Understanding Features On Demand
One of the problems in previous versions of Windows Server was how roles and features were stored on
the hard disk. Before the introduction of Windows Server 2012, even if a server role or feature was
disabled on a server, the binary files for that role or feature were still present on the disk. The problem
with this approach is that, even if you disable the role, it still consumes space on your hard drive.
Features On Demand in Windows Server 2012 solves this issue because not only can administrators
disable a role or feature, they can also completely remove the role or feature files . Windows Server
2016 has continued with Features on Demand and administrators can choose what Roles and Features
they want to use, when they want to use them.
Once this is done, a state of Removed is shown in Server Manager, or the state of Disabled With
Payload Removed is shown in the Deployment Image Servicing and Management ( Dism.exe )
utility. To reinstall a role or feature that has been completely removed, you must have access to the
installation files.
Note
The Deployment Image Servicing and Management (Dism.exe) utility is talked about throughout this
entire book. DISM will be discussed in great detail when we discuss Windows imaging.
If you want to remove a role or feature completely from the system, use -Remove with the Uninstall-
WindowsFeature cmdlet of Windows PowerShell.
If you want to reinstall a role or feature that has been removed completely, use the Windows
PowerShell -Source option of the Install-WindowsFeature Server Manager cmdlet.
Or Windows will use Windows Update by default.
To install a removed role or feature using a WIM image, follow these steps:
1. Run the following command:
2. Get-windowsimage -imagepath \install.wim
3. In step 1, imagepath is the path where the WIM files are located.
4. Run the following command:
5. Install-WindowsFeature featurename -Source wim: path: index
6. In step 2, featurename is the name of the role or feature from Get-WindowsFeature . path is
the path to the WIM mount point, and index is the index of the server image from step 1.
To add or remove a role or feature, you must have administrative rights to the Windows Server 2016
machine.
