Configure remote Management in Server Manager
In Windows Server, you can use Server Manager to perform management tasks on remote servers. Remote management is enabled by default on servers that are running Windows Server 2016. To manage a server remotely by using Server Manager, you add the server to the Server Manager server pool.
You can use Server Manager to manage remote servers that are running older releases of Windows Server, but the following updates are required to fully manage these older operating systems.
To manage servers that are running Windows Server releases older than Windows Server 2016, install the following software and updates to make the older releases of Windows Server manageable by using Server Manager in Windows Server 2016.
| Operating System | Required Software | Manageability |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 | - .NET Framework 4.6 - Windows Management Framework 5.0. The Windows Management Framework 5.0 download package updates Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) providers on Windows Server 2012 R2 , Windows Server 2012 , and Windows Server 2008 R2 . The updated WMI providers let Server Manager collect information about roles and features that are installed on the managed servers. Until the update is applied, servers that are running Windows Server 2012 R2 , Windows Server 2012 , or Windows Server 2008 R2 have a manageability status of Not accessible. - The performance update associated with Knowledge Base article 2682011 is no longer necessary on servers that are running Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 . |
|
| Windows Server 2008 R2 | - .NET Framework 4.5 - Windows Management Framework 4.0. The Windows Management Framework 4.0 download package updates Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) providers on Windows Server 2008 R2 . The updated WMI providers let Server Manager collect information about roles and features that are installed on the managed servers. Until the update is applied, servers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2 have a manageability status of Not accessible. - The performance update associated with Knowledge Base article 2682011 lets Server Manager collect performance data from Windows Server 2008 R2 . |
|
| Windows Server 2008 | - .NET Framework 4 - Windows Management Framework 3.0 The Windows Management Framework 3.0 download package updates Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) providers on Windows Server 2008 . The updated WMI providers let Server Manager collect information about roles and features that are installed on the managed servers. Until the update is applied, servers that are running Windows Server 2008 have a manageability status of Not accessible - verify earlier versions run Windows Management Framework 3.0. - The performance update associated with Knowledge Base article 2682011 lets Server Manager collect performance data from Windows Server 2008 . |
for detailed information about how to add servers that are in workgroups to manage, or manage remote servers from a workgroup computer that is running Server Manager, see add Servers to Server Manager.
Enabling or disabling remote management
In Windows Server 2016, remote management is enabled by default. Before you can connect to a computer that is running Windows Server 2016 remotely by using Server Manager, Server Manager remote management must be enabled on the destination computer if it has been disabled. The procedures in this section describe how to disable remote management, and how to re-enable remote management if it has been disabled. In the Server Manager console, the remote management status for the local server is displayed in the Properties area of the Local Server page.
Local administrator accounts other than the built-in Administrator account may not have rights to manage a server remotely, even if remote management is enabled. The remote User Account Control (UAC) LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy registry setting must be configured to allow local accounts of the Administrators group other than the built-in administrator account to remotely manage the server.
In Windows Server 2016, Server Manager relies on Windows remote Management (WinRM) and the Distributed component Object model (DCOM) for remote communications. The settings that are controlled by the Configure remote Management dialog box only affect parts of Server Manager and Windows PowerShell that use WinRM for remote communications. They do not affect parts of Server Manager that use DCOM for remote communications. For example, Server Manager uses WinRM to communicate with remote servers that are running Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2012, but uses DCOM to communicate with servers that are running Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, but do not have the Windows Management Framework 4.0 or Windows Management Framework 3.0 updates applied. Microsoft Management Console (mmc) and other legacy management tools use DCOM. For more information about how to change these settings, see To configure mmc or other tool remote management over DCOM in this topic.
Note
Procedures in this section can be completed only on computers that are running Windows Server. You cannot enable or disable remote management on a computer that is running Windows 10 by using these procedures, because the client operating system cannot be managed by using Server Manager.
To enable WinRM remote management, select one of the following procedures.
To disable WinRM and Server Manager remote management, select one of the following procedures.
To configure DCOM remote management, see To configure DCOM remote management.
To enable Server Manager remote management by using the Windows interface
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Note
The settings that are controlled by the Configure remote Management dialog box do not affect parts of Server Manager that use DCOM for remote communications.
On the computer that you want to manage remotely, open Server Manager, if it is not already open. On the Windows taskbar, click Server Manager. On the start screen, click the Server Manager tile.
In the Properties area of the Local Servers page, click the hyperlinked value for the remote management property.
Do one of the following, and then click OK.
To prevent this computer from being managed remotely by using Server Manager (or Windows PowerShell if it is installed), clear the Enable remote management of this server from other computers check box.
To let this computer be managed remotely by using Server Manager or Windows PowerShell, select Enable remote management of this server from other computers.
To enable Server Manager remote management by using Windows PowerShell
On the computer that you want to manage remotely, do one of the following to open a Windows PowerShell session with elevated user rights.
On the Windows desktop, right-click Windows PowerShell on the taskbar, and then click Run as Administrator.
On the Windows start screen, right-click Windows PowerShell, and then on the app bar, click Run as Administrator.
type the following, and then press Enter to enable all required firewall rule exceptions.
Configure-SMremoting.exe -enable
To enable Server Manager remote management by using the command line
On the computer that you want to manage remotely, open a command prompt session with elevated user rights. To do this, on the start screen, type cmd, right-click the Command prompt tile when it is displayed in the Apps results, and then on the app bar, click Run as Administrator.
Run the following executable file.
%windir%\system32\Configure-SMremoting.exe
Do one of the following:
To disable remote management, type Configure-SMremoting.exe -disable, and then press Enter.
To enable remote management, type Configure-SMremoting.exe -enable, and then press Enter.
To view the current remote management setting, type Configure-SMremoting.exe -get, and then press ENTER.
To enable Server Manager and Windows PowerShell remote management on earlier releases of Windows Server
Do one of the following:
To enable remote management on servers that are running Windows Server 2012 , see To enable Server Manager remote management by using the Windows interface in this topic.
To enable remote management on servers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2 , see remote Management with Server Manager in the Windows Server 2008 R2 help.
To enable remote management on servers that are running Windows Server 2008 , see Enable and Use remote Commands in Windows PowerShell.
To configure mmc or other tool remote management over DCOM
Do one of the following to open the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security snap-in.
In the Properties area of the Local Server page in Server Manager, click the hypertext value for the Windows Firewall property, and then click Advanced settings.
On the start screen, type WF.msc, and then click the snap-in tile when it is displayed in the Apps results.
In the tree pane, select Inbound Rules.
verify that exceptions to the following firewall rules are enabled, and have not been disabled by Group Policy settings. If any are not enabled, go on to the next step.
COM+ Network Access (DCOM-In)
remote Event Log Management (NP-In)
remote Event Log Management (RPC)
remote Event Log Management (RPC-EPMAP)
Right-click the rules that are not enabled, and then click Enable Rule on the context menu.
Close the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security snap-in.
To disable remote management by using Group Policy
Do one of the following to open Local Group Policy editor.
On a server that is running Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2 , or Windows Server 2012 , on the start screen, type gpedit.msc, and then click the gpedit tile when it is displayed.
On a server that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2008 , in the Run dialog box, type gpedit.msc, and then press Enter.
Open computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows components\Windows remote Management (WinRM)\WinRM Service.
In the content pane, double-click Allow remote server management through WinRM.
In the dialog box for the Allow remote server management through WinRM policy setting, select Disabled to disable remote management. Click OK to save your changes and close the policy setting dialog box.
To disable remote management by using an answer file during unattended installation
create an unattended installation answer file for Windows Server 2016 installations by using Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM). For more information about how to create an answer file and use Windows SIM, see What is Windows System Image Manager? and Step-by-Step: Basic Windows Deployment for IT Professionals.
In your answer file, locate the setting Microsoft-Windows-Web-Services-for-Management-Core\EnableServerremoteManagement.
To disable Server Manager remote management by default on all servers to which you want to apply the answer file, set Microsoft-Windows-Web-Services-for-Management-Core \EnableServerremoteManagement to False.
Note
This setting disables remote management as part of the operating system setup process. Configuring this setting does not prevent an administrator from enabling Server Manager remote management on a server after operating system setup is complete. Administrators can enable Server Manager remote management again by using steps in To configure Server Manager remote management by using the Windows interface or To enable Server Manager remote management by using Windows PowerShell in this topic.
If you disable remote management by default as part of an unattended installation, and do not enable remote management on the server again after installation, servers to which this answer file is applied cannot be fully managed by using Server Manager. Servers that are running Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2 , or Windows Server 2012 (and that have remote management disabled by default) generate manageability status errors in the Server Manager console after they are added to the Server Manager server pool.
Windows remote Management (WinRM) listener settings
Server Manager relies on default WinRM listener settings on the remote servers that you want to manage. If the default authentication mechanism or the WinRM listener port number on a remote server has been changed from default settings, Server Manager cannot communicate with the remote server.
The following list shows default WinRM listener settings for managing by using Server Manager.
The WinRM service is running.
A WinRM listener is created to accept HTTP requests through port number 5985.
Port number 5985 is enabled in Windows Firewall settings to allow requests through WinRM.
Both Kerberos and Negotiate authentication types are enabled.
The default port number is 5985 for WinRM to communicate with a remote computer.
for more information about how to configure WinRM listener settings, at a command prompt, type winrm help config, and then press ENTER.
See Also
Add Servers to Server Manager Windows PowerShell: about_remote_Troubleshooting on the Windows Server TechCenter Description of User Account Control