Managing Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 with Remote Server Administration Tools

  • Article

Over the last few weeks one of the questions that has been raised a few times is how to get Server Manager and other tools onto Windows desktop machines, so I thought I would share that here. Microsoft has had the Remote Server Administration Tools available for Windows clients for a while, but it's only since the Windows 8 release of these clients that Server Manager was included, due to its relationship with Windows Server 2012. Since then there have been updated versions of the tools made available for Windows 8.1 and the Windows 10 Technical Preview, so today I'll show how to install them on a Windows 10 client.

First of all you need to download the tools from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=45520 or if you need an earlier release you can select them here

Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows 8.1 

Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows 8 

Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows 7 with SP1 (both x86 and x64) 

Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows Vista 32-bit (x86) 

Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows Vista 64-bit (x64) 

Once downloaded and installed, you can manage the servers that are joined to your domain using the Windows Server tools. Here is the support matrix for Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 versions of the tools.

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 platform and tools support matrix

RSAT technology RSAT description Manages technology on Windows Server 2003 Manages technology on Windows Server 2008 Manages technology on Windows Server 2012 RSAT for Windows 8.1 only: Manages technology on Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview
Active Directory Certificate Services Tools Active Directory Certificate Services Tools includes the Certification Authority, Certificate Templates, Enterprise PKI, and Online Responder Management snap-ins. √ , except Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) √ √ √
Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Tools and Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) Tools Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) Tools includes Active Directory Administrative Center; Active Directory Domains and Trusts; Active Directory Sites and Services; Active Directory Users and Computers; ADSI Edit; DCPromo.exe; LDP.exe; NetDom.exe; NTDSUtil.exe; RepAdmin.exe; Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell; DCDiag.exe; DSACLs.exe; DSAdd.exe; DSDBUtil.exe; DSMgmt.exe; DSMod.exe; DSMove.exe; DSQuery.exe; DSRm.exe; GPFixup.exe; KSetup.exe; KtPass.exe; NlTest.exe; NSLookup.exe; W32tm.exe. - Server for NIS Tools includes an extension to the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in, and the Ypclear.exe command-line tool. √ , Windows PowerShell and ADAC remote management require the Active Directory Web Service download package. √ , Windows PowerShell and ADAC remote management require the Active Directory Web Service download package. √, Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8 does not include Server for NIS Tools. √
Best Practices Analyzer Best Practices Analyzer cmdlets for Windows PowerShell Not available; no BPA models run on WS03 Can run on WS08 R2 when the Windows Management Framework 3.0 package or a later version is installed on WS08 R2. No BPA models are available for WS08. √ √
BitLocker Drive Encryption Administration Utilities Manage-bde, Windows PowerShell cmdlets for BitLocker, BitLocker Recovery Password Viewer for Active Directory, BitLocker Network Unlock Provider Not available Not available √ √
Cluster-Aware Updating Cluster-Aware Updating management console, Cluster-Aware Updating cmdlets for Windows PowerShell Not available Not available √ √
DHCP Server Tools DHCP Server Tools includes the DHCP Management Console, the DHCP Server cmdlet module for Windows PowerShell, and the Netsh command-line tool √ , Windows PowerShell module does not run on WS03. √ , Windows PowerShell module does not run on WS08 and WS08 R2. √ √
DirectAccess, Routing and Remote Access Routing and Remote Access management console, Connection Manager Administration Kit console, Remote Access provider for Windows PowerShell Not available Not available √ √
DNS Server Tools DNS Server Tools DNS Server Tools include the DNS Manager snap-in, the DNS module for Windows PowerShell, and the Ddnscmd.exe command-line tool. √ √ √ √
Failover Clustering Tools Failover Clustering Tools include Failover Cluster Manager, Failover Clusters (Windows PowerShell Cmdlets), MSClus, Cluster.exe Not available √ , Failover Cluster Manager runs only on Windows Server 2012. The Windows PowerShell cmdlet set supports Windows Server 2012 and WS08R2. MSClus and Cluster.EXE support Windows Server 2012, WS08R2, and WS08. √ √
File and Storage Services Tools • File Services Tools include the following: Share and Storage Management Tools; Distributed File System Tools; File Server Resource Manager Tools; Services for NFS Administration Tools; iSCSI management cmdlets for Windows PowerShell - Distributed File System Tools include the DFS Management snap-in, and the Dfsradmin.exe, Dfsrdiag.exe, Dfscmd.exe, Dfsdiag.exe, and Dfsutil.exe command-line tools. • File Server Resource Manager tools include the File Server Resource Manager snap-in, and the Dirquota.exe, Filescrn.exe, and Storrept.exe command line tools. • Share and Storage Management Tools include the Share and Storage Management snap-in. Not available √ , iSCSI cmdlets for Windows PowerShell can be used to manage iSCSI on Windows Server 2012 only. √ √ , To manage iSCSI on Windows Server 2012 by using the Windows PowerShell module included with RSAT for Windows 8.1, you must import the iSCSI cmdlet module that was included with Windows Server 2012. The Windows Server 2012 R2 module cannot be used to manage iSCSI running on Windows Server2012.
Group Policy Management Tools Group Policy Management Tools include Group Policy Management Console, Group Policy Management Editor, and Group Policy Starter GPO Editor. √ √ √ √
Hyper-V Tools Hyper-V Tools include the Hyper-V Manager snap-in and the Virtual Machine Connection remote access tool. Not available Hyper-V Manager console doesn’t support managing Hyper-V servers that are running Server 2008 or Server 2008 R2. Hyper-V tools are not part of Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8. They are available as part of Windows 8. You do not have to install RSAT to use these tools. The Hyper-V Manager console for Windows Server 2012 does not support managing Hyper-V servers that are running Server 2008 or Server 2008 R2. √ , Although you are not blocked from using Hyper-V tools in RSAT for Windows 8.1 to manage Hyper-V running on Windows Server 2012, using the Windows PowerShell cmdlet module for Hyper-V in RSAT for Windows 8.1 to manage Hyper-V running on Windows Server 2012 is not officially supported.
IP Address Management (IPAM) Management Tools IP Address Management client console Not available Not available √ , RSAT for Windows 8 can manage IPAM on Windows Server 2012, but RSAT for Windows 8.1 cannot be used to manage IPAM on Windows Server 2012. √ , You cannot use IP Address Management Tools in RSAT for Windows 8.1 to manage IPAM running on Windows Server 2012.
Network Adapter Teaming, or NIC Teaming Network Adapter Teaming management console Not available Not available √ √
Network Load Balancing Tools Network Load Balancing Tools include the Network Load Balancing Manager; Network Load Balancing Windows PowerShell cmdlets; and the NLB.exe and WLBS.exe command-line tools √ √ √ √
Remote Desktop Services Tools Remote Desktop Services Tools include the Remote Desktop snap-ins; RD Gateway Manager, tsgateway.msc; RD Licensing Manager, licmgr.exe; RD Licensing Diagnoser, lsdiag.msc. Server Manager should be used for administration of all other RDS role services except RD Gateway and RD Licensing. √ √ √ √
Server Manager Server Manager includes the Server Manager console. Remote management with Server Manager is available in Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2. Not available Available for WS08 R2 and later versions, not for WS08 √ √
SMTP Server Tools SMTP Server Tools include the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) snap-in √ √ The tools are not available in RSAT for Windows 8. The tools are not available in RSAT for Windows 8.1.
Storage Explorer Tools Storage Explorer Tools include the Storage Explorer snap-in Not available √ The tools are not available in RSAT for Windows 8. The tools are not available in RSAT for Windows 8.1.
Storage Manager for Storage Area Network (SAN) Tools Storage Manager for SAN Tools include the Storage Manager for SAN snap-in and the Provisionstorage.exe command-line tool √ , Storage Manager for SANs is available in Windows Server 2003 R2 and later versions. √ The tools are not available in RSAT for Windows 8. The tools are not available in RSAT for Windows 8.1.
Volume Activation Manage Volume Activation, vmw.exe Not available The tool can be used to manage volume activation on remote servers that are running WS08 or on WS08 R2, but cannot run on those operating systems. √ √
Windows System Resource Manager Tools Windows System Resource Manager Tools include the Windows System Resource Manager snap-in, and the Wsrmc.exe command-line tool. Not available √ √ Windows System Resource Manager was deprecated. The feature is not available on Windows Server 2012 R2, and the management tools are not part of RSAT for Windows 8.1.
Windows Server Update Services Tools Windows Server Update Services Tools include the Windows Server Update Services snap-in, WSUS.msc. Not available √ √ √
      • Because the Windows 10 versions of RSAT is still in preview, remember that the functionality is subject to change as the release gets closer.
    • Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview includes Server Manager, Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-ins, consoles, Windows PowerShell cmdlets and providers, and command-line tools for managing roles and features that run on Windows Server Technical Preview.
      • Note that this release of Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview does not run on Windows 10 Technical Preview builds that are older (lower-numbered) than build 9926. This download can only be installed on the January 21, 2015 release of Windows 10 Technical Preview.

  • Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview can be used to manage roles and features that are running on Windows Server Technical Preview (October 2014), with the following exceptions:

    • DNS Tools. DNS Tools in this release of RSAT offer limited functionality managing DNS Server running on Windows Server Technical Preview. Use DNS Tools to manage DNS Server running on Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012.
    • IP Address Management (IPAM) Tools. You cannot use IPAM Tools in this release of RSAT to manage IPAM running on Windows Server Technical Preview. Use IPAM Tools in this release of RSAT to manage IPAM running on Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012.

  • The following management tools are not available in this release of Remote Server Administration Tools.

    • Direct Access
    • Routing and Remote Access

  • System Requirements

    Supported Operating System

    Windows 10 , Windows 10 Tech Preview , Windows 8.1

    **Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview can be installed ONLY on computers that are running the second release of Windows 10 Technical Preview.**

      • Remote Server Administration Tools cannot be installed on Windows RT, computers with an Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) architecture, or other system-on-chip devices.
      • Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview runs on both x86- and x64-based editions of builds 9926 and later releases of Windows 10 Technical Preview, including all updates. This release does not run on Windows 10 Technical Preview builds that are older than 9926. Download and install the version that matches the architecture of the computer on which you plan to install the administration tools. If you are not sure whether your computer is x86- or x64-based, see

    How to determine whether a computer is running a 32-bit version or 64-bit version of the Windows operating system

      • .
      • Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview is available only in United States English (en-US) for this release.

    IMPORTANT:

      • Remove all older versions of Administration Tools Pack or Remote Server Administration Tools—including older prerelease versions, and releases of the tools for different languages or locales—from the computer before you install Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview. Only one copy at a time of Remote Server Administration Tools can be installed on a computer. If you have upgraded to Windows 10 Technical Preview from an older release of Windows, you will need to install Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview on the computer; no earlier releases of Remote Server Administration Tools are still installed on a computer that you have upgraded to Windows 10 Technical Preview.
      • Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview includes support for remote management of computers that are running the Server Core installation option or the Minimal Server Graphical Interface configuration of Windows Server Technical Preview. However, Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview cannot be installed on any releases or installation options of the Windows Server operating system.
      • Earlier releases of Remote Server Administration Tools (such as those for Windows 8.1) are not available--nor do they run--on Windows 10 Technical Preview.
      • Server Manager is included with Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview; GUI-based tools that are part of this release of Remote Server Administration Tools can be opened by using commands on the Tools menu of the Server Manager console. To use Server Manager to access and manage remote servers that are running Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2, you must install several updates on the older operating systems. For more information about requirements for using Server Manager to manage remote servers, see

    Manage multiple, remote servers with Server Manager

    • .

  • Install Instructions

    To install Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview

    IMPORTANT:

      • You can install Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview only on the January 2015 release of Windows 10 Technical Preview (builds 9926 and later).

        1. Download the Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview package that is appropriate for your computer's architecture. You can either run the installer from the Download Center website, or save the download package to a local computer or share. If you save the download package to a local computer or share, double-click the installer program, WindowsTH-KB2693643-x64.msu or WindowsTH-KB2693643-x86.msu, depending on the architecture of the computer on which you want to install the tools.
        2. When you are prompted by the Windows Update Standalone Installer dialog box to install the update, click Yes.
        3. Read and accept the license terms. Click I accept. Installation requires a few minutes to finish.

    NOTE:

      • All tools are enabled by default. You do not need to open

    Turn Windows features on or off

      • in Windows 10 Technical Preview to enable tools that you want to use.

    To turn off specific tools

        1. On the desktop, click Start, click All Apps, click Windows System, and then click Control Panel.
        2. Click Programs, and then in Programs and Features, click Turn Windows features on or off.
        3. In the Windows Features dialog box, expand Remote Server Administration Tools, and then expand either Role Administration Tools or Feature Administration Tools.
        4. Clear the check boxes for any tools that you want to turn off. Note that if you turn off Server Manager, the computer must be restarted, and tools that were accessible from the Tools menu of Server Manager must be opened from the Administrative Tools folder.
        5. When you are finished turning off tools that you do not want to use, click OK.

    To uninstall Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 10 Technical Preview

      1. On the desktop, click Start, click All Apps, click Windows System, and then click Control Panel.
      2. Under Programs, click Uninstall a program.
      3. Click View installed updates.
      4. Right-click Update for Microsoft Windows (KB2693643) , and then click Uninstall.
      5. When you are asked if you are sure you want to uninstall the update, click Yes.