaines
[snipped]
I am not changing OS at my age, I have far too much invested in Windows!
I have a Linux box (HP N54L) that just runs Braserio and a Mac Mini M1
that my Re.Corder connects to - because it is much better for music than
Windows.
I spend 99% of my time programming in Visual Studio, something I have
thoroughly enjoyed since my Vic 20, and there is nothing that good for
any other OS.

IntelliJ IDEA and similar are often as good as Visual Studio, or better.
It depends on what language you use, what you do. They run on Windows
and Linux. It used to be the case that many people used the IntelliJ
ReSharper extension in Visual Studio, because IntelliJ stuff was so good.

Post by Jeff Gaines
I did try XCode when I had a Mac Pro but its logic and
mine were somewhat different. Whatever MSFT says the Windows API hasn't
changed since forever and apps I wrote for Win 98 using the API all work
perfectly on Win 10.
There is a 180 day trial of Server 2022 and of Windows 11 IoT Enterprise
LTSC (thanks Theo!) and I will give them both a try on a spare machine.

I did once set up an OpenLDAP based Windows Domain on my home LAN.
OpenLDAP fills the same role as Windows Server. I got it all to work,
but..... I then realised that many (most?) standard Windows system
configuration tasks were done in a totally different way in the Domain
World. That might be OK for someone like Adrian, who has that knowledge,
but for me, it was horrific. It was harder to Google how to do stuff in
the Domain World, even the simplest task became difficult. So I quickly
rolled everything back. I chalked it up as one of my all-time dumb ideas.

[Theo]

Post by Jeff Gaines
I forgot to run my "NoShutdown" app and last night MSFT decided to
re-boot my main PC.
I am thinking of putting Windows Server 2022 Essentials on the machine
that acts as a server here and setting up a domain so my PCs can join it.
Objective is to have absolute control over when and how updates are
applied so I can run them centrally when it suits me.

Look into Windows 10/11 IoT Enterprise LTSC. It's the version of Windows for embedded
applications where you don't want updates to break your appliance.

Consumers aren't supposed to have it, but I think there are certain
'unofficial' methods...

Theo

[Jeff Gaines]

Post by Jeff Gaines
I forgot to run my "NoShutdown" app and last night MSFT decided to
re-boot my main PC.

Just to say Server 2022 demo went on my HP Z230 sweet as a nut, much
easier/quicker than a Win 10 install. Once installed the windows that pop
up are just wire frames so very difficult to tell one from another.

It runs fine but as some people said setting up a domain controller is an
exercise in frustration and it struck me part way through that my laptops
have Win 10 Home, only my desktops have Pro so the laptops couldn't join a
domain anyway.

I've called halt for now and put Win 8.1 on, running fine, asked me for
the computer name during install and updates are set to download and ask
when to install. Such simple differences, no idea why they aren't in 10,
perhaps the programmers are bored and looking for things to do?

Many thanks for all the input :-)

[Adrian Caspersz]

Post by Jeff Gaines

I forgot to run my "NoShutdown" app and  last night MSFT decided to
re-boot my main PC.

Just to say Server 2022 demo went on my HP Z230 sweet as a nut, much
easier/quicker than a Win 10 install. Once installed the windows that
pop up are just wire frames so very difficult to tell one from another.
It runs fine but as some people said setting up a domain controller is
an exercise in frustration and it struck me part way through that my
laptops have Win 10 Home, only my desktops have Pro so the laptops
couldn't join a domain anyway.
I've called halt for now and put Win 8.1 on, running fine, asked me for
the computer name during install and updates are set to download and ask
when to install. Such simple differences, no idea why they aren't in 10,
perhaps the programmers are bored and looking for things to do?
Many thanks for all the input :-)

https://zentyal.com/

Probably not for you Jeff, but I've just found this Linux OS which
claims to be a replacement for Windows Server. Not tried it, but
interesting if it supports distributed group policy for windows clients
out of the box as it claims.

It's a paid thing, but they also have a free community version.

https://zentyal.com/community/