Is RDC still the best way to manage a Win 2008 R2 Server?

Question

I read an article a whole ago about some new way to login locally to a remote Windows 2008 R2 machine. Some kind of better management feature if you're on a Win 7 client.

Right now I'm using RDC, are there any preferred ways (new) to gain console access to the remote Windows 2008 R2 server from Win 7?

Answer 1

Using RSAT makes many management functions easier; but RDP is still the fallback when RSAT doesn't get it done. It's not console access, but provides configuration access to many Microsoft technologies.

Answer 2

I prefer Dell's DRACs (Dell Remote Access Cards) because they give me out-of-band ("lights out") remote control over a server so if I have to get into the BIOS or RAID management, I can so remotely.

Because it's a separate card, I can setup a management VLAN with a very restrictive set of ACLs at the switch to permit only IT systems management machines to be able to access the servers in this way.

Answer 3

You can do remote management with Powershell and WMI

Answer 4

Remote Desktop is the way to gain remote-console access to a windows server, thats the bottom line; however, many of the MMCs available on the console are available as tools you can run from a client workstation and 'connect' to the server you wish to manage, provided you're in the same domain and have administrator rights. Try EventViewer, you can use the pulldown menu to "Connect-To-Another-Machine" many of the other MMCs function in this way as well.

In addition to that you can use both Powershell and VBS to minipulate WMI queries on the remote server as well -- this is more useful for batch processing and other tasks best handled by scripts.

Answer 5

Use whatever you're comfortable using. Why does there have to be just one tool? I use many tools and I pick the one(s) available and most useful to me at the time. For example, I COULD check services via Computer Management, the Services administrative tool, WMI, or the command line - and I'll pick the method that's most appropriate at the time.

Answer 6

Try the free Microsoft RDCMan

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=4603c621-6de7-4ccb-9f51-d53dc7e48047

Answer 7

You may be thinking of Windows Remote Shell, which is new.

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/How-Windows-Server-2008-WinRM-WinRS.html