All Answers
Hi,
Thanks for the fast reply. I’ve had a look prior to sending the email and was wondering is the WSEE installer available as a download?
Thanks,
Mike
- Mike Hall answered 3 years ago
- last active 3 years ago
Windows Server Essentials (when installed via the WSEE server role that’s part of the Standard or Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2016, and that’s NOT installed via the “Essentials” SKU edition of Windows Server 2016) does not necessarily have to be the PDC within your environment. Rather, if you already have a PDC, then you can simply natively join your (to be Essentials) server to your existing PDC BEFORE you install the WSEE server role onto it. When doing things that way, the Windows Server Essentials configuration wizard will recognize that the server it’s being installed onto is already a member server within an existing domain, and it will then setup the Windows Server Essentials Experience accordingly.
1. Yes, if you are currently running the “Windows Server 2016 Essentials” SKU, then you would indeed need to remove it, and use Windows Server 2016 Standard/Datacenter instead (with its WSEE server role). Natively join Windows Server 2016 Standard/Datacenter to your existing PDC, and afterwards, add the Windows Server Essentials Experience (WSEE) server role to it.
2. Yes. For the Windows Server 2016 Essentials SKU, it MUST be the PDC in your environment. For Windows Server 2016 Standard/Datacenter with the WSEE server role, it MUST be, or see, a PDC (of which there can only be one).
3. As I’ve explained above, you natively join the server to your PDC BEFORE installing the WSEE server role, and then the Windows Server Essentials configuration wizard will recognize that the server is a member server within an existing domain, and it will setup Essentials accordingly.
4. The Windows Server Essentials configuration wizard will guide you through all of that when it’s run. For more info see here and here.
- Mike answered 3 years ago
Hi,
It says I need a licence which I don’t have? Can I buy it as a standalone product as I will only need to use it once.
Thanks,
Mike
- Mike Hall answered 3 years ago
- last active 3 years ago
Absolutely! You can simply contact us (with the “Registration Key” from your issued WSEE Installer license), and we’ll reset the license for you so that you can then either run the WSEE Installer from scratch again on your production server, or so that you can run the WSEE Updater on your production server in order to re-link your WSEE Installer license up to the server again (if you happen to move/migrate your test install over to the production server).
- Mike answered 3 years ago
- last active 3 years ago
While Microsoft does technically offer a “Windows Server 2022 Essentials”, it’s devoid of the “Windows Server Essentials Experience” (WSEE) server role that everyone knows, and loves, from Windows Server 2016 Essentials. Rather, it’s just a copy of Windows Server 2022 Standard with more restrictive licensing (and with no WSEE server role). We do have a “WSEE Installer” that makes it super easy for folks to install the “Essentials bits” from Windows Server 2016 Essentials onto Windows Server 2022 (Essentials/Standard/Datacenter), but we do not sell it (seeing as the “Essentials bits” it installs are not ours to sell). It is simply made available, at no additional charge, to purchasers of our software products. For all of the details about the WSEE Installer, please read through the following “how to” article that’s posted on our website here.
As for CALs… See my comments about using them with WSEE over here.
- Mike answered 3 years ago
- last active 3 years ago
Thank you for your keen insight.
Based on your info, I think it’s more practical to purchase Windows Server 2022 Standard addition (Not Essentials) and purchase WSE Work Folders and WSE Remote App and install long with WSEE installer?
Question 1: By taking the above approach, I presume it will provide me with all the functionally of Server 2016 Essentials in the Server 2022 version?
Question 2: I assume I must install WSEE prior to installing WSE Work Folders and WSE Remote App?
- kimber answered 3 years ago
I’m not exactly sure what could be going on there seeing as I’ve never come across such an issue before. I have a very detailed “how to” article posted on my website that takes you step-by-step through setting up a custom/vanity domain name in an Essentials server. You can find it over here:
How To Manually Set Up A Custom / Vanity Domain Name In Windows Server Essentials
- Mike answered 3 years ago
I picked a Domain like XXXXXXX.life its says:
The domain name is not valid
the domain name extension is not valid.
Sucks cause I just purchased this 2 weeks ago and had a hella time getting Unifi Dynamic DNS working, Now this…
- TBone answered 3 years ago
Yeah, I don’t think that’s a valid top-level domain extension in Essentials. It looks like you need to use a domain name with a .com or .net top-level domain extension (or a valid country-code top-level domain extension). For more info see:
Manage Remote Web Access in Windows Server Essentials – Choose a domain name
As you’ve said… Sucks, but I’m afraid that’s just the way Microsoft built Essentials. If you search the Internet, you may find a way around that issue, but I’ve never looked into it before, and so I’m not able to provide you with any additional help there I’m afraid. :- (
- Mike answered 3 years ago
Alas, I’ve never seen a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) answered back in PEM format. I’ve only ever seen the granted certificate issued back in CER, CRT, or PFX format (although admittedly I don’t have a whole lot of experience with certificate issuance I’m afraid).
It’s quite possible that the encoded format of the certificate is not in a format that the Essentials wizard is expecting. I’d try contacting the certificate issuer and see if they can deliver the certificate to you in a supported (CER or CRT) format instead. Otherwise you might want to try converting the certificate…
PEM, DER, CRT, and CER: X.509 Encodings and Conversions
What is a Pem file and how does it differ from other OpenSSL Generated Key File Formats?
Other than that, you may want to try an Internet search to see if you can locate anyone else who has come across the same problem before.
I’m sorry that I can’t be of more help for you on this one.
- Mike answered 3 years ago
I assume that you mean that you’ve installed WSEE onto Windows Server 2019/2022 via our WSEE installer… If so, then since Windows Server 2019/2022 does not natively contain the WSEE server role, the odds of any installed Windows Update busting WSEE is fairly low I would say.
As of this writing, it’s definitely safe (and strongly recommended) for you to go ahead and install all of the latest Windows Updates onto your server. We closely monitor the Windows Updates that are released for Windows Server 2019/2022, with WSEE installed via our WSEE Installer, and would quickly release an update for WSEE (via our WSEE Updater program) should we happen to notice any issues arise there.
- Mike answered 3 years ago
- last active 3 years ago
Thanks Mike! Yes, WSEE was installed on Server 2019 via WSEE Installer. I’ll checkpoint and install the Server updates and WSEE updater as well. Is there a preferred order (WSEE updater, then Server updates or vice/versa)?
- SoriceConsulting answered 3 years ago
I succeeded in getting my SSL certificate installed in MMC/Certificates, converted to a *.PFX format, and installed by the Anywhere Access wizard. I was then able to run the Work Folders setup procedure on the server, and it installed the proper port forwarding on the router to <my IP address>:8443. PortCheckTool.com says that this port is not being blocked by a firewall.
I can’t install WorkFolders on my client computers, because my server name could not be resolved (see client setup error image).
When I tried to go directly to <my IP address>:8443 with Firefox, it told me there was a problem with my SSL Certificate (see problem with certificate image), which Firefox and Edge browswers said was good for my URL, but not for my IP address.
This may be a certificate problem, rather than a WSE WorkFolders problem, so I’m going to inquire about it with NoiIP.com, my certificate provided, and see what they say.
Any suggestions on this?
- AKolstad answered 3 years ago
The answer to this one was simple: by changing how the DNS server address is found—from using the specific DNS server addresses of 192.168.19.6 (my server), with 192.168.19.1 (my router) as secondary, to obtaining the DNS server address automatically. With this change, the server was found. I did succeed in getting past one or two more obstacles, so now WSE Work Folders is performing as it should.
- AKolstad answered 3 years ago
I’m not sure how your upgrade from 2016 to 2019 was performed, but if you did an in-place upgrade, then the user interface for Windows Server itself (i.e. the Task Bar, Start Menu, etc.) should indeed have been preserved during the upgrade process (although the Windows Server Essentials Experience server role would definitely get removed since it’s no longer available in Windows Server 2019 or later). However, if a domain migration was performed, then I assume that whoever did the initial Windows Server 2019 install simply didn’t include the “Desktop Experience” portion of Windows Server 2019 (which contains the Windows Server user interface). I’ve never installed Windows Server without Desktop Experience, but I assume that you should just be able to do a quick Internet search and find instructions on how to add the Desktop Experience to it.
As for getting the Windows Server Essentials Experience (WSEE) back on Windows Server 2019, all you would need to do is run our WSEE Installer on it (which would add all the “Essentials” bits from Windows Server 2016 Essentials onto the 2019 server for you).
Best of luck.
- Mike answered 3 years ago
Hey,
great article. Thank you for that. But it look a bit complicated for a beginner. I used https://www.win-logon.com as they supplied me with a free student license. It just works without any installation, configuration, etc. Great for beginners.
Andreas
- Andreas Mueller answered 3 years ago
- last active 3 years ago
I don’t use any of the online services in WSEE and so I can’t say for sure if they’re actually broken or not. However, it wouldn’t at all surprise me if they are. IMHO none of that stuff was implemented all that great in WSEE, and it’s been blatantly clear (for the last handful of years) that Microsoft doesn’t really care about keeping it working properly (nor fixing it in a timely manner after they’ve repeatedly broken it). They’re much more interested in getting everyone using their expensive Azure services instead (hence the depreciation of WSEE). This is why I tell folks that they should migrate away from using the online services in WSEE if they can.
Lastly, if the online services stuff is still working in Windows Server 2016 (Essentials or Standard/Datacenter with the WSEE server role added), where it’s “supposedly” fully supported by Microsoft until 2027, then it should still be working in 2019/2022 with WSEE installed via the WSEE Installer. However, if it’s broken in 2016, then it’ll definitely be broken in 2019/2022 as well.
Sorry that I don’t have a better answer for you on this one.
- Mike answered 3 years ago
Yes, the Windows Server Essentials Connector software (installed via http://<ServerName>/connect) does indeed work just fine with Windows 11. That being said… Getting the connector to install has always been a finicky process. If you’re having trouble getting it to install (i.e. if it’s not able to find your Essentials server) then here are a few things that you can try:
First, make sure that you add the following .NET Framework security settings to your server, and to ALL of your client computers, and then reboot them. The settings allow the older versions of Microsoft’s .NET Framework packages (used throughout Windows Server Essentials) to be able to utilize newer/stronger TLS 1.2 SSL connections (whenever the clients attempt to communicate with the server, etc.):
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v2.0.50727]
"SystemDefaultTlsVersions"=dword:00000001
"SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v4.0.30319]
"SystemDefaultTlsVersions"=dword:00000001
"SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v2.0.50727]
"SystemDefaultTlsVersions"=dword:00000001
"SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v4.0.30319]
"SystemDefaultTlsVersions"=dword:00000001
"SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001
Second, you should make sure that you set the adapter settings/options for the network connection on your Essentials server so that its preferred IPv4 DNS server address is set to the default 127.0.0.1 localhost/loopback address, and its alternate IPv4 DNS server address is set to the IP address of your network router (e.g. 192.168.1.1) or other DNS server (e.g. 8.8.8.8). You should also verify that the preferred IPv6 DNS server address is set to its default ::1 value.
In addition, you should also change the adapter settings/options for the network connection on ALL of your client computers so that their preferred IPv4 DNS server address is set to the static IP address of your Windows Server Essentials server, and their alternate IPv4 DNS server address is set to the IP address of your network router (e.g. 192.168.1.1) or other DNS server (e.g. 8.8.8.8). Doing so will allow the client-side Windows Server Essentials Connector software’s installer (which you can download from each of your client computers by browsing to http://<ServerName>/connect, where <ServerName> is the name of your Essentials server) to be able to successfully locate and connect the client computer to your Windows Server Essentials server.
Lastly, if you do not want to join your connected client computers to the Windows Server Essentials domain, then you can use Microsoft’s SkipDomainJoin connection method instead.
- Mike answered 3 years ago
- last active 3 years ago
Dword 32 or 64?
- skipcox answered 3 years ago
I’m not exactly sure what’s going on there seeing as if you’ve reinstalled Windows Server 2019 Essentials, then there should be no traces of WSEE left on the server (as it would have been wiped out during the reinstall). Microsoft does provide a provision for uninstalling the WSEE server role from the server (but makes you run their WSEE cleanup tool beforehand), but it’s not all that great IMHO (and I’ve never dug into the tool’s source code to see what exactly it does). You’re probably far better off just starting over from scratch again with a brand new/clean Windows Server installation than you are attempting to uninstall WSEE and then reinstall it again. That being said.. What exactly is the cleanup tool telling you when you attempt to run it?
- Mike answered 3 years ago
