Slipstreaming Windows service packs used to be a simple process with earlier versions – just run the EXE with a special command-line switch. I can't seem to find such a switch with Windows Server 2008 R2 service pack 1. How do I slipstream it? TechNet mentions "integrated installation", so it's possible, but it doesn't seem to have any details on how to actually do it!
Windows – Slipstream SP1 into Windows Server 2008 R2 installation files
service-packwindowswindows-server-2008-r2
Related Solutions
First of all, it is possible. However I think, that you won't get that much of a benefit from it.
I was in nearly exact the same situation, only, that I dealt with a Windows Server 2008 (not the new one with the Windows 7 kernel). But I don't think, that it will be much different.
Windows RAID relies on dynamic harddrives. So basically all you have to do is:
- install the second hard drive
- convert the first and the second drive to dynamic ones in Disk Management (Server manager -> storage ...)
- then you should get the option of creating a mirror for either volume via right click (obviously you want to mirror the boot volume)
It will then modify the boot manager (you'll get another entry for the second hard drive to boot from) and start syncing. While the sync is in progress the complete server (it was a small tower Dell PowerEdge T105) was VERY sluggish. Sync takes sometime (some hours for 80 GB...) .
Then the problems begin:
- you won't notice, when a drive fails... so you have to create some scripts on your own
- even worse, if the first drive fails, you'll be stuck at the boot option selection screen
- I tested the whole setup with in a VM and the results were not very promising:
- once one drive was disconnected windows would not resync to it anymore
- the first boot drive was still a dynamic disk but I could not add mirrors anymore either ...
All in all I don't think that Windows software RAID on the boot drive is a good idea. Don't get me wrong, I've been happily using Windows software RAID on data discs for years, but I think it is not robust enough yet for boot drives.
If that is not discouraging enough, I'd advise you to test the whole thing in a virtual machine. You can get the evaluation version of Windows Server from M$' web site or simply use your own install media without entering the product key. VirtualBox will happily run it...
Best Answer
It's messy, so it's usually easier to get a copy of Server 2008 R2 w/ SP1.
You can do it manually. The direction for Win7 are the same.