Windows Server 2003 comes with some very rich and powerful
network administration tools. Using them, you can configure your server to do
just about anything. The downside to these tools however is that you must be
sitting in front of your server to use them, or at the bare minimum connected
remotely to the server. This can be slow and cumbersome, making it difficult to
quickly accomplish needed tasks.

Fortunately, using the built-in tools that come with Windows
Server 2003, you can run the administration tools directly on a workstation. All it takes is loading some tools from your Windows Server 2003 CD – ROM. Here’s
how it works.

Author’s Note

For the purposes of this article, I’ll be installing the Support
Tools that come with Windows Server 2003 Small Business Edition. The version of Windows Server 2003 you’re
using may vary slightly, but essentially will work the same way.

Getting started

First, make sure that your administration workstation is running
Windows XP Service Pack 1 or later. If you’re using Windows 2000 Professional
or Windows 9x for an administration workstation, you’re out of luck.

Next, you’ll need to find your original Windows Server 2003
CD – ROM. Put it into the Windows XP workstation that you’re going to use for
your administration workstation. Drop to
a command prompt and change drives to your CD – ROM. At the command prompt type

msiexec /i x:\i386\adminpak.msi

and press [Enter] where you replace x: with the drive letter
for your CD – ROM drive. If the installer doesn’t start right away, check the
I386 directory on the CD – ROM for the ADMINPAK.MSI file. If it’s not there,
you may need to switch CDs. For example, in Windows Server 2003 Small Business
Edition, the necessary file is on Disc 1.

When the files install, you’ll see a typical Windows
installation screen appear. There aren’t any gotchas to worry about. Just
follow the onscreen prompts to install the tools. When everything’s done, just
click Finish.

Using the tools

After you click Finish, you can start using the tools. No
reboot on the administration workstation is necessary. Before you start using the tools however, you
still may need to logoff and log on to your network. Make sure you’ve logged
into the workstation with a user that has Domain Admin rights on the network.
You may need other rights as well depending on what you want to do on the
network. In any case, the user will need the same rights on the administration
workstation as they’d need to do the same tasks at the server itself.

You can find the tools by clicking Start | All Programs |
Administrative Tools. In the folder, you’ll find the following new tools in
addition to the standard ones from Windows XP shown in Figure A.

Figure A
You’ll find these new tools in your Administrative Tools folder.

As you can see, just about anything you can do from your
server can now be done from your workstation in the comfort of your office (or
cubicle as it may be). For example you can run such tools as:

  • Active Directory Users And Computers
  • Active Directory Sites And Services
  • DHCP Manager
  • DNS Manager
  • Terminal Services Manager
  • Cluster Administrator

These tools run the same way on your workstation as you’re
used to from your server. You may notice a slight lag running the tools because
the utilities have to access your server over the network, which naturally will
be slower than running them directly on the server itself.

When you use some of the tools, you may be prompted to
connect to a computer as seen in Figure B. Make sure you connect to the name or
IP address of the server you want to manage. Don’t select This Computer.
Because you’re using an administration workstation, the necessary services won’t
be there and you may become confused.

Figure B
Make sure you connect to the proper computer.

Some new tools

You may notice in the list some tools that don’t appear on
your server itself. These tools are:

  • Active Directory Management
  • Public Key Management
  • IP Address Management

These tools are called Convenience Consoles and are actually
administration consoles that cluster together commonly used administration
tools. For example the Active Directory Management console, shown in Figure C,
groups the Active Directory Users And Computers, Active Directory Domains And
Trusts, Active Directory Sites And Services, and DNS Manager utilities in one
place.

Figure C
Convenience Consoles group commonly used tools together.

The IP Address Management console shown in Figure D consolidates
the DHCP Manager, DNS Manager, and WINS Manager. You’ll need these utilities to
administer IP services on your network.

Figure D
The IP Address Management helps you administer TCP/IP on your network.

Finally, the Public Key Management console, shown in Figure
E groups together the Certification Authorities, Certificate Templates,
Certificates For Current User, and Certificates For Local Computer tools.

Figure E
The Public Key Management console helps you administer certificates.

Gain additional power with the Support Tools

After you’ve gotten used to running administration programs
on your workstation, you can also gain some additional power by loading up the
Support Tools. First, you’ll need to find your original Windows Server 2003 CD
– ROM. Put it into the Windows XP workstation that you’re going to use for your
administration workstation. Drop to a
command prompt and change drives to your CD – ROM. At the command prompt type

msiexec /i x:\support\tools\suptools.msi /q addlocal=all

and press [Enter] where you replace x: with the drive letter
for your CD – ROM drive. The addlocal switch installs all of the support files
on your Windows XP workstation. This will take a little over 10Mb of hard drive
space. It’s probably the best choice to get the full usage of the tools on your
new administration workstation.

If the installer doesn’t start right away, check the
SUPPORT\TOOLS directory on the CD – ROM for the SUPTOOLS.MSI file. If it’s not
there, you may need to switch CDs. For example, in Windows Server 2003 Small
Business Edition, the necessary file is on Disc 2.

When the files install, you won’t actually see a typical
Windows installation wizard appear. Your only indication that something’s going
on is going to be some activity on the XP workstation’s hard drive and CD –
ROM. You’ll also notice a new folder in the Start | All Programs folder called
Windows Support Tools.

There aren’t any actual programs there, but the support
utilities themselves reside in the Program Files\Support Tools folder on your
workstation. There are dozens of utilities that increase your support and
troubleshooting abilities on your Windows Server 2003 server. Some of the
things you’ll find include:

  • Acldiag.exe –
    ACL Diagnostics
  • Clonepr –
    ClonePrincipal
  • Dsastat.exe –
    Directory Services Utility
  • Movetree.exe –
    Active Directory Object Manager
  • Replmon.exe –
    Active Directory Replication Monitor
  • Dmdiag.exe –
    Disk Manager Diagnostics
  • Ftonline.exe –
    Fault Tolerant Disk Mounter

Make sure you’re extra careful when using these tools.
Misuse may cause you to damage your network. Using specific tools is beyond the
scope of this article, but you can find out more about each available tool by
checking out the online help.