Windows Server Core

In keeping with Microsoft’s ongoing battle against all things security (whether implied or true), the
company has introduced a new type of server for 2008. Windows 2008 Server Core is a Windows
server that does not contain a GUI. All administration of Server Core is performed via the command
line or via scripting. You may also administer some functions by connecting to Server Core from
another server’s Microsoft Management Console (MMC) utility.
Server Core was introduced for many reasons:

Reduced maintenance—Server Core installs only what is necessary for the specific server role.

Reduced attack surface—Because Server Core installs only what is necessary for the specific
server role, fewer applications are running on the server, and the attack surface is reduced.

Reduced management—Because fewer applications are running on the server, there is less
to manage.

Less disk space—Server Core can run on less that 5 GB of disk space. Considering that most
new servers come standard with 150-plus GB drives now, you may be wondering why this
is an advantage of Core Server. Think about what is being done with solid-state drives in the
marketplace right now. There may be options for running Server Core on solid-state drives
in the very near future.

Ref: Mastering Active directory for windows server 2008