Figure 5.3 Windows Server 2016 installation choices
If you select the non–Desktop Experience option, you have a Server Core
configuration-level deployment. Selecting the Desktop Experience option sets a Server
with a GUI configuration with the Desktop Experience user interface added.
I mentioned a small step back at the start of this section. Figure 5.4 shows the new
configuration levels for Windows Server 2016. Notice that unlike Windows Server
2012 R2, which had four configuration levels, Windows Server 2016 has two:
Windows Server (which is Server Core) and Windows Server with Desktop Experience
(everything including Desktop Experience, which is aimed for Remote Desktop
Session Hosts). There is no middle ground—you either run as Server Core, which is
the deployment mode of choice, or with every graphical element there is. The small
step backward is that the ability to change configuration levels post deployment is no
longer available. The deployment mode is set at time of installation and cannot be
changed by modifying the user-interface level. No Hyper-V server should ever use
Windows Server (Desktop Experience) outside of experimenting in a lab environment
and should instead be running Server Core or the new Nano Server level.