Server Manager

Server Manager is a new tool that provides a central location for managing all the roles and features that Windows 2008 provides. This console gives an administrator access to the complete operational status, monitoring tools, and configuration tools for the entire server in a convenient single console.

Server Manager allows the administrator to do the following:

Add and remove roles and features from the server
Monitor and manage the server
Administer the roles and features on the server

In effect, Server Manager is a one-stop shop for all the administrator management and monitoring needs. The features of Server Manager are available via the Server Manager console. Selecting the server name in the folder tree will show the Server Manager main window in the Details pane. This consists of several section windows. The Server Summary window shows computer information such as the computer name, networking information, and if Remote Desktop is enabled. It also shows security information such as if Windows Firewall is enabled and the Windows Updates status. The window also has active links that allow the administrator to launch wizards to change the configuration or get help.

Server Manager launches automatically when the Initial Configuration Wizard is closed and each time a user logs on to the server.

The next sections discuss the components and features of Server Manager.

Server Manager Roles and Features

The Roles Summary and Feature Summary windows, show which roles and features are installed. In the Roles Summary window, the status of the roles can be seen as well. The Active Directory Domain Services role and the DNS Server role have warning triangles, indicating that there is a problem. The summary windows also include links to add or remove roles and features, as well as to access contextsensitive help.

Server Manager Roles Page

The Server Manager console has a folder tree dedicated to the roles of the server. Selecting the Roles folder in the console tree shows a summary of the roles installed on the server, as well as a summary page for each of the roles. The summary page for each role shows the role status, such as the status of the system services and the events for the role.

However, selecting the folder for a specific role shows the Server Manager role-specific page for that role. The role-specific pages are dedicated to the role and contain operational information about the role. The following sections discuss the sections included in the role-specific page.

Events Section

There is a problem with going to the full Event Viewer and seeing all the events for all roles, services, and the operating system. There is usually so much information that it ends up overloading the administrator, making it difficult to see real problems. The Events section in the role-specific page addresses this by only presenting the role-specific events.

From the Events section, the administrator can see a summary of the events that pertain to the role, review the details of the events, and filter the events as needed. The default filter shows only events in the last 24 hours, but this can be adjusted via the Filter Events control.

The full Event Viewer can also be launched from this section.

System Services Section

The System Services section lists the services that the role depends on and their status. It also describes each service and includes control links to Stop, Start, Restart, and configure Preferences.

The Preferences control allows the administrator to adjust the dependency services. For example, if an administrator determines that the WINS feature is a service that is essential to the role of the Active Directory Domain Services server (that is, the domain controller), that service can be added to the list in Preferences.

Role Services Section

The Role Services section shows which of the role services that are available for the role have been installed. There are also links to add or remove the role services.

A nice feature of this section is that when a role service is selected, a brief description is shown of what the role service is for. This includes a link to get more information on the role service.

Advanced Tools Section

In the case of some roles, there will be an Advanced Tools section with a list of tools that help support the role. This includes both command-line tools and MMC consoles with brief explanations of their functions.

In the case of the Active Directory Domain Services role (which, by far, has the most advanced tools of any role), there are 21 different tools in the section, including the following:

AD DS Tools-These are tools such as the AD Domains and Trusts console, the ADSI Edit console, and the ntdsutil tool.
Directory Services Tools-These include DSADD, DSGET, and DSMGMT tools.
Networking and Other Tools-These include such tools as NSLOOKUP and W32TM.

The tools can be launched by clicking on the active links. In the case of console tools, the console will be launched. In the case of command-line tools, the tool will be launched with the help option to display the options for the tool.

For example, after installing the Active Directory Domain Services role on a server, you can use the Advanced Tools section to launch DCPROMO to complete the configuration of the domain services.

Resources and Support Section

The Resources and Support section is an extremely useful section. It provides a brief recommendation on configurations, best practices, and links to resources.

The recommendations are listed in a window; highlighting the recommendation shows a brief explanation of the recommendation with a link to a more detailed explanation. This is great for researching the recommendations. The section also includes links to online resources, such as the appropriate TechCenter and Community Center for the role.

For example, the Resources and Support section for the Active Directory Domain Services role includes over 18 different recommendations on installation. One of the recommendations is Improve Active Directory Redundancy by Adding Another Domain Controller. Highlighting this recommendation shows a brief paragraph explaining the recommendation and includes a link to get more detailed information on the recommendation. An important note is that these recommendations are static and don't adjust to changes in the environment.

Tools Folders

For each of the role folders in the Server Manager folder tree, there are subfolders that are the MMC snap-ins for the role. This is a cool feature that makes it easy to access the tools from within Server Manager without having to search for the tools in the Administrative Tools folder.

For example, the Active Directory Domain Services role has two tools folders. These are the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in and the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in.

These are the same full-featured snap-ins that can be launched from the Administrative Tools folder. The Users container is selected and the Administrator user account properties have been opened.

For the other roles on the server (the DHCP Server role and DNS Server role), the respective tools can be seen as well.

Server Manager Features Page

The Features page shows a summary of the installed features. There are active links to add and remove features, as well as a link to get help.

In the case of some features, there will be a folder under the Features folder that is the MMC snap-in for the feature. For example, the Active Directory Domain Services role automatically installs the Group Policy Management feature. This places the Group Policy Management Console under the Features folder.

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