Introduction 

 

This blog post covers the changes in the list of Roles, Role Services and Features from Windows Server 2008 (with Service Pack 2) to Windows Server 2008 R2 (used the latest RC build available to me). To create the tables and lists below, I installed both operating systems, used the "ServerManagerCmd -query" command and did some editing of the resulting text to provide a side-by-side comparison. Please note that I based the "New", "Renamed" or "Removed" marks based on the output of the commands, nothing else. The ">" in the beginning of the items' names indicates the indentation level.

Obviously, there's much more to Roles, Role Services and Features than their names. Many of the items that exist in both versions were deeply improved in Windows Server 2008 R2, but you will not find that type of change here. If you look at Hyper-V, for instance, the changes are truly impressive, but the lists below do not capture that. For those details, you should look at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2.aspx and the Reviewers Guide at http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/2/1/F2146213-4AC0-4C50-B69A-12428FF0B077/Windows_Server_2008_R2_Reviewers_Guide_(RC).doc

 

Table Comparing Roles and Role Services 

 

 Windows Server 2008 Roles and Role Services Changes Windows Server 2008 R2 Roles and Role Services
Active Directory Certificate Services  [AD-Certificate]   Active Directory Certificate Services  [AD-Certificate]
>Certification Authority  [ADCS-Cert-Authority]   >Certification Authority  [ADCS-Cert-Authority]
>Certification Authority Web Enrollment  [ADCS-Web-Enrollment]   >Certification Authority Web Enrollment  [ADCS-Web-Enrollment]
>Online Responder  [ADCS-Online-Cert]   >Online Responder  [ADCS-Online-Cert]
>Network Device Enrollment Service  [ADCS-Device-Enrollment]   >Network Device Enrollment Service  [ADCS-Device-Enrollment]
  New >Certificate Enrollment Web Service  [ADCS-Enroll-Web-Svc]
  New >Certificate Enrollment Policy Web Service  [ADCS-Enroll-Web-Pol]
Active Directory Domain Services   Active Directory Domain Services  [AD-Domain-Services]
>Active Directory Domain Controller  [ADDS-Domain-Controller]   >Active Directory Domain Controller  [ADDS-Domain-Controller]
>Identity Management for UNIX  [ADDS-Identity-Mgmt]   >Identity Management for UNIX  [ADDS-Identity-Mgmt]
>>Server for Network Information Services  [ADDS-NIS]   >>Server for Network Information Services  [ADDS-NIS]
>>Password Synchronization  [ADDS-Password-Sync]   >>Password Synchronization  [ADDS-Password-Sync]
>>Administration Tools  [ADDS-IDMU-Tools]   >>Administration Tools  [ADDS-IDMU-Tools]
Active Directory Federation Services   Active Directory Federation Services  [AD-Federation-Services]
>Federation Service  [ADFS-Federation]   >Federation Service  [ADFS-Federation]
>Federation Service Proxy  [ADFS-Proxy]   >Federation Service Proxy  [ADFS-Proxy]
>AD FS Web Agents  [ADFS-Web-Agents]   >AD FS Web Agents  [ADFS-Web-Agents]
>>Claims-aware Agent  [ADFS-Claims]   >>Claims-aware Agent  [ADFS-Claims]
>>Windows Token-based Agent  [ADFS-Windows-Token]   >>Windows Token-based Agent  [ADFS-Windows-Token]
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services  [ADLDS]   Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services  [ADLDS]
Active Directory Rights Management Services   Active Directory Rights Management Services  [ADRMS]
>Active Directory Rights Management Server   >Active Directory Rights Management Server  [ADRMS-Server]
>Identity Federation Support   >Identity Federation Support  [ADRMS-Identity]
Application Server  [Application-Server]   Application Server  [Application-Server]
>Application Server Foundation  [AS-AppServer-Foundation]   >.NET Framework 3.5.1  [AS-NET-Framework]
>Web Server (IIS) Support  [AS-Web-Support]   >Web Server (IIS) Support  [AS-Web-Support]
>COM>Network Access  [AS-Ent-Services]   >COM>Network Access  [AS-Ent-Services]
>TCP Port Sharing  [AS-TCP-Port-Sharing]   >TCP Port Sharing  [AS-TCP-Port-Sharing]
>Windows Process Activation Service Support  [AS-WAS-Support]   >Windows Process Activation Service Support  [AS-WAS-Support]
>>HTTP Activation  [AS-HTTP-Activation]   >>HTTP Activation  [AS-HTTP-Activation]
>>Message Queuing Activation  [AS-MSMQ-Activation]   >>Message Queuing Activation  [AS-MSMQ-Activation]
>>TCP Activation  [AS-TCP-Activation]   >>TCP Activation  [AS-TCP-Activation]
>>Named Pipes Activation  [AS-Named-Pipes]   >>Named Pipes Activation  [AS-Named-Pipes]
>Distributed Transactions  [AS-Dist-Transaction]   >Distributed Transactions  [AS-Dist-Transaction]
>>Incoming Remote Transactions  [AS-Incoming-Trans]   >>Incoming Remote Transactions  [AS-Incoming-Trans]
>>Outgoing Remote Transactions  [AS-Outgoing-Trans]   >>Outgoing Remote Transactions  [AS-Outgoing-Trans]
>>WS-Atomic Transactions  [AS-WS-Atomic]   >>WS-Atomic Transactions  [AS-WS-Atomic]
DHCP Server  [DHCP]   DHCP Server  [DHCP]
DNS Server  [DNS]   DNS Server  [DNS]
Fax Server  [Fax]   Fax Server  [Fax]
File Services   File Services  [File-Services]
>File Server  [FS-FileServer]   >File Server  [FS-FileServer]
>Distributed File System  [FS-DFS]   >Distributed File System  [FS-DFS]
>>DFS Namespaces  [FS-DFS-Namespace]   >>DFS Namespaces  [FS-DFS-Namespace]
>>DFS Replication  [FS-DFS-Replication]   >>DFS Replication  [FS-DFS-Replication]
>File Server Resource Manager  [FS-Resource-Manager]   >File Server Resource Manager  [FS-Resource-Manager]
>Services for Network File System  [FS-NFS-Services]   >Services for Network File System  [FS-NFS-Services]
>Windows Search Service  [FS-Search-Service]   >Windows Search Service  [FS-Search-Service]
>Windows Server 2003 File Services  [FS-Win2003-Services]   >Windows Server 2003 File Services  [FS-Win2003-Services]
>>File Replication Service  [FS-Replication] Removed  
>>Indexing Service  [FS-Indexing-Service]   >>Indexing Service  [FS-Indexing-Service]
  New >BranchCache for network files  [FS-BranchCache]
Hyper-V  [Hyper-V]   Hyper-V  [Hyper-V]
Network Policy and Access Services  [NPAS]   Network Policy and Access Services  [NPAS]
>Network Policy Server  [NPAS-Policy-Server]   >Network Policy Server  [NPAS-Policy-Server]
>Routing and Remote Access Services  [NPAS-RRAS-Services]   >Routing and Remote Access Services  [NPAS-RRAS-Services]
>>Remote Access Service  [NPAS-RRAS]   >>Remote Access Service  [NPAS-RRAS]
>>Routing  [NPAS-Routing]   >>Routing  [NPAS-Routing]
>Health Registration Authority  [NPAS-Health]   >Health Registration Authority  [NPAS-Health]
>Host Credential Authorization Protocol  [NPAS-Host-Cred]   >Host Credential Authorization Protocol  [NPAS-Host-Cred]
Print Services  [Print-Services]   Print and Document Services  [Print-Services]
>Print Server  [Print-Server]   >Print Server  [Print-Server]
>LPD Service  [Print-LPD-Service]   >LPD Service  [Print-LPD-Service]
>Internet Printing  [Print-Internet]   >Internet Printing  [Print-Internet]
  New >Distributed Scan Server  [Print-Scan-Server]
Terminal Services  [Terminal-Services] Renamed Remote Desktop Services  [Remote-Desktop-Services]
>Terminal Server  [TS-Terminal-Server] Renamed >Remote Desktop Session Host  [RDS-RD-Server]
  New >Remote Desktop Virtualization Host  [RDS-Virtualization]
>TS Licensing  [TS-Licensing] Renamed >Remote Desktop Licensing  [RDS-Licensing]
>TS Session Broker  [TS-Session-Broker] Renamed >Remote Desktop Connection Broker  [RDS-Connection-Broker]
>TS Gateway  [TS-Gateway] Renamed >Remote Desktop Gateway  [RDS-Gateway]
>TS Web Access  [TS-Web-Access] Renamed >Remote Desktop Web Access  [RDS-Web-Access]
UDDI Services Removed  
>UDDI Services Database Removed  
>UDDI Services Web Application Removed  
Web Server (IIS)  [Web-Server]   Web Server (IIS)  [Web-Server]
>Web Server  [Web-WebServer]   >Web Server  [Web-WebServer]
>>Common HTTP Features  [Web-Common-Http]   >>Common HTTP Features  [Web-Common-Http]
>>>Static Content  [Web-Static-Content]   >>>Static Content  [Web-Static-Content]
>>>Default Document  [Web-Default-Doc]   >>>Default Document  [Web-Default-Doc]
>>>Directory Browsing  [Web-Dir-Browsing]   >>>Directory Browsing  [Web-Dir-Browsing]
>>>HTTP Errors  [Web-Http-Errors]   >>>HTTP Errors  [Web-Http-Errors]
>>>HTTP Redirection  [Web-Http-Redirect]   >>>HTTP Redirection  [Web-Http-Redirect]
  New >>>WebDAV Publishing  [Web-DAV-Publishing]
>>Application Development  [Web-App-Dev]   >>Application Development  [Web-App-Dev]
>>>ASP.NET  [Web-Asp-Net]   >>>ASP.NET  [Web-Asp-Net]
>>>.NET Extensibility  [Web-Net-Ext]   >>>.NET Extensibility  [Web-Net-Ext]
>>>ASP  [Web-ASP]   >>>ASP  [Web-ASP]
>>>CGI  [Web-CGI]   >>>CGI  [Web-CGI]
>>>ISAPI Extensions  [Web-ISAPI-Ext]   >>>ISAPI Extensions  [Web-ISAPI-Ext]
>>>ISAPI Filters  [Web-ISAPI-Filter]   >>>ISAPI Filters  [Web-ISAPI-Filter]
>>>Server Side Includes  [Web-Includes]   >>>Server Side Includes  [Web-Includes]
>>Health and Diagnostics  [Web-Health]   >>Health and Diagnostics  [Web-Health]
>>>HTTP Logging  [Web-Http-Logging]   >>>HTTP Logging  [Web-Http-Logging]
>>>Logging Tools  [Web-Log-Libraries]   >>>Logging Tools  [Web-Log-Libraries]
>>>Request Monitor  [Web-Request-Monitor]   >>>Request Monitor  [Web-Request-Monitor]
>>>Tracing  [Web-Http-Tracing]   >>>Tracing  [Web-Http-Tracing]
>>>Custom Logging  [Web-Custom-Logging]   >>>Custom Logging  [Web-Custom-Logging]
>>>ODBC Logging  [Web-ODBC-Logging]   >>>ODBC Logging  [Web-ODBC-Logging]
>>Security  [Web-Security]   >>Security  [Web-Security]
>>>Basic Authentication  [Web-Basic-Auth]   >>>Basic Authentication  [Web-Basic-Auth]
>>>Windows Authentication  [Web-Windows-Auth]   >>>Windows Authentication  [Web-Windows-Auth]
>>>Digest Authentication  [Web-Digest-Auth]   >>>Digest Authentication  [Web-Digest-Auth]
>>>Client Certificate Mapping Authentication  [Web-Client-Auth]   >>>Client Certificate Mapping Authentication  [Web-Client-Auth]
>>>IIS Client Certificate Mapping Authentication  [Web-Cert-Auth]   >>>IIS Client Certificate Mapping Authentication  [Web-Cert-Auth]
>>>URL Authorization  [Web-Url-Auth]   >>>URL Authorization  [Web-Url-Auth]
>>>Request Filtering  [Web-Filtering]   >>>Request Filtering  [Web-Filtering]
>>>IP and Domain Restrictions  [Web-IP-Security]   >>>IP and Domain Restrictions  [Web-IP-Security]
>>Performance  [Web-Performance]   >>Performance  [Web-Performance]
>>>Static Content Compression  [Web-Stat-Compression]   >>>Static Content Compression  [Web-Stat-Compression]
>>>Dynamic Content Compression  [Web-Dyn-Compression]   >>>Dynamic Content Compression  [Web-Dyn-Compression]
>Management Tools  [Web-Mgmt-Tools]   >Management Tools  [Web-Mgmt-Tools]
>>IIS Management Console  [Web-Mgmt-Console]   >>IIS Management Console  [Web-Mgmt-Console]
>>IIS Management Scripts and Tools  [Web-Scripting-Tools]   >>IIS Management Scripts and Tools  [Web-Scripting-Tools]
>>Management Service  [Web-Mgmt-Service]   >>Management Service  [Web-Mgmt-Service]
>>IIS 6 Management Compatibility  [Web-Mgmt-Compat]   >>IIS 6 Management Compatibility  [Web-Mgmt-Compat]
>>>IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility  [Web-Metabase]   >>>IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility  [Web-Metabase]
>>>IIS 6 WMI Compatibility  [Web-WMI]   >>>IIS 6 WMI Compatibility  [Web-WMI]
>>>IIS 6 Scripting Tools  [Web-Lgcy-Scripting]   >>>IIS 6 Scripting Tools  [Web-Lgcy-Scripting]
>>>IIS 6 Management Console  [Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console]   >>>IIS 6 Management Console  [Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console]
>FTP Publishing Service  [Web-Ftp-Publishing]   >FTP Server  [Web-Ftp-Server]
>>FTP Server  [Web-Ftp-Server]   >>FTP Service  [Web-Ftp-Service]
>>FTP Management Console  [Web-Ftp-Mgmt-Console]   >>FTP Extensibility  [Web-Ftp-Ext]
  New >IIS Hostable Web Core  [Web-WHC]
Windows Deployment Services  [WDS]   Windows Deployment Services  [WDS]
>Deployment Server  [WDS-Deployment]   >Deployment Server  [WDS-Deployment]
>Transport Server  [WDS-Transport]   >Transport Server  [WDS-Transport]
Windows Server Update Services   Windows Server Update Services  [OOB-WSUS]

 

Table Comparing Features

 

Windows Server 2008 Features Changes Windows Server 2008 R2 Features
.NET Framework 3.0 Features  [NET-Framework]   .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features  [NET-Framework]
>.NET Framework 3.0  [NET-Framework-Core]   >.NET Framework 3.5.1  [NET-Framework-Core]
>XPS Viewer  [NET-XPS-Viewer] Renamed XPS Viewer  [XPS-Viewer]
>WCF Activation  [NET-Win-CFAC]   >WCF Activation  [NET-Win-CFAC]
>>HTTP Activation  [NET-HTTP-Activation]   >>HTTP Activation  [NET-HTTP-Activation]
>>Non-HTTP Activation  [NET-Non-HTTP-Activ]   >>Non-HTTP Activation  [NET-Non-HTTP-Activ]
BITS Server Extensions  [BITS]   Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)  [BITS]
  New >Compact Server  [BITS-Compact-Server]
  New >IIS Server Extension  [BITS-IIS-Ext]
BitLocker Drive Encryption  [BitLocker]   BitLocker Drive Encryption  [BitLocker]
  New BranchCache  [BranchCache]
Connection Manager Administration Kit  [CMAK]   Connection Manager Administration Kit  [CMAK]
Desktop Experience  [Desktop-Experience]   Desktop Experience  [Desktop-Experience]
  New DirectAccess Management Console  [DAMC]
Failover Clustering  [Failover-Clustering]   Failover Clustering  [Failover-Clustering]
Group Policy Management  [GPMC]   Group Policy Management  [GPMC]
  New Ink and Handwriting Services  [Ink-Handwriting]
  New >Ink Support  [IH-Ink-Support]
  New >Handwriting Recognition  [IH-Handwriting]
Internet Printing Client  [Internet-Print-Client]   Internet Printing Client  [Internet-Print-Client]
Internet Storage Name Server  [ISNS]   Internet Storage Name Server  [ISNS]
LPR Port Monitor  [LPR-Port-Monitor]   LPR Port Monitor  [LPR-Port-Monitor]
Message Queuing  [MSMQ]   Message Queuing  [MSMQ]
>Message Queuing Services  [MSMQ-Services]   >Message Queuing Services  [MSMQ-Services]
>>Message Queuing Server  [MSMQ-Server]   >>Message Queuing Server  [MSMQ-Server]
>>Directory Service Integration  [MSMQ-Directory]   >>Directory Service Integration  [MSMQ-Directory]
>>Message Queuing Triggers  [MSMQ-Triggers]   >>Message Queuing Triggers  [MSMQ-Triggers]
>>HTTP Support  [MSMQ-HTTP-Support]   >>HTTP Support  [MSMQ-HTTP-Support]
>>Multicasting Support  [MSMQ-Multicasting]   >>Multicasting Support  [MSMQ-Multicasting]
>>Routing Service  [MSMQ-Routing]   >>Routing Service  [MSMQ-Routing]
>Windows 2000 Client Support  [MSMQ-Win2000] Removed  
>Message Queuing DCOM Proxy  [MSMQ-DCOM]   >Message Queuing DCOM Proxy  [MSMQ-DCOM]
Multipath I/O  [Multipath-IO]   Multipath I/O  [Multipath-IO]
Network Load Balancing  [NLB]   Network Load Balancing  [NLB]
Peer Name Resolution Protocol  [PNRP]   Peer Name Resolution Protocol  [PNRP]
Quality Windows Audio Video Experience  [qWave]   Quality Windows Audio Video Experience  [qWave]
Remote Assistance  [Remote-Assistance]   Remote Assistance  [Remote-Assistance]
Remote Differential Compression  [RDC]   Remote Differential Compression  [RDC]
Remote Server Administration Tools  [RSAT]   Remote Server Administration Tools  [RSAT]
>Role Administration Tools  [RSAT-Role-Tools]   >Role Administration Tools  [RSAT-Role-Tools]
>>Active Directory Certificate Services Tools  [RSAT-ADCS]   >>Active Directory Certificate Services Tools  [RSAT-ADCS]
>>>Certification Authority Tools  [RSAT-ADCS-Mgmt]   >>>Certification Authority Tools  [RSAT-ADCS-Mgmt]
>>>Online Responder Tools  [RSAT-Online-Responder]   >>>Online Responder Tools  [RSAT-Online-Responder]
>>Active Directory Domain Services Tools  [RSAT-ADDS]   >>AD DS and AD LDS Tools  [RSAT-AD-Tools]
>>>Active Directory Domain Controller Tools  [RSAT-ADDC]   >>>AD DS Tools  [RSAT-ADDS]
  New >>>>AD DS Snap-Ins and Command-Line Tools  [RSAT-ADDS-Tools]
  New >>>>Active Directory Administrative Center  [RSAT-AD-AdminCenter]
>>>Server for NIS Tools  [RSAT-SNIS]   >>>>Server for NIS Tools  [RSAT-SNIS]
>>Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services Tools  [RSAT-ADLDS]   >>>AD LDS Snap-Ins and Command-Line Tools  [RSAT-ADLDS]
  New >>>Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell  [RSAT-AD-PowerShell]
>>Active Directory Rights Management Services Tools  [RSAT-RMS]   >>Active Directory Rights Management Services Tools  [RSAT-RMS]
>>DHCP Server Tools  [RSAT-DHCP]   >>DHCP Server Tools  [RSAT-DHCP]
>>DNS Server Tools  [RSAT-DNS-Server]   >>DNS Server Tools  [RSAT-DNS-Server]
>>Fax Server Tools  [RSAT-Fax]   >>Fax Server Tools  [RSAT-Fax]
>>File Services Tools  [RSAT-File-Services]   >>File Services Tools  [RSAT-File-Services]
>>>Distributed File System Tools  [RSAT-DFS-Mgmt-Con]   >>>Distributed File System Tools  [RSAT-DFS-Mgmt-Con]
>>>File Server Resource Manager Tools  [RSAT-FSRM-Mgmt]   >>>File Server Resource Manager Tools  [RSAT-FSRM-Mgmt]
>>>Services for Network File System Tools  [RSAT-NFS-Admin]   >>>Services for Network File System Tools  [RSAT-NFS-Admin]
>>Hyper-V Tools  [RSAT-Hyper-V]   >>Hyper-V Tools  [RSAT-Hyper-V]
>>Network Policy and Access Services Tools  [RSAT-NPAS]   >>Network Policy and Access Services Tools  [RSAT-NPAS]
>>Print Services Tools  [RSAT-Print-Services]   >>Print and Document Services Tools  [RSAT-Print-Services]
>>Terminal Services Tools  [RSAT-TS] Renamed >>Remote Desktop Services Tools  [RSAT-RDS]
>>>Terminal Server Tools  [RSAT-TS-RemoteApp] Renamed >>>Remote Desktop Session Host Tools  [RSAT-RDS-RemoteApp]
>>>TS Gateway Tools  [RSAT-TS-Gateway] Renamed >>>Remote Desktop Gateway Tools  [RSAT-RDS-Gateway]
>>>TS Licensing Tools  [RSAT-TS-Licensing] Renamed >>>Remote Desktop Licensing Tools  [RSAT-RDS-Licensing]
  New >>>Remote Desktop Connection Broker Tools  [RSAT-RDS-Conn-Broker]
>>UDDI Services Tools  [RSAT-UDDI] Removed  
>>Web Server (IIS) Tools  [RSAT-Web-Server]   >>Web Server (IIS) Tools  [RSAT-Web-Server]
>>Windows Deployment Services Tools  [RSAT-WDS]   >>Windows Deployment Services Tools  [RSAT-WDS]
>Feature Administration Tools  [RSAT-Feature-Tools]   >Feature Administration Tools  [RSAT-Feature-Tools]
>>BitLocker Drive Encryption Tools  [RSAT-BitLocker]   >>BitLocker Drive Encryption Administration Utilities  [RSAT-BitLocker]
  New >>>BitLocker Drive Encryption Tools  [RSAT-Bitlocker-DriveEnc]
  New >>>BitLocker Recovery Password Viewer  [RSAT-Bitlocker-RecPwd]
>>BITS Server Extensions Tools  [RSAT-Bits-Server]   >>BITS Server Extensions Tools  [RSAT-Bits-Server]
>>Failover Clustering Tools  [RSAT-Clustering]   >>Failover Clustering Tools  [RSAT-Clustering]
>>Network Load Balancing Tools  [RSAT-NLB]   >>Network Load Balancing Tools  [RSAT-NLB]
>>SMTP Server Tools  [RSAT-SMTP]   >>SMTP Server Tools  [RSAT-SMTP]
>>WINS Server Tools  [RSAT-WINS]   >>WINS Server Tools  [RSAT-WINS]
Removable Storage Manager  [Removable-Storage] Removed  
RPC over HTTP Proxy  [RPC-over-HTTP-Proxy]   RPC over HTTP Proxy  [RPC-over-HTTP-Proxy]
Simple TCP/IP Services  [Simple-TCPIP]   Simple TCP/IP Services  [Simple-TCPIP]
SMTP Server  [SMTP-Server]   SMTP Server  [SMTP-Server]
SNMP Services  [SNMP-Services]   SNMP Services  [SNMP-Services]
>SNMP Service  [SNMP-Service]   >SNMP Service  [SNMP-Service]
>SNMP WMI Provider  [SNMP-WMI-Provider]   >SNMP WMI Provider  [SNMP-WMI-Provider]
Storage Manager for SANs  [Storage-Mgr-SANS]   Storage Manager for SANs  [Storage-Mgr-SANS]
Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications  [Subsystem-UNIX-Apps]   Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications  [Subsystem-UNIX-Apps]
Telnet Client  [Telnet-Client]   Telnet Client  [Telnet-Client]
Telnet Server  [Telnet-Server]   Telnet Server  [Telnet-Server]
TFTP Client  [TFTP-Client]   TFTP Client  [TFTP-Client]
  New Windows Biometric Framework  [Biometric-Framework]
Windows Internal Database  [Windows-Internal-DB]   Windows Internal Database  [Windows-Internal-DB]
Windows PowerShell  [PowerShell] Integrated  
  New Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE)  [PowerShell-ISE]
Windows Process Activation Service  [WAS]   Windows Process Activation Service  [WAS]
>Process Model  [WAS-Process-Model]   >Process Model  [WAS-Process-Model]
>.NET Environment  [WAS-NET-Environment]   >.NET Environment  [WAS-NET-Environment]
>Configuration APIs  [WAS-Config-APIs]   >Configuration APIs  [WAS-Config-APIs]
Windows Server Backup Features  [Backup-Features]   Windows Server Backup Features  [Backup-Features]
>Windows Server Backup  [Backup]   >Windows Server Backup  [Backup]
>Command-line Tools  [Backup-Tools]   >Command-line Tools  [Backup-Tools]
  New Windows Server Migration Tools  [Migration]
Windows System Resource Manager  [WSRM]   Windows System Resource Manager  [WSRM]
  New Windows TIFF IFilter  [TIFF-IFilter]
  New WinRM IIS Extension  [WinRM-IIS-Ext]
WINS Server  [WINS-Server]   WINS Server  [WINS-Server]
Wireless LAN Service  [Wireless-Networking]   Wireless LAN Service  [Wireless-Networking]

 

Lists Comparing Roles and Role Services 

 

New Roles, Role Services

  • >Certificate Enrollment Web Service  [ADCS-Enroll-Web-Svc]
  • >Certificate Enrollment Policy Web Service  [ADCS-Enroll-Web-Pol]
  • >BranchCache for network files  [FS-BranchCache]
  • >Distributed Scan Server  [Print-Scan-Server]
  • >Remote Desktop Virtualization Host  [RDS-Virtualization]
  • >>>WebDAV Publishing  [Web-DAV-Publishing]
  • >IIS Hostable Web Core  [Web-WHC]

Renamed Roles and Role Services

  • Remote Desktop Services  [Remote-Desktop-Services] (Jose: RDS used to be called Terminal Services)
  • >Remote Desktop Session Host  [RDS-RD-Server]
  • >Remote Desktop Licensing  [RDS-Licensing]
  • >Remote Desktop Connection Broker  [RDS-Connection-Broker]
  • >Remote Desktop Gateway  [RDS-Gateway]
  • >Remote Desktop Web Access  [RDS-Web-Access]

Removed Roles and Role Services

  • >>File Replication Service  [FS-Replication]  (Jose: Use DFS-Replication instead. FRS can only be used for specific SYSVOL replication scenarios, see details at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754297.aspx)
  • UDDI Services
  • >UDDI Services Database
  • >UDDI Services Web Application

 

Lists Comparing Features

 

New Features

  • >Compact Server  [BITS-Compact-Server]
  • >IIS Server Extension  [BITS-IIS-Ext]
  • BranchCache  [BranchCache]
  • DirectAccess Management Console  [DAMC]
  • Ink and Handwriting Services  [Ink-Handwriting]
  • >Ink Support  [IH-Ink-Support]
  • >Handwriting Recognition  [IH-Handwriting]
  • >>>>AD DS Snap-Ins and Command-Line Tools  [RSAT-ADDS-Tools]
  • >>>>Active Directory Administrative Center  [RSAT-AD-AdminCenter]
  • >>>Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell  [RSAT-AD-PowerShell]
  • >>>Remote Desktop Connection Broker Tools  [RSAT-RDS-Conn-Broker]
  • >>>BitLocker Drive Encryption Tools  [RSAT-Bitlocker-DriveEnc]
  • >>>BitLocker Recovery Password Viewer  [RSAT-Bitlocker-RecPwd]
  • Windows Biometric Framework  [Biometric-Framework]
  • Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE)  [PowerShell-ISE] (Jose: PowerShell itself is now integrated, this new feature is just the ISE)
  • Windows Server Migration Tools  [Migration]
  • Windows TIFF IFilter  [TIFF-IFilter]
  • WinRM IIS Extension  [WinRM-IIS-Ext]

Renamed Features

  • XPS Viewer  [XPS-Viewer] (Jose: Used to be under the .NET group, now is a separate feature)
  • >>Remote Desktop Services Tools  [RSAT-RDS] (Jose: RDS used to be called Terminal Services)
  • >>>Remote Desktop Session Host Tools  [RSAT-RDS-RemoteApp]
  • >>>Remote Desktop Gateway Tools  [RSAT-RDS-Gateway]
  • >>>Remote Desktop Licensing Tools  [RSAT-RDS-Licensing]

Removed Features

  • >Windows 2000 Client Support  [MSMQ-Win2000]
  • >>UDDI Services Tools  [RSAT-UDDI]
  • Removable Storage Manager  [Removable-Storage]

 

Conclusion

 

I hope this blog post has helped you better understand the changes in the list of Roles, Role Services and Features between Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. I encourage your to visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2.aspx to see more details on the changes in Windows Server 2008 R2, which go way beyond the names of the Roles, Role Services and Features.

Starting with Windows Server 2008 R2, the ServerManagerCmd command is deprecated. It still works, but you should use the new PowerShell cmdlets for feature management (Add-WindowsFeature, Remove-WindowsFeature and Get-WindowsFeature). You will need to use "Import-Module ServerManager" before using the Server Manager PowerShell cmdlets. Details at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732757.aspx