Managing Windows Server 2012 (part 1) - Working with the administration tools - Using Control Panel utilities

1. Working with the administration tools

Any explanation of how to manage Windows Server 2012 systems must involve the administration and support tools that are included with the operating system. These are the tools you will use every day, so you might as well learn a bit more about them.

The one tool you’ll use the most for system administration tasks is Server Manager. Server Manager provides setup and configuration options for the local server as well as options for managing roles, features, and related settings on any remotely manageable server in the enterprise. On servers, Server Manager is pinned to Start and the desktop taskbar by default. This means you can open Server Manager by tapping or clicking the related Start tile or by tapping or clicking the related taskbar button.

Note

The executable for Server Manager is ServerManager.exe. If for some reason Server Manager is unpinned from Start and Desktop, you can start Server Manager using an Apps Search. In the Search box, type ServerManager.exe and then press Enter.

Grant a standard user permission to use Server Manager

You can grant a standard user permission to use Server Manager to view event, service, performance counter, and role and feature inventory data for a remote server. To do this, run Enable-ServerManagerStandardUserRemoting at an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt on the server to which the permission should be granted. Set the –User parameter to the account name of the user, in the form DOMAIN\AccountName, COMPUTER\AccountName, or AccountName. Add the –Force parameter to eliminate the prompt to confirm. Remove this permission using the Disable-ServerManagerStandardUserRemoting cmdlet.

Many other utilities are available for administering Windows Server 2012 systems as well. The tools you’ll use the most include the following:

• Control Panel A collection of tools for managing system configuration. You can organize Control Panel in different ways according to the view you’re using. A view is simply a way of organizing and presenting options. Category view is the default view, and it provides access to tools by category, tool, and key tasks. Icons view is an alternative view that lists each tool separately by name.

• Graphical administrative tools The key tools for managing network computers and their resources. You can access these tools by selecting them individually on the Tools menu in Server Manager.

• Administrative wizards Tools designed to automate key administrative tasks. You can access many administrative wizards in Server Manager—the central administration console for Windows Server 2012.

• Command-line utilities You can launch most administrative utilities from the command line. In addition to these utilities, Windows Server 2012 provides others that are useful for working with Windows Server 2012 systems.

• Windows PowerShell cmdlets Windows PowerShell is a full-featured command shell that can use built-in commands called cmdlets, built-in programming features, and standard command-line utilities. Use Windows PowerShell for additional flexibility in your command-line scripting.

Showing or hiding administrative tools

Use the options panel for Start, Desktop, and PC Settings to display charms. You display charms by sliding in from the right side of the screen or by moving the mouse pointer over the hidden button in the upper right or lower right corner of the Start, Desktop, or PC Settings screen. Alternatively, simply press Windows key + C.

One of the charms is the Settings charm. Start Settings, Desktop Settings, and PC Settings have nearly—but not exactly—identical Settings panels. The Start Settings panel has a Tiles option that you can tap or click to display an option for adding or removing tiles for the administrative tools on the Start screen. You can display the Settings panel directly by pressing Windows key + I.

Start and Desktop have a hidden menu that you can display by pressing and holding or right-clicking the lower left corner of the Start screen or the desktop. You also can press Windows key + X to display this menu. Options on the menu include

• Command Prompt

• Command Prompt (Admin)

• Computer Management

• Control Panel

• Device Manager

• Disk Management

• Event Viewer

• Power Options

• Programs And Features

• System

• Task Manager

• File Explorer

Important

On Start, the hidden button in the lower left corner shows a thumbnail view of the desktop when activated, and tapping or clicking the thumbnail opens the desktop. On the desktop, the hidden button in the lower left corner shows a thumbnail view of Start when activated, and tapping or clicking the thumbnail opens Start. Pressing and holding or right-clicking the thumbnail is what displays the shortcut menu.

Note

You can display the desktop by pressing Windows key + D. You can switch between Start and the desktop by pressing the Windows key.

1.1 Using Control Panel utilities

Control Panel contains utilities for working with a system’s setup and configuration. From Start, you access Control Panel by tapping or clicking the Control Panel tile. From the desktop, you can display Control Panel by accessing the Charms bar, tapping or clicking Settings, and then tapping or clicking Control Panel. When you are working with File Explorer, you can display Control Panel by tapping or clicking the leftmost option button (down arrow) in the address list and then tapping or clicking Control Panel.

Using the Search box

The Search charm has a Search box that can be focused on Apps, Settings, or Files. When it’s focused on Apps, you can use Search to quickly find installed programs. When it’s focused on Settings, you can use Search to quickly find settings and options in Control Panel. When it’s focused on Files, you can use Search to quickly find files.

When you are working with Start, you can begin a search simply by entering the search text. From the desktop, you must display the Charm bar and then tap or click Search. Because Apps Search normally is the default, you also need to tap or click Settings to find settings and options in Control Panel.

Many Control Panel tools and related Properties dialog boxes can be opened directly. On Start, simply enter the name of the Control Panel Item with the .cpl extension and then press Enter. In the Windows\System32 folder, these items are listed with the Control Panel Item type. For example, type inetcpl.cpl to open the Internet Properties dialog box.