Q. How do I use the answer file to automate Role and Feature installations?

A. You can create a script to install multiple Roles and Features with multiple calls to servermanagercmd, but a better option is to create an XML answer file that lists the Roles and Features you want to install, then pass the file to servermanagercmd through the -inputPath switch. The basic format for the input file follows:

xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1">
"/>

Just type in the IDs of the Roles and Features you want to install (don't type the characters). The example below installs a number of Roles and Features, and would be executed through the "servermanagercmd -inputPath install.xml" command (assuming the example is saved as install.xml). You would probably also want to add the -resultPath switch with a folder and file name where an XML formatted Role and Feature install report could be saved.

xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1">