User interface architecture

  • Article

When you perform tasks in Windows EBS, you work primarily with two categories of the user interface:

  • Tools and wizards that are unique to Windows EBS, including the Administration Console

  • Consoles that are included in Microsoft products and installed as Windows EBS components

Windows Essential Business Server tools and wizards

The tools and wizards that are installed with Windows EBS include the Administration Console, the New Account Wizard, and the Install CAL Packs Wizard.

Administration Console

The Administration Console provides a centralized management tool in Windows EBS. Through it, you can perform a variety of simple management tasks and switch to other product consoles to perform specialized or advanced tasks.

The Administration Console is organized so that you can select specific management areas to view; look at server, device, and user information; and choose tasks to perform on selected data. The following tabs and panes are included:

  • Navigation tabs

    The navigation tabs provide direct access to the various system categories that can be managed in the Administration Console. The default tabs include: System Health, Security, Computers and Devices, Users and Groups, and Licenses. For most categories, a secondary set of tabs provides access to more categories.

  • Results pane

    The results pane is located directly beneath the navigation tabs, and it usually contains a list of controls where you can view, organize, and manipulate data. For example, if you click the Computers and Devices tab, the results pane would display information for you to review your server status.

  • Details pane

    The details pane provides more information about an object that is selected in the results pane.

  • Tasks pane

    The tasks pane provides a list of relevant tasks that you can perform on an object that is selected in the results pane or generalized tasks that are appropriate to the category that is selected by the current tab.

The Administration Console is supports add-in capabilities for future Microsoft and non-Microsoft products. If add-ins are installed, the console displays the following additional feature tabs: System Applications and Business Applications. The Windows EBS Software Developers Kit documents the necessary application programming interfaces (APIs) for developers to access, and it explains how to use the tab architecture in the Administration Console to manage applications.

New User Account Wizard

The New User Account Wizard is accessed through the Administration Console. With this wizard, you can completely provision a new user account without using other product consoles. Using the wizard ensures that all of the account components can be managed from the Administration Console in the future. The wizard enables you to:

  • Create a new account

  • Assign a user name to the account

  • Choose to assign a CAL to the account

  • Choose an e-mail address

  • Assign the account to distribution lists or security groups

  • Redirect the user's document storage to a server-based folder

Install CAL Packs Wizard

The Install Cal Packs Wizard enables you to quickly install Windows EBS client access licenses that you have purchased. The CALs are installed in Windows EBS, and then assigned to user accounts or managed devices.

Component native consoles

Through the Administration Console, you can connect to several additional product consoles. When you select an item in the list view, the tasks pane displays a list of tasks related to the item. Clicking a link in the tasks pane connects you to wizards and tools to help you perform these tasks. The wizards and tools that are listed are located within the Administration Console or in one of the other product consoles, such as the System Center Essentials console.