Chapter 4. Managing Windows Server 2008

In this chapter:
Performing Initial Configuration Tasks	39
Using Server Manager	42
Other Management Tools	56
Conclusion	69
Additional Resources	69

I was kidding, of course, when I said we should bring back the mainframe. After all, remember how much fun it was managing those machines? Sitting at a green screen all day long, dropping armfuls of punch cards into the hopper...what fun! At least running an IBM System/360 could be more fun than operating a PDP-11. When I was a university student years ago (decades actually), I worked one summer for the physics department, where there was a PDP-11 in the sub-sub-basement where the Cyclotron was located. I remember sitting there alone one night around 3 a.m. while an experiment was running, watching the lights blink on the PDP and flipping a switch from time to time to read a paper tape. And that was my introduction to the tools used for managing state-of-the-art computers in those days—specifically, lights, switches, and paper tape.

Computers have come a long way since then. Besides being a lot more powerful, they’re also a lot easier to manage. So before we examine other new and exciting features of Microsoft Windows Server 2008, let’s look at the new and enhanced tools you can use to manage the platform. These tools range from user interface (UI) tools for configuring and managing servers to a new command-line tool for installing roles and features, tools for remote administration, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) enhancements for improved scripted management, Group Policy enhancements, and more.