Windows Server 2012 - a look at the new Server Manager

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It’s a time of great change!

Michael Hildebrand posted a quick overview of server management in past Windows versions, and a “walk around” the new Server Manager interface in Windows Server 2012 over on the Ask PFE Platforms blog.

I say as someone that’s only been using it for a little while: It’s a little bit different. Definitely worth exploring, or at least glancing around!

  • Fresh new UI style

    • Echoing the new UI style of Windows 8/Server 2012 and other similar consoles such as the AD Administrative Center

  • Remote and GUI-less management

    • With Server Manager, we can manage multiple servers with a high degree of functionality from a single console, including GUI-less server CORE systems.
    • This makes the idea of wide spread deployment of GUI-less or Server Core systems much more palatable for many enterprises.

  • Powershell integration and self-help/knowledge-share

    • As we evolve application and infrastructure management, the use/development of Powershell continues to grow.
    • Server Manager is following suit like several other GUI Management consoles – Exchange, AD – and becoming a mere GUI front end for Powershell 'innards'
    • Server Manager has numerous ways to view/export/import Powershell scripts, commands, histories and input files

There are lots of labeled pictures, too. If a picture tells a thousand words, is a picture of a word worth a thousand more words? I like to think so.

Oh, and “yarr”.

Posted by Tristan Kington , MSPFE Editor