How to install M-Files server into Windows Server Core

Overview

This document describes how to install M-Files server into Windows Server Core. Windows Server Core is a Windows server without graphical user interface (GUI). This makes server less attacking interface and requires less patching.

Note! This is not a supported or recommended OS.

Solution

Here are steps which are needed for the installation:

1. Install Windows Server Core and add it into network.
    
2. Copy full M-Files installation package into server. You can copy it from the network folder, or you can download it from our web page. As core does not have web browser, downloading installation package is more challenging. Here is an example script that you can use:
   • $URL= "https://cdn3.m-files.com/public/M-Files_23.12/M-Files_Online_x64_eng_23_12_13247_4_EV.msi"
   • $Path="C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads\M-Files_23.12/M-Files_Online_x64_eng_23_12_13247_4_EV.msi"
   • Invoke-WebRequest -URI $URL -OutFile $Path
      

 

3. Script downloads full installation package version 23.12. and saves it into folder C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads
    
4. Execute installation package. In this case we run M-Files_23.12/M-Files_Online_x64_eng_23_12_13247_4_EV.msi
   
   
    
5. M-Files installer starts, follow the steps in the installer.
    
6. When you need to select which components to install, you need to select only M-Files server. As Windows server core does not include any GUI components, installation of M-Files Desktop and M-Files Server tools will fail.
    
7. As we cannot install M-Files Server Tool into Windows Server core, you need to approve that server will be installed without M-Files Server tools.
    

 

8. Now you can finish the installer.
    
9. Once the installer is finished, you need to start M-Files Admin from another server to start configuring the M-Files server.
    
10. Here are connected M-Files server from another server.