The MMC is an interface developed by Microsoft back in the days of Windows NT. This interface served as a basic foundation upon which many other tools could be added in (called a 'snap-in').
You might be most familiar with the MMC when you right-click 'My Computer'> 'Manage'.
However, if you administer a few different servers, need to delve into Active Directory and GPO settings, and do a variety of Windows-esque types of things... Much of this can feasibly be done within a single console. Of course, if you administer a LOT of servers, then this won't scale really well, but it is handy for your small to mid-size business support.I centralized all of my tools into a single MMC by doing the following:
Click 'Start'> 'Run', and type 'mmc.exe' in the 'Open' field. Click 'OK'. A blank MMC will appear.
From your new blank MMC, click on 'File'> 'Add/Remove Snap-in'.You should see a window like the one to the left...you don't have any Snap-ins added yet, so you won't see anything in this list.
But...
Click on 'Add...'
You should now be presented with a number of Snap-ins, ready for use.
NOTE: You may not see some snap-ins depending if you have the appropriate components installed. For example, to see the DNS or DHCP snap-ins, you must have the Windows Server Admin Pack installed (adminpak.msi found in the i386 folder of Windows Server)
Highlight any of the Snap-ins you wish to add, then click 'Add'. You should see each item appear in your main 'Add/Remove Snap-in' window as you go.Some Snap-ins have the ability to administer remote resources. For example, if you wish to run 'Computer Manager' against a remote server, select the Computer Manager Snap-in, click 'Add', and you will be prompted to type in a server name.
The same goes for Event Logs, Services, and other utilities (some let you pick a server to connect to from the right-click menu off of the main MMC console window).
Finally, you can assign your own icon, save the console, and even make it read-only so you don't accidentally hose it later on!
My favorite snap-in is 'Remote Desktops'. You can add a number of servers within this node, and easily view/log on to them without having to create individual sessions.
Here's a look at one of my creations...Note that I included the WSUS administrative console here (3.0).
Note: WSUS administrative console requires that you install MMC 3.0.
Links:
3 comments:
As you mentioned, in order to add Active Directory Users and Computers, you’ll need the Windows Server 2003 Administration Tools Pack.
If you don't have any Windows 2003 servers, you can download the AdminPak here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=C16AE515-C8F4-47EF-A1E4-A8DCBACFF8E3&displaylang=en
I created a shortcut so I can launch the entire MMC with my domain admin credentials. This is what the Target: field of my shortcut looks like:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\runas.exe /user:domain\my-admin-acct “mmc C:\Chris\Microsoft Management Consoles\Domain Management.msc”
Note: If you want to save your password so you don’t have to type it in every time you launch the MMC add /savecred right after /user:domain\my-admin-acct.
Thanks for the article, Rob. I stopped using my MMC a while back for whatever reason but now I'm definitely going to start using it more often.
Thanks for the comment, and the tip for the saved credentials...this is good info for those of us who have two accounts (lower privileged for day to day use, higher privileged for admin work).
maximillian_x,
I just rebuilt my laptop and unfortunately I didn't save my custom MMC. Since your article was my stepping stone for getting back on the MMC bandwagon I took a few notes along the way so I could easily recreate this again if I need to.
I apologize beforehand if I screw up your comments area with this. Feel free to edit/delete it if you need to.
===============
-----[ ABOUT
These are instructions for installing an MMC to manage a Windows 2000/2003 domain, Exchange 2003 server, client workstations, ...etc.
I'm going to assume the reader is running Windows XP SP2. Most of this software will not work with Vista and SP1 requires a different procedure. Also, make sure you read the requirements for each piece of software to make sure your system and, more importantly, your servers are compatible.
-----[ NOTES
If your machine is not on the domain you cannot install the following items:
* Exchange System Management Tools
* Group Policy Management Console
-----[ REFERENCES
http://maximillianx.blogspot.com/2007/06/tip-extending-power-of-your-management.html
-----[ INSTALL MMC AND COMPONENTS
* Install MMC 3.0. (1)
* Install Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Administration Tools Pack for x86 editions (2)
* Install IIS Snap-In component.
* Install Exchange System Management Tools. (3)
* Install .NET v1.1 Framework and updates. (4)(5)(6)
* Group Policy Management Console. (7)
-----[ ADD SNAP-INS
To start building your custom MMC, click on Start -> Run and type mmc and press ENTER. To install a Snap-In, click on File -> Add/Remove Snap-In and then click the Add button. You can't change the order of your Snap-Ins after you've selected them so make sure you install them in the order you prefer. Here are the ones I'm currently using (in my prefered order):
* Internet Information Services
* Active Directory Domains and Trusts
* Active Directory Sites and Services
* Active Directory Users and Computers
* Group Policy Object Editor
* Group Policy Management
* DHCP
* DNS
* Event Viewer
* Exchange System
* Exchange Message Tracking Center
* Computer Management
-----[ SAVE YOUR NEW MMC
Now that you've got your new MMC setup and configured the way you want click on File -> Save As to save it.
-----[ NON-ADMIN NOTES
To launch your new MMC with your domain admin credentials create a shortcut with this in the Target field:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\runas.exe /user:domain\my-admin-acct �mmc C:\Chris\Admin_Tools\Microsoft Management Consoles\Domain Management.msc�
Note: If you want to save your password so you don�t have to type it in every time you launch the MMC add /savecred right after /user:domain\my-admin-acct.
-----[ LINKS
(1) http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907265
(2) http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304718
(3) http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123850(EXCHG.65).aspx
(4) http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=262d25e3-f589-4842-8157-034d1e7cf3a3&DisplayLang=en
(5) http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a8f5654f-088e-40b2-bbdb-a83353618b38&DisplayLang=en
(6) http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=281fb2cd-c715-4f05-a01f-0455d2d9ebfb&DisplayLang=en
(7) http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/gpmc/default.mspx
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