Your organization is provisioning a Windows Server 2022 virtual machine that will handle only DHCP and DNS services for a small branch office. To harden the operating system by installing only the required software, which Windows Server installation option should you choose during setup?
Server Core installation option
Deploy a Nano Server container image on the host
Server with Desktop Experience installation option
Install Windows Server with Desktop Experience and add Remote Administration Tools
The Server Core installation option omits the full graphical shell and many ancillary components, leaving only the core binaries needed for common infrastructure roles such as DHCP and DNS. Because less code is installed and fewer services run, the server's attack surface and patching footprint are reduced-exactly the goal of the "install only required software" principle. The Desktop Experience option installs the entire GUI stack and numerous features that the DHCP/DNS workload does not need. Selecting it violates the minimal-install objective. A Nano Server image is even smaller, but Windows Server 2022 supports it only as a container base image and it cannot host AD DS, DHCP, or DNS roles directly on the VM. Installing RSAT on a full-GUI server likewise adds unneeded components instead of removing them, so it does not satisfy OS-hardening best practices.
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What is the purpose of the Server Core installation option?
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Why is the Nano Server option not suitable in this scenario?
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What are the main differences between Server Core and Server with Desktop Experience?