Using The Microsoft Management Console
The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) is a tool provided with Windows 2000 Server and Professional which enables you to manage various operating system functions from one central location. The tool enables you to add the specific tools which you use frequently and access them from within one management console. It is possible to create several consoles for specific functions. For example you could create a console to manage just your Exchange server functions and another to manage user account functions or, as is often the case, have all your tools in one console.
The console can be saved to a location most appropriate for your use such as the desktop. As you will see in a later prac, it is possible to create a console on a Windows 2000 Professional computer which can manage services on a remote Windows 2000 server. This enables administrators to manage server functions from their workstation rather than the server room which may be a secure area.
Note: This prac should be done on a Windows 2000 server configured as a member or standalone server. As part of the second prac, the server will be promoted to a domain controller.
To start working with the Microsoft Management Console, do the following:
Click on Start - Run - type in MMC
Click on Console - Save As..
The default is to save to the Administrative Tools menu. I find that having a tool on the desktop with the specific tools I use frequently is one of the advantages of the Management Console. Savin to admin tools negates that advantage. I prefer to save the console to the desktop.
Save the console to the desktop as prac1.msc
Click on Console - Add Remove Snap-in
A snap in is a tool which you can use to manage various administrative functions such as users and groups and system performance
Click on Add
The Standalone Snap-in window appears
Add the snap-ins you want by either by double-clicking or clicking on the snap-in then selecting Add
I have added the Active Directory Users and Computers, Local Users and Groupsand the Computer Management snap-ins. More will be added later.
With Computer Management, you can select to manage the local computer or another computer in the domain or workgroup.
Choose the Local Computer option. (we will manage another computer later)
Click on Finish
To manage another computer, you would choose that option, then browse for the computer
Close the Add Standalone Snap-in and Add/Remove Snap-in window
You can now see all the snap-ins you have added. You will add more snap-ins in later topics and learn to manage each of those snap-ins. For the rest of this prac, you will have a quick look at the account management and system and storage management tools
Active Directory Users and Computers is the primary tool for managing accounts on Windows 2000 domains. If you are working on a Windows 2000 Server which is not a domain controller but is a member or standalone server, the equivalent tool is Local Users and Groups.
One of the account management tools will be unavailable for use depending on the type of server you are using.
Click on the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. If your computer is a stanalone server or a Windows 2000 Professional computer, the following message will appear:
This computer is a standalone server. Account information will be stored locally just as in a workgroup situation. The Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in will now be flagged as unavailable as show in the following graphic
Within the console, the snap-ins are called nodes. Each node can be expanded to reveal a tree of nodes.
Expand the Computer Management node
This tool gives you two major categories; System Tools and Storage. System Tools gives you the ability to manage shared folders, local users, computer performance and a number of other local management functions. Storage gives you the ability to manage the local hard disk.
Expand each of these tools and investigate what each does.
Using Computer Management, you can also manage the system and storage on other computers.
Right-click the Computer Mangement node and select Connect to another computer...
Browse the network for your partner's computer
Note: if you are unable to browse for any reason, try just connecting to your partner's IP address.
Notice now that you Computer Mangement node will indicate that you are connected to another computer, in my case, client30
To see what you can and cannot do on the remote computer, see if you can create and account on your partner's computer. Test the account by logging on to that computer as the user you have created.
See if you can browse to a folder on your partners computer using the Storage node.
In the next prac, you will use the domain account management tool, Active Directory Users and Computers
click here to return to topic outline
The console can be saved to a location most appropriate for your use such as the desktop. As you will see in a later prac, it is possible to create a console on a Windows 2000 Professional computer which can manage services on a remote Windows 2000 server. This enables administrators to manage server functions from their workstation rather than the server room which may be a secure area.
Note: This prac should be done on a Windows 2000 server configured as a member or standalone server. As part of the second prac, the server will be promoted to a domain controller.
To start working with the Microsoft Management Console, do the following:
Click on Start - Run - type in MMC
Click on Console - Save As..
The default is to save to the Administrative Tools menu. I find that having a tool on the desktop with the specific tools I use frequently is one of the advantages of the Management Console. Savin to admin tools negates that advantage. I prefer to save the console to the desktop.
Save the console to the desktop as prac1.msc
Click on Console - Add Remove Snap-in
A snap in is a tool which you can use to manage various administrative functions such as users and groups and system performance
Click on Add
The Standalone Snap-in window appears
Add the snap-ins you want by either by double-clicking or clicking on the snap-in then selecting Add
I have added the Active Directory Users and Computers, Local Users and Groupsand the Computer Management snap-ins. More will be added later.
With Computer Management, you can select to manage the local computer or another computer in the domain or workgroup.
Choose the Local Computer option. (we will manage another computer later)
Click on Finish
To manage another computer, you would choose that option, then browse for the computer
Close the Add Standalone Snap-in and Add/Remove Snap-in window
You can now see all the snap-ins you have added. You will add more snap-ins in later topics and learn to manage each of those snap-ins. For the rest of this prac, you will have a quick look at the account management and system and storage management tools
Active Directory Users and Computers is the primary tool for managing accounts on Windows 2000 domains. If you are working on a Windows 2000 Server which is not a domain controller but is a member or standalone server, the equivalent tool is Local Users and Groups.
One of the account management tools will be unavailable for use depending on the type of server you are using.
Click on the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. If your computer is a stanalone server or a Windows 2000 Professional computer, the following message will appear:
This computer is a standalone server. Account information will be stored locally just as in a workgroup situation. The Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in will now be flagged as unavailable as show in the following graphic
Within the console, the snap-ins are called nodes. Each node can be expanded to reveal a tree of nodes.
Expand the Computer Management node
This tool gives you two major categories; System Tools and Storage. System Tools gives you the ability to manage shared folders, local users, computer performance and a number of other local management functions. Storage gives you the ability to manage the local hard disk.
Expand each of these tools and investigate what each does.
Using Computer Management, you can also manage the system and storage on other computers.
Right-click the Computer Mangement node and select Connect to another computer...
Browse the network for your partner's computer
Note: if you are unable to browse for any reason, try just connecting to your partner's IP address.
Notice now that you Computer Mangement node will indicate that you are connected to another computer, in my case, client30
To see what you can and cannot do on the remote computer, see if you can create and account on your partner's computer. Test the account by logging on to that computer as the user you have created.
See if you can browse to a folder on your partners computer using the Storage node.
In the next prac, you will use the domain account management tool, Active Directory Users and Computers
click here to return to topic outline