On Friday we released the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) to the web.  RSAT is the collection of Windows Server 2008 management tools which enable IT professionals to manage their Windows Server infrastructure from their PCs running Windows Vista with Service Pack 1.  This following provides a list of components which make up RSAT, a link to the downloads, and frequently asked questions. 

Where to Install:

Microsoft Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows Vista with SP1 (x86)

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=9FF6E897-23CE-4A36-B7FC-D52065DE9960

Microsoft Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows Vista with SP1(x64)

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=D647A60B-63FD-4AC5-9243-BD3C497D2BC5

What Is Included in RSAT?

List of Windows Server 2008 administration tools which are included in RSAT:

Role Administration Tools:

• Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) Tools
• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Tools
• Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) Tools
• DHCP Server Service Tools
• DNS Server Service Tools
• Shared Folders Tools
• Network Policy and Access Services Tools
• Terminal Services Tools
• Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) Services Tools

Feature Administration Tools:

• BitLocker Drive Encryption Tools
• Failover Clustering Tools
• Group Policy Management Tools
• Network Load Balancing Tools
• SMTP Server Tools
• Storage Manager for SANs Tools
• Windows System Resource Manager Tools

List of Windows Server 2003 administration tools which are included in RSAT:

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Tools

• Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) Tools
• Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) Tools
• DHCP Server Tools
• DNS Server Tools
• Group Policy Management Tools
• Network Load Balancing Tools
• Terminal Services Tools
• Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) Services Tools

RSAT Questions and Answers:

Q: Why is Microsoft making RSAT available?

A: Many IT professionals manage their servers from their own desktops. RSAT enables IT professionals to use the updated Windows Server 2008 management tools to manage their servers remotely from their own computers.

Q: Which operating systems does RSAT manage?

A: All RSAT tools manage Windows Server 2008 servers. Certain RSAT tools also manage servers running Windows Server 2003.

Q: Is RSAT the next version of ADMINPAK.MSI?

A: Yes. As ADMINPAK.MSI provides IT professionals the ability to remotely manage their Windows Server 2003 servers, RSAT provides updated functionality for Windows Server management from computers running Windows Vista with Service Pack 1. All RSAT tools support the management of servers running Windows Server 2008; some of these tools also support the management of servers running Windows Server 2003, and thus can be considered a replacement for ADMINPAK.MSI.

Q: Will RSAT run on the version of Windows Vista with no service packs installed?

A: No. RSAT requires Windows Vista with Service Pack 1.

Q: Will RSAT include Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) for Windows Vista with SP1?

A: Yes.

Q: Will the GPMC provided by RSAT allow me to manage Group Policy preference items from a computer running Windows Vista with SP1?

A: Yes.

For more information on this new tool read this blog article by Kurt Roggen

- Lesley