I am just starting to play with Server 2008. When running the following command; ServerManagerCmd -i Web-Server I get the following error: WriteError: Failed to write the log file: . Access to the path 'C:\Windows\logs\ServerManager.log' is denied. I've tried this from a CMD prompt and PowerShell. I get the same results from both. --Patrick

I was just able to make this work from the local Administrator account. It fails from my domain admin account. My account is a member of domain admins and that group is a member of the local Administrators group. What am I missing? Thanks, Patrick

Hello Patrick, You can make it work properly with local Administrator account while get a access denied error with users that as the member of the local Administrators group. It seems result from the UAC (user access control) to the built-in Administrator group. Under UAC, accounts in the local Administrators group have two access tokens, one with standard user privileges and one with administrator privileges. The following group policy in the [Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options] branch controls the UAC behavior. - User Account Control: Allow Approval Mode for the Built-in Administrator account default setting: Disable This means the local Administrator account will be always run with full administrative privilege. So you can run the command properly with the Adminstrator account. - User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Approval Mode default setting: Prompt to consent Try to change to "Prompt without prompting" and run servermanagercmd to check how it works. Meanwhile, if you do not want to change the default UAC settings, please logon as domain administrator, right click Command Prompt and click Run as administrator to elevate the permission.

I looked in GPMC and didn't see the settings you decribe. I think it is because I'm missing the ADM files for Server 2008. Where can I find them if that is the case? And how do I get email notifications to work? The Alert Me button is checked. Thanks much, Patrick

I've been doing some reading. I see that the ADM files are now ADMX (template) and ADML (language) files. Will these work from an XP SP2 machine? Do I need to go to Vista on my workstation to properly manage 2008 servers? --Patrick

Hello Patrick, Yes, the User Account Control settings for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 can't be managed by the Group Policy Editor in Window Server 2003. The Local policies--->security options depend on the snap-in extensions instead of the ADM or ADMX template files. ADM and ADMX template files can only add register-based settings to the Administrative Templates node. For this issue, you can run "gpedit.msc" to modify UAC related settings in the Local Computer Policy on Windows Server 2008. About the ADM and ADMX files in a mixed environment, we discuss it in the post below: "Best Practice" for migrating from ADM to ADMX? http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3262518&SiteID=17

I just had a similar error when trying to runServerManagerCmd -i RSAT-ADDS, I forgot to run the administrator command prompt, once I chose "Run as administrator" for the command prompt all was good. No need to disable UAC.-Dave