Microsoft details Windows Server 8 admin experience, has improvements in simplicity

In a new Windows Server 8 blog post, Microsoft details the new administrative experience in the upcoming server operating system. Microsoft wants to ensure server administrators have the fastest, most scalable and flexible server operating system ever created.

Since the company’s move to the Metro interface design, Windows Server 8 features a simple and efficient Server Manager dashboard that provides admins with a quick glance view of the server environment and draws attention to key issues. The admin can then take quick action directly based upon the information presented in the dashboard, without launching a separate program or tool. The dashboard can also be customized based on the environment by adding custom groups.

“Server Manager provides a set of consistent tasks across servers, allowing the administrator to drill-into server-specific views to understand the state of their environment and take action. Server-centric views are only one pivot necessary for effective management. Role-centric views are equally important, and with the newly redesigned Server Manager there are several server roles that extend Server Manger to provide scenario-based experiences for managing their role,” Microsoft mentions in an official blog post.

In Windows Server 8, the default logon experience is optimized for admin tasks. Once the admin logs in, the desktop app will launch and the Server Manager will be shown by default. Common applications such as the Server Manager and Windows PowerShell are already pinned on the taskbar and visiting the Start Screen will show you common applications in tile format.