To ease remote server management, Microsoft has included a remote administration tools pack with Windows Server® 2008 R2.
You can install the Remote Server Administration Tools pack on computers running the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system, and use the Remote Server Administration Tools pack to manage computers running either Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, or for some tools, Windows Server 2003.
What is the Remote Server Administration Tools pack?
The Remote Server Administration Tools pack is a feature available with Windows Server 2008 R2 that enables remote management of Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003 from a computer running Windows Server 2008 R2, by allowing you to open and run management tools and snap-ins to manage roles, role services, or features on a remote computer.
As with other management tools included with Windows Server 2008 R2, Remote Server Administration Tools are secure by default. The default Remote Server Administration Tools configuration opens only those ports and enables only those services required for remote management to work.
For more information about roles, role services, and features in Windows Server 2008 R2, see the topic “Roles, Role Services, and Features” in the Server Manager Help.
Roles and features you can manage with Remote Server Administration Tools
Management tools for the following roles and features are available in Windows Server 2008 R2.
Remote Server Administration Tools for roles
| Remote Server Administration Tools role | Description |
|---|---|
| Active Directory Certificate Services Tools | Active Directory Certificate Services Tools includes the Certification Authority, Certificate Templates, Enterprise PKI, and Online Responder Management snap-ins. |
| Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) Tools | Active Directory Domain Services includes Active Directory Users and Computers, Active Directory Domains and Trusts, Active Directory Sites and Services, Active Directory Administrative Center, Server for NIS tools, the Active Directory Windows PowerShell provider and cmdlets, and other snap-ins and command-line tools for remotely managing Active Directory Domain Services.
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services Tools includes Active Directory Sites and Services, ADSI Edit, Schema Manager, and other snap-ins and command-line tools for managing Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services. |
| Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) Tools | Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) Tools includes the Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) snap-in. |
| DHCP Server Tools | DHCP Server Tools includes the DHCP snap-in. |
| DNS Server Tools | DNS Server Tools includes the DNS Manager snap-in and dnscmd.exe command-line tool. |
| Fax Server Tools | Fax Server Tools includes the Fax Service Manager snap-in. |
| File Services Tools | File Services Tools include the following:
|
| Hyper-V™ Tools | Hyper-V Tools includes the Hyper-V Manager snap-in and other tools for managing Hyper-V. |
| Network Policy and Access Services Tools | Network Policy and Access Services Tools includes the Routing and Remote Access and Health Registration Authority snap-ins. |
| Print and Document Services Tools | Print and Document Services Tools includes the Print Management snap-in. |
| Remote Desktop Services Tools | Remote Desktop Services Tools includes the RemoteApp Manager, RD Gateway Manager, and RD Licensing Manager snap-ins.
|
| Web Server (IIS) Tools | Web Server (IIS) Tools includes the Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 Manager and IIS Manager snap-ins. |
| Windows Deployment Services Tools | Windows Deployment Services Tools includes the Windows Deployment Services snap-in, wdsutil.exe command-line tool, and Remote Install extension for the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. |
Remote Server Administration Tools for features
| Remote Server Administration Tools feature | |
|---|---|
| BitLocker Drive Encryption Administration Utilities | BitLocker Drive Encryption Administration Utilities includes the manage-bde.wsf script, and the BitLocker Active Directory Recovery Password Viewer. |
| BITS Server Extensions Tools | BITS Server Extensions Tools includes the Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 Manager and IIS Manager snap-ins. |
| Failover Clustering Tools | Failover Clustering Tools includes the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in and the cluster.exe command-line tool. |
| Network Load Balancing Tools | Network Load Balancing Tools includes the Network Load Balancing Manager snap-in, and the nlb.exe and wlbs.exe command-line tools. |
| SMTP Server Tools | SMTP Server Tools includes the Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 Manager snap-in. |
| WINS Server Tools | Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) Server Tools includes the WINS snap-in. |
Installing Remote Server Administration Tools
You must either be a member of the Administrators group on the server on which you want to install the Remote Server Administration Tools pack, or you must be logged on to the computer using the built-in Administrator account. Additionally, if you are installing Remote Server Administration Tools by using the command-line interface, you must open the Command Prompt window with elevated privileges.
