win_servermanager execution module doesn't work on Server Core installations of Windows Server 2008/Windows Server 2008 R2 or on Windows client-based operating systems (Vista/7/8/8.1/etc.)

[xenophonf]

The implementation of the salt.modules.win_servermanager execution module has the following dependencies:

• Powershell, which is missing on Server Core installations of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2
• the ServerManager PS module, which cannot target Windows client-based operating systems

These limit the usefulness of win_servermanager to Standard installations of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and to Windows Server 2012 and newer.

I want to propose an alternate method for managing feature installations (and, potentially, other Windows image servicing operations) that uses DISM instead of the ServerManager PS module. You can find the proof of concept here: execution module, state module. I would be happy to contribute these to Salt via a pull request, but I'd like some feedback as to how best to integrate them with the current code base.

[jfindlay]

@xenophonf, thanks for your work on this.

@twangboy, @UtahDave

[xenophonf]

Just to follow up: I'm going to clean up my PoC and submit it in a future pull request.

[UtahDave]

Awesome, thanks, @xenophonf !

[twangboy]

For what it's worth, The ServerManager module is not available on Windows Server 2008 at all. It is only available on Windows Server 2008R2 and later.

[twangboy]

There's already a win_dism module. #30729

[twangboy]

Added additional functions to the module and state.