Server roles and features for Windows 2008

In the past, in Windows Server 2000/2003 systems, we wanted to add or remove features such as DNS servers that needed to be implemented with the Add/Remove Widnows component. In Windows Server 2008, the Add/Remove Widnows component is no longer visible, but instead is implemented through the roles and functions in Server Manager. Tasks such as DNS servers, file servers, print services, and so on are considered to be "roles", while failover clusters, Group Policy management, and so on are considered "functional". With the increase and decrease of roles and functions, almost all server tasks can be achieved.

So what's the difference between the role and functionality of a server in Windows Server 2008? Microsoft tells us that the server role refers to the main function of the server. An administrator can select the entire computer to be dedicated to one server role or to install multiple server roles on a single computer. Each role can include one or more role services. For example, the DNS server mentioned above is a role, while the function provides assistance or support to the server. Typically, administrators add features that do not serve as the primary function of the server, but can enhance the functionality of the installed roles. Like a failover cluster, a feature that an administrator can install after installing a specific server role, such as a file service, to add redundancy to the file service and shorten the possible disaster recovery time.

In Windows Server 2008, 17 roles and 35 features are included, respectively:

Server role

Role name	Describe
Active Directory Certificate Services	Active Directory (R) Certificate Services (ADCS) provides customizable services for creating and managing public key certificates that are used in software security systems that use public key technology. An organization can use Active Directory Certificate Services to enhance security by binding the identity of a person, device, or service to the corresponding private key. Active Directory Certificate Services also includes features that allow you to manage certificate enrollment and revocation in a variety of scalable environments. Active Directory Certificate Services supports areas of application that include Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME), secure wireless networks, virtual private networks (VPN), Internet Protocol security (IPSEC), Encrypting File System (EFS), Smart card logon, Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS), and digital signatures.
Active Directory Domain Services	The Active Directory domain Service (ADDS) stores information about users, computers, and other devices on the network. ADDS helps administrators manage this information securely and enables resource sharing and collaboration among users. In addition, to install directory-enabled applications, such as Microsoft Exchange Server, and apply other Windows Server technologies, such as Group Policy, you also need to install ADDS on your network.
Active Directory Federated Authentication Service	The Active Directory Federation Service (AD FS) provides single sign-on (SSO) technology that allows users to authenticate to multiple WEB applications using a single user account. AD FS does this by securely uniting or sharing user identities and access rights between partner organizations in a digitally declared manner.
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Service	The Active Directory Lightweight Directory Service (Adlds) can be used as a way of storing data for organizations whose applications need to use directories to store application data. AD LDS runs as a non-operating system service and therefore does not need to be deployed on a domain controller. Running as a non-operating system service allows multiple AD LDS instances to run concurrently on a single server, and can be configured individually for each instance to serve multiple applications.
Active Directory Rights Management Service (ADRMS)	Adrms is an information protection technology that can work with adrms-enabled applications to help protect digital information from unauthorized use. Content owners can accurately define how recipients can use information, such as who can open, modify, print, forward, or perform other actions on the information. Organizations can create custom usage rights templates, such as "confidential-read-only", which can be applied directly to information such as financial statements, product descriptions, customer data, and e-mail.
Application Server	Application servers provide a complete solution for hosting and managing High-performance distributed business applications. Integrated services, such as the. NET Framework, Web server support, Message Queuing, COM +, Windows communication Foundation, and failover clustering, can help in the entire application Increase productivity in the program lifecycle, from design and development through deployment and operations.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server	The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol allows the server to assign IP addresses to computers and other devices that are enabled as DHCP clients, and to allow the server to lease IP addresses. By deploying a DHCP server on a network, you can automatically provide a valid IP address and other configuration parameters (called DHCP options) that are required for your computer and other TCP/IP network devices, which allow them to connect to other network resources, such as DNS servers, WINS servers, and routers 。
DNS Server	The Domain Name System (DNS) provides a standard way to associate names with Internet digital addresses. This allows a user to access a network computer using a name that is easily remembered instead of a long string of digits. On Windows, you can integrate Windows DNS Services and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) services so that you do not need to add DNS records when you add a computer to a network.
Fax Server	Fax servers can send and receive faxes, and allow you to manage fax resources on this computer or on the network, such as jobs, settings, reports, and fax devices.
File Services	File services provide technologies for storage management, file replication, distributed namespace management, fast file searching, and simplified client file access.
Windows server® Virtualization	Windows Server Virtualization provides services that you can use to create and manage virtual machines and their resources. Each virtual machine is a virtualized computer system that runs in a standalone execution environment. This allows you to run multiple operating systems at the same time.
Network Policy and access services	Network Policy and access services provide a variety of ways to provide users with local and remote network connections and connections to network segments, and allow network administrators to centrally manage network access and client health policies. With network access services, you can deploy VPN servers, dial-up servers, routers, and wireless access protected by 802.11. You can also deploy RADIUS servers and agents and create remote access profiles that allow client computers to connect to the network by using the Connection Manager Administration Tool package.
Print Service	You can use Print services to manage print servers and printers. The print server can reduce management workloads by centralizing printer management tasks.
Terminal Services	Terminal Services provides technology that allows users to access windows-based programs installed on a terminal server from virtually any computing device, or access the Windows desktop itself. Users can connect to a terminal server to run programs and use network resources on that server.
Common description, Discovery, and Integration Services	Common description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) services for sharing information about WEB services within an organization's intranet, between business partners on the Extranet, and across the Internet. UDDI services improve the productivity of developers and IT professionals through more reliable and manageable applications. UDDI services can avoid duplication of effort by increasing the reuse of existing development efforts.
Web Server (IIS)	You can use Web Server (IIS) to share information on the Internet, Intranet, or Extranet. It is a unified Web platform that integrates IIS 7.0, ASP.net, and Windows communication Foundation. IIS 7.0 also features security enhancements, diagnostics simplification, and delegation management.
Windows Deployment Services	You can use Windows Deployment Services to remotely install and configure the Microsoft Windows operating system on a computer with a pre-boot execution Environment (PXE) boot ROM. WDSMGMT the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in manages all aspects of Windows deployment Services, and implementing this snap-in reduces administrative overhead. The Windows Deployment Service can also provide end users with an experience that is consistent with the use of Windows Installer.