Windows Server 2008 : Perform Role and Feature Management

Before performing the steps of role and feature installation, it’s a good idea to get a better grasp of the many different options you actually have at your disposal. Unlike the roles that are allowed through Server Core , there is a great deal more you can do with a fully functional Windows Server 2008 system.

Note

A simple question you might be asking is “What is the difference between a server role and a server feature?” A role, according to Microsoft, “describes the primary function of the server.” So, for example, configuring your server to act as a DNS server involves installing that role. On the other hand, a feature might “provide auxiliary or supporting functions” within a system. An example of a feature is the .NET Framework.

Know Your Server Roles

Table 1 lists the Server Roles shown in Figure 1 (in the Add Roles Wizard) and their descriptions.

^[*] Descriptions adapted from the Windows Server 2008 Wizard Descriptions.

Figure 1. The Add Roles Wizard.

Within a role, role services may be involved as sub-elements. In addition, some roles require that specific features also be installed. For example, the Application Server role notifies you that the .NET Framework 3.0 feature is required in order for the role to function.

When attempting to install a role that requires additional necessary services and features, you are greeted with the option Add Required Role Services, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. A request for permission to install necessary services and/or features for a role to function.

However, the majority of the time, you can install a role with selected services and return later to configure additional ones. Nowhere, perhaps, is this better seen than with regard to your IIS Web Server role. You may choose certain services, such as ASP.NET, HTTP Redirection, and so forth, but you can always return later and add role services. As you can see in Figure 3, you can view the health of all roles installed by selecting Roles from the navigation pane and then you can see which services are included within a particular role. You can choose the option Add Role Services or Remove Role Services to make changes to a role (in this case, the Web Server role).

Figure 3. A look at services installed from within Server Manager.

Know Your Server Features

As mentioned earlier, server features (shown in Figure 4) provide supporting functionality to a role (as in the case of .NET Framework 3.0) or may stand alone (for example, PowerShell). Table 2 describes the features you can install on a server.

^[*] Descriptions adapted from the Windows Server 2008 Wizard Descriptions.

Figure 4. The Add Features Wizard.

Install Roles

The process of installing a role or feature varies, depending on exactly what you are installing. In addition, the wizards allow you to select multiple roles/features. The number of variables involved in installing roles is too great to use to provide a step-by-step solution. Therefore, let’s look at installing one role and one feature to show the basic process and provide a basis for other possibilities.

To install roles perform the following:

1.	Open Server Manager.
2.	Select the Roles link from the navigation pane.
3.	Under the Roles Summary portion in the work console, select the link Add Roles.
4.	The first time you add a role, you are greeted with a Before You Begin dialog. Select the checkbox Skip This Page by Default now, or you will continue to see this page every time you add a role. Click Next.
5.	On the Select Server Roles Page, select one or more roles to install on this server. In this scenario, select Application Server. Click Next. Note When you select a role, you may see the pattern on the left change to include the role and role services.
6.	On the Application Server page, read the Introduction to Application Server. Note other aspects of the installation of this particular role under the Things to Note section and/or view Additional Information by selecting one of the links provided, as shown in Figure 5. Click Next. Figure 5. The Application Server introduction.
7.	On the Select Role Services page, choose additional services that relate to the installation of the role. In this case, as you can see in Figure 6, there are many services you can add that are not necessarily required. Choose the ones you want and click Next. Figure 6. Selecting role services.
8.	On the Confirmation page, review the roles, role services, and/or features you have selected. When you are comfortable moving forward, click Install.
9.	Note the Progress of the installation on the Installation Progress. When you see the Installation Results page, click Close.

Remove Roles

To remove a role, follow these steps:

Administer Roles Through Server Manager

The Server Manager may (or may not) be the perfect place to administer your installed role. Some like to use the individual tools from Administrative Tools, whereas others may like a single console for administering all roles at once.

To administer roles through Server Manager, you expand the Roles section in the navigation pane and look for the role you want to manage. From the hierarchy, you can select the expansion link for the role to see the corresponding tools.

Install Features

To add features to your Windows Server 2008 system, perform the following steps:

Not all features can be managed through the Server Manager console because they do not all come with additional tools for management. For example, PowerShell and the .NET Framework do not have management consoles that you can work within Server Manager.