Category: servermanagercmd

Although Microsoft continues to expand PowerShell with more capability, the command prompt has not been left behind in Windows Server 2008. In fact, with this latest Windows Server release, the command prompt gains some capability, including a tool that allows administrators to add or remove features on a Windows Server 2008 installation with servermanagercmd.exe, which replicates some of the functionality from the Windows Server 2008 Server Manager. Through the use of various command line options, you can quickly and easily add or remove features and roles to or from your server.

The command requires a parameter indicating the action that you wish to perform and, for some parameters, additional information such as which features you want to manage. The list below outlines some of the parameters available with servermanagercmd.

• -query: Output a list of the roles and features currently installed on your server. This command also shows you the roles and features that are available, but not yet installed.
• -install: Installs the roles or features that you specify on the command line. Add -allSubFeatures to the command line when using -install in order to add the supporting roles/features to a specified parent role/feature. As you are well aware some components require a server reboot in order to complete. To automate a server restart that takes place after the installation of a role/feature requiring a restart, use -restart.
• -remove: This is the opposite of the install command and removes the specified roles or features.

The table below provides you with a complete list of the components installable using the servermanagercmd command. The first column is the overall feature name. For some features, roles, or services, there are multiple components available. The second column of the table gives you a complete list of all subcomponents while the third column is the identifier to use with the -install or -remove parameter.