Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2008 R2 : Administration basics (part 1) - Microsoft Management Console 101, Overview of Server Manager

Windows Server administration has evolved drastically since the days of Windows NT 4.0. Microsoft continues to make administration tools more efficient and wizard driven to ensure that the configuration tasks can be done quickly and consistently. Although, we will be exploring a lot of administration tools in the later chapters, it is important that you have an understanding of some basic concepts prior to looking at individual utilities.

Microsoft Management Console 101

The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) was introduced with the release of Windows 2000 as the premier tool for managing Windows Servers. The MMC was not only powerful but also very customizable. The concept was simple – A single console that would allow multiple tools known as snap-ins to be added. Administrators could use the out-of-box consoles, or create their own customized consoles. These consoles could be used on the server itself, or remotely from an administrator's workstation. MMC was well received by Windows administrators and continues to be used with the release of Windows Server 2008 R2. In fact, Server Manager, which will be discussed in the next section, is more or less a Microsoft developed, feature-rich MMC. Let us explore some basic MMC concepts. We will first start by creating a new console with a few snap-ins. To create a new console, perform the following:

1. Create a new console by going to Start | Run, and type MMC in the run box. Then click on OK. This will open a new console with no snap-ins (see Figure 1).

   

   Figure 1 Empty MMC.

2. Now let us add a couple of snap-ins. Go to the File menu and choose Add/Remove Snap-in. This will open the Add/Remove Snap-in selection window.

3. Add Event View and Services as seen in Figure 2. If asked for the computer to connect to choose Local Computer, then click on the OK button.

   

   Figure 2 Select MMC Snap-Ins.

4. You will now see the left pane of the console, under the Console Root, populated with the snap-ins you selected. You can now manage the selected options by clicking on one of the snap-ins. Click to highlight the Services snap-in.

5. The middle-pane will populate with a list of Windows services. The middle pane is used to display the administrative options based on the snap-in that was selected in the left pane (see Figure 3).

   

   Figure 3 Windows Services Snap-In.

6. If you click on any service, you will see new options appear in the far right hand pane. This pane is known as the Actions Pane. The Actions Pane will usually include common actions that can be performed on the item selected in the middle pane. In our example, you can click on a service such as the DNS Client service. Then click on the More Actions option in the Actions Pane. Choose the option Restart Service. This will restart the DNS Service.

7. Now that you have created a custom MMC, you may want to save it for future use. To save the console, simply go to the File menu and choose the Save As… option. Choose a file name and location and click on the Save button. In future, you can open this console simply by double-clicking it.

You should now have a basic understanding of what the MMC is and how you can use it to administer Windows Servers. We will now take a look at Server Manager.

Overview of Server Manager

If you have administered Windows Servers prior to Windows 2000, you may remember a tool known as the Server Manager. Server Manager was one of the key management tools in the Windows NT 4.0 OS. NT 4.0 Server Manager, as seen in Figure 4, was used to set up and manage servers and workstations in a NT 4 domain. This provided a “single pane of glass” view of computers and computer settings on your network.

Figure 4 Windows NT 4.0 Server Manager.

With the release of Windows 2000 server, Microsoft did away with Server Manager and introduced the MMC. MMCs quickly replaced the server manager, as they were more modular and customizable. MMCs also allowed 3rd party software to use the same interface as Windows administrative tools. Many administrators began building their own MMCs to provide the familiar “single pane of glass” management interface that they experienced in Windows NT 4.0.

During the development cycle of Windows Server 2008 R1, Microsoft determined that they could offer the best of the NT world's Server Manager and Windows 2000/2003′s MMCs by creating a newly redesigned Server Manager based upon the MMC (see Figure 5). Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 offer a console built to perform the majority of Windows administrative tasks from a single interface. Server Manager will automatically add the required management snap-ins when new roles or features are added.

Figure 5 Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Manager.

Server Manager is by default pinned to the task bar for ease of access and also available via the Start Menu. Make sure that you are comfortable with Server Manager. This will likely be the management tool most often used when managing Windows Server 2008 R2.