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Virtual Geek

Tales from real IT system administrators world and non-production environment

Windows Admin Center (formerly Project Honolulu)

Windows Admin Center is an evolution of Windows Server in-box management tools; it’s a single pane of glass that consolidates all aspects of local and remote server management. Windows Admin Center proposals "elastic, locally-deployed, browser-based management platform and tools". The impression behind this project is to help shorten management of servers by placing a majority of the often referenced tools used by system administrators in one spot. A list of features that are offered from this web based administration tool are as follows, and expected to grow with the ability for plugins and 3rd party extensions. 
  • Certificates
  • Devices
  • Events
  • Files
  • Firewall
  • Local Users & Groups
  • Network
  • PowerShell
  • Processes
  • Registry
  • Remote Desktop
  • Roles & Features
  • Services
  • Storage
  • Storage Replica
  • Virtual Machines
  • Virtual Switches
  • Windows Updates 

In addition, Windows Admin Center also offers Hyper Converged Cluster Management. Download this tool from this location.

Windows Admin Center (formerly Project Honolulu), broswer based app for managing servers

To install this tool there is a prerequisite to install the Microsoft Windows Management Framework (WMF) version 5 or higher on remote and local servers. I am directly installing this tool on freshly installed Windows 2016 server, It has all the prerequisite by default there. Installation is very simple, accept EULA, choose if you need update, and in the last I am creating a desktop shortcut to launch windows admin center.

Windows admin center setup project honolulu accept license, updates, launch winodws admin enter trusted hosts

This step is important and Configures Gateway Endpoint, and I am keeping SSL management port 443 default and proceeding with the installation.

windows admin center project honolulu, configure gate endpoint, installation, Server management site self signed ssl cerificate, thumbprint for gateway ssl certificate

At present, Microsoft only supports Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome browsers. Internet Explorer is not supported. If you open windows admin center on internet explorer, It gives me an error.

Windows admin center error , supported browswer project honolulu, chrome, edge, internet explorer

Always try with FQDN when accessing Windows Admin Center Server url as self signed certificate is created with same name. Once you proceed with it, Asks for username and password. 

Windows admin center project honolulu microsoft windows server 2016, free tool.png

Once admin center is authenticated successfully, add remote servers by clicking Add connections, click Add server connections. This prompts for remote server name, type the credential to connect it and submit with credentials.

Windows admin center, project honolulu, Add connection server connection, add server tages, credentials

Once remote server is added successfully, I can view complete information and modify information on servers remotely from web browser.

Microsoft, Windows Admin Center project honolulu, overview, certificates, events, files firewall, local users, groups, powershell, processes, registry, storage replica, roles and features

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 Posted in Windows 2016 Server R2
  Tags windows server 2016 windows server 2012 r2 microsoft windows server microsoft powershell

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