The Server Manager Main Window

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

The Server Manager main window allows you to view a detailed snapshot of your server's identity information, selected security configuration options, and installed roles and features.

The Resources and Support area of the Server Manager main window contains links that help you keep connected to the latest documentation and downloads, and allow you to participate in feedback programs that help improve future versions of Windows Server® 2008.

The Server Summary area

The Server Summary area displays details about your server that are particularly useful during troubleshooting, such as the computer's name and network addresses, and the product ID of the operating system running on the computer.

From the Server Summary area, you can view and modify network connections, modify system properties, and enable and configure Remote Desktop.

The Server Summary area contains the following collapsible sub-sections:

  • Computer Information

  • Security Information

Computer Information

The following table describes the information shown in the Computer Information section.

Field Text Data Description

Full computer name:

Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of target server

Domain (or Workgroup if the computer is not domain-joined):

Primary domain name server (DNS) suffix

<network connection name 1>:

IP address

<network connection name 2>:

IP address

<network connection name 3>:

IP address

Windows Product Activation status:

Number of days remaining to activate the server's Windows operating system

Product ID (if activated):

Product ID (not the Windows product key)

Security Information

The following table describes the information shown in the Security Information section.

Field Text Data Description

Windows Firewall status

Shows whether Windows Firewall is enabled on the server.

Windows Update status

Shows whether the server is configured to download and install Windows software updates automatically

Last checked for updates

Shows the most recent day and time that the server has checked for software updates.

Last installed updates

Shows the most recent day and time that automatic software updates were installed.

IE Enhanced Security Configuration (ESC)

Shows whether Internet Explorer advanced security configuration is enabled for both members of the Administrators group and for other users.

Commands in this section allow you to modify your Windows Firewall, Windows automatic updating, and IE Enhanced Security Configuration settings. You can also search Windows Update for new roles to download and install by clicking Check for New Roles.

From the Security Information area, you can also start the Security Configuration Wizard, which helps you create a security policy that can be applied to any server on your network. For more information about completing the Security Configuration Wizard, see Security Configuration Wizard documentation available at the Windows Server TechCenter (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=91742).

The Roles Summary area

The Roles Summary area of the Server Manager main window shows a list of all roles that are installed on the computer. The names of roles installed on the computer are displayed as hypertext; clicking a role name opens the Server Manager home page for managing the role.

To install additional roles, or remove existing roles, click the appropriate command in the right margin of the Roles Summary area.

The Go to Manage Roles command in this section opens the Roles home page, on which you can find more detail about installed roles, such as which role services for the role are installed, the role's operational status, and whether event messages about the role are available to read.

For more information about the Roles home page, see Role Home Pages.

The Features Summary area

The Features Summary area of the Server Manager home page header shows a list of all features that are installed on the computer.

To install additional features, or remove existing features, click the appropriate command in the right margin of the Features Summary area.

Adding and Removing Roles and Features

For information about how to add and remove roles, role services, and features, see Adding Server Roles and Features and Removing Server Roles and Features.