What type of installation is right for you?

This topic describes the different installation options for Windows Admin Center, including installing on a Windows 10 PC or a Windows server for use by multiple admins. To install Windows Admin Center on a VM in Azure, see Deploy Windows Admin Center in Azure.

We don’t recommend using Windows Admin Center for local management of the same server on which it’s installed. To manage a server, use Windows Admin Center to connect to the server remotely from a management PC or other server.

Installation: Types

Local client	Gateway server	Managed server	Failover cluster
Install on a local Windows 10 client that has connectivity to the managed servers. Great for quick start, testing, ad-hoc or small scale scenarios.	Install on a designated gateway server and access from any client browser with connectivity to the gateway server. Great for large-scale scenarios.	Install directly on a managed server for the purpose of remotely managing the server or a cluster in which it’s a member node. Great for distributed scenarios.	Deploy in a failover cluster to enable high availability of the gateway service. Great for production environments to ensure resiliency of your management service.

Installation: Supported operating systems

You can install Windows Admin Center on the following Windows operating systems:

Platform	Installation mode
Windows 10	Local client
Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel	Gateway sever, managed server, failover cluster
Windows Server 2016	Gateway sever, managed server, failover cluster
Windows Server 2019	Gateway sever, managed server, failover cluster

To operating Windows Admin Center:

• In local client scenario: Launch the Windows Admin Center gateway from the Start menu and connect to it from a client web browser by accessing https://localhost:6516 .
• In other scenarios: Connect to the Windows Admin Center gateway on a different machine from a client browser via its URL, e.g., https://servername.contoso.com

Installing Windows Admin Center on a Domain controller is not supported. Read more about domain controller security best practices.

Installation: Supported web browsers

Microsoft Edge (including Microsoft Edge insider) and Google Chrome are tested and supported on Windows 10. Other web browsers—including Internet Explorer and Firefox—are not currently part of our test matrix and are therefore not officially supported. These browsers may have problems running Windows Admin Center. For example, Firefox has it’s own certificate store, so you must import the Windows Admin Center Client certificate into Firefox to use Windows Admin Center on Windows 10. For more details, see browser-specific known issues.

Management target: Supported operating systems

You can manage the following Windows operating systems using Windows Admin Center:

Version	Manage node via Server Manager	Manage via Cluster Manager
Windows 10	Yes (via Computer Management)	N/A
Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel	Yes	Yes
Windows Server 2019	Yes	Yes
Windows Server 2016	Yes	Yes, with latest cumulative update
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2016	Yes	Yes
Windows Server 2012 R2	Yes	Yes
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 R2	Yes	Yes
Windows Server 2012	Yes	Yes

Windows Admin Center requires PowerShell features that are not included in Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2. If you will manage these with Windows Admin Center, you will need to install Windows Management Framework (WMF) version 5.1 or higher on those servers.

Type $PSVersiontable in PowerShell to verify that WMF is installed, and that the version is 5.1 or higher.

If WMF is not installed, you can download WMF 5.1.

High availability

You can enable high availability of the gateway service by deploying Windows Admin Center in a active-passive model on a failover cluster. If one of the nodes in the cluster fails, Windows Admin Center gracefully fails over to another node, letting you continue managing the servers in your environment seamlessly.

Ready to install Windows Admin Center? Download now

Manually download Windows Subsystem for Linux distro packages

There are several scenarios in which you may not be able (or want) to, install WSL Linux distros via the Microsoft Store. Specifically, you may be running a Windows Server or Long-Term Servicing (LTSC) desktop OS SKU that doesn’t support Microsoft Store, or your corporate network policies and/or admins to not permit Microsoft Store usage in your environment.

In these cases, while WSL itself is available, how do you download and install Linux distros in WSL if you can’t access the store?

Note: Command-line shell environments including Cmd, PowerShell, and Linux/WSL distros are not permitted to run on Windows 10 S Mode. This restriction exists in order to ensure the integrity and safety goals that S Mode delivers: Read this post for more information.

Downloading distributions

If the Microsoft Store app is not available, you can download and manually install Linux distros by clicking these links:

This will cause the .appx packages to download to a folder of your choosing. Follow the installation instructions to install your downloaded distro(s).

Downloading distros via the command line

If you prefer, you can also download your preferred distro(s) via the command line:

Download using PowerShell

To download distros using PowerShell, use the Invoke-WebRequest cmdlet. Here’s a sample instruction to download Ubuntu 16.04.

If the download is taking a long time, turn off the progress bar by setting $ProgressPreference = ‘SilentlyContinue’

Download using curl

Windows 10 Spring 2018 Update (or later) includes the popular curl command-line utility with which you can invoke web requests (i.e. HTTP GET, POST, PUT, etc. commands) from the command line. You can use curl.exe to download the above distros:

In the above example, curl.exe is executed (not just curl ) to ensure that, in PowerShell, the real curl executable is invoked, not the PowerShell curl alias for Invoke-WebRequest

Note: Using curl might be preferable if you have to invoke/script download steps using Cmd shell and/or .bat / .cmd scripts.

Installing your distro

If you’re using Windows 10 you can install your distro with PowerShell. Simply navigate to folder containing the distro downloaded from above, and in that directory run the following command where app_name is the name of your distro .appx file.

If you are using Windows server, or run into problems running the command above you can find the alternate install instructions on the Windows Server documentation page to install the .appx file by changing it to a zip file.

Once your distribution is installed, follow the normal instructions to * Update from WSL 1 to WSL 2 or create a new user account and password.

How to Install Windows 10 from Network Boot (Via WDS Server)

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Introduction

This guide demos how to install Windows 10 from network boot.

The steps discussed in this guide is for Windows admins. If you are a home user, use the steps in How to Install Windows 10 from USB.

Steps to Install Windows 10 from Network

There are two high-level steps in this guide:

1. Install and Configure Windows Deployment Services (WDS) Server
2. Install Windows 10 from Network Boot (Via WDS)

Install and Configure Windows Deployment Services (WDS) Server

Before you can install Windows 10 from Network boot, you need a server with Windows 10 image. One way to make this available is to install and Configure a WDS Server.

Install Windows 10 from Network Boot (Via WDS)

Here are the steps to install Windows 10 from network:

• Boot your PC to BIOS and modify the boot sequence to boot from Network first. Save your changes and restart your PC.

• Depending on how the WDS server is configured, you will either receive this prompt – press Enter for network boot. Or the PC will boot straight to PXE. If you receive the prompt, click Enter.

• Your computer will initiate Windows 10 install via Windows Deployment Services. Confirm that the Locale and Keyboard layouts are correct. Then click Next.

• You will then be promoted to provide credentials to logon to the WDS Server. Enter the credentials in the DomainName\UserName format. Then type your password and click OK.

• If your credentials are correct, you will receive the option to select an Operating System to install. This is the list of the WDS install images configured on the Install Image node. Select one and click Next.

• To install windows 10 from network, select a hard drive to install Windows. Then click Next.

• The installation will start. Wait for Windows 10 setup to complete this phase.

• When setup completes this installation phase, your PC will restart.

• Then it will initiate the next install phase. The installer will stay on the Getting Ready screen for some time (See the second image below)..

• When the screen below loads, confirm the options are okay. Then click Next.

• If you receive this message, click Next.

• From this point, the installation is very straightforward.

Conclusion

I hope this guide was helpful. If you have a question or comment, use the “Leave a Reply” form found at the end of this guide.

For more Windows guides visit our Windows How To page.

How to Install Any Version of Windows from Other Network Computers

Talk about a complex thing to do: installing Windows over the network. Even installing it via a USB drive is simpler. However, this doesn’t mean it cannot be done. Using a free tool named Serva and a bit of time and attention, anyone can set up his/her network environment so that Windows installations are performed with ease, from one network computer. Here’s how the whole process works!

VERY IMPORTANT Prerequisites

There are many things you need to prepare beforehand, so that everything works smoothly. Please don’t skip any of these elements or the likelihood of failure will be high:

1. You need to download and extract a little tool named Serva. Download the appropriate version for your operating system (32-bit or 64-bit). You will notice that there are a “Non-Supporter” version and a “Supporter” version. The free one is the “Non-Supporter” version. It includes a small annoyance when you start it, plus a few limitations that won’t impact you unless you are a network admin or IT professional who needs to install lots of operating systems on many network computers. If you are such a professional, go ahead and purchase the “Supporter” version which costs a fair $29.99.
2. This software is a bit finicky. It doesn’t like long folder structures and installation folders, spaces and special characters. Therefore, extract it in a folder with a short name, directly on the root of one of your computer’s partitions. For example, I extracted it at “D:SERVA”. Choose a similar path on your computer.

Step 1 – Run Serva & Make Its Initial Configuration

Run Serva as administrator. The free version will ask you to wait for 7 seconds before you can use it. Once the wait is over, click “Thanks, not today”.

Its window is now open. Click Settings.

First, go to the DHCP tab. If your computers are part of the same network and the management of IP Addresses is taken care of by your router, enable these settings: proxyDHCP and BINL.

BINL is a special add-on that acts as a DHCP protocol extension and it is used by Serva during its preparation and maintenance procedures. proxyDHCP is a special setting that tells Serva that it doesn’t need to act as a DCHP server in order to provide IP addresses to the computers connecting to it.

Even though Serva’s developers don’t recommending enabling this setting, we have learned in our testing that it helps eliminate some issues. Therefore, also enable the box which says “Bind DHCP to this address” and leave the default IP address that is provided.

There is no need to modify other settings in this tab. Next, go to the TFTP tab.

TFTP comes from Trivial File Transfer Protocol and it is the protocol used by Serva to transfer files over the network. This protocol needs a bit of configuration as well.

First, check the box near TFTP Server. Then, you need to specify the so called “root” directory. This is the directory where you plan to store the Windows installation files. This folder can be the same folder where you extracted Serva or a new one. Keep in mind that you should use short paths and avoid using spaces and special characters (*, &, “, etc) in the directory name or its path.

To help eliminate problems in some networking environments, you might want to also check the box near “Bind TFTP to this address” and leave the default IP address unchanged.

Press OK to save your settings. Then close Serva and start it again (as administrator). During the restart, it will create a special folder structure in the root folder you specified.

Amongst those folders, you must find one named WIA_WDS and another named WIA_RIS. If they are not found inside the root folder you specified, something went wrong with Serva’s configuration. If all is well, go ahead and read the next section in this article.

Step 2 – Copy the Windows Installation Files

Go to the root folder you specified. Here, you need to copy the Windows installation files, as they are, without any modifications from your side.

If you want to install older versions of Windows like Windows XP or Windows 2000, you need to copy those files in the WIA_RIS folder. Since these operating systems are very old and we don’t recommend using them, we won’t provide specific instructions for them.

If you plan to install Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, then open the WIA_WDS folder. There, create a new folder named according to the Windows version you want to copy. Use simple folder names, with no spaces or special characters. For example, I used Windows_7.

Create separate folders, with different names for all the Windows versions you plan to install over the network, using Serva.

Inside that folder, copy and paste all the installation files for the Windows version you want to install over the network. Simply go to the root of the installation disc, and copy its entire file and folder structure.

Step 3 – Start Serva

Start Serva again, as administrator and wait for it to detect the installation files you added. It will create its special folder structure, required to distribute the installation files over the network.

Then, close Serva and go to the next step.

Step 4 – Copy the Network Card Driver(s)

Next, you need to copy the network card drivers for the computer(s) on which you want to install Windows.

Go the folder where you copied the installation files. In my case it was “D:serva” (both the root and Serva installation folder), followed by “WIA_WDSWindows_7”.

There, go to “$OEM$$1DriversNIC”. If you can’t find these folders, create them yourself.

Then, extract the network card drivers and place them inside. If your drivers come as a setup.exe or as a self-extractable archive, extract it first. Make sure the driver’s “.inf” and “.cat” files are stored directly in the NIC folder.

Step 5 – Share WIA_WDS Folder with the Network

In order for Serva to distribute the Windows installation files over the network, they need to be shared with the network, so that other computers can access them. Unfortunately, Serva requires you to share the WIA_WDS folder (and not its subfolders or other folders) using a very specific share name: WIA_WDS_SHARE. Using any other share name means that the installation procedure is likely to fail.

To share this folder with the name we mentioned, you first need to enable advanced sharing in Windows and then share it. Here’s how advanced sharing works in Windows: Share Libraries or Folders Using Advanced Sharing.

You must give the user Everyone read-only permissions. You can also share this folder with specific user accounts, whose login details you will use later on, during the network installation process. Again, read-only permissions are enough.

Step 6 – Start Serva

Start Serva again, using administrator permissions. It will detect the network drivers you added and make a few changes, so that the drivers are distributed correctly when you launch the installation process on other computers. You can now leave it open and waiting for network connections.

Next, go to the computer(s) where you want to install Windows.

Step 7 – On the Target PC – Enable Lan Booting & Boot from the Network

Go to the computer where you want to install Windows and enter its BIOS. Make sure networking booting is enabled. This setting can be named “Boot from the network” or “Boot from PXE”.

Then, start the computer and press the required key to bring up the Boot Menu. On most computers, you need to press F12 or F8, depending on the BIOS version. Select Network or PXE (again, this depends on your computer’s BIOS), to boot from the network, using Serva.

If all is well, you should see a screen similar to the one below, where the computer’s MAC is displayed and the network card requests an IP address via DHCP.

When the computer is connected to the network, Serva loads and displays a screen with the operating systems available for installation. Pick the one you want and press ENTER.

The installation files are loaded and a small window named ServaPENet is shown. At this step, Serva installs the network driver you added earlier, loads network resources and connects to the Windows installation folder. Depending on how you shared the WIA_WDS folder, it will ask you to provide a username and password to access it. Type the details of the user account you shared it with and connect.

If all went well, the Windows installation process is now started.

Step 8 – Install Windows Over the Network

Next, continue with the Windows installation, as usual. If you plan to install Windows 8, check this installation guide: How to Install Windows 8 RTM on Your Computer.

Troubleshooting Problems with Serva

If you don’t pay attention to all the steps in this procedure, some things are likely to fail. Here are some things we learned while experimenting with this tool:

• If ServaPENet returns this error: “Failed No NIC/Driver, Aborting!”, it means that you forgot to copy the network card drivers as instructed at Step 4. If you copied them and you still get the error, double check that you have the correct driver for the network card of the computer where you want to install Windows, for the Windows version you are about to install. Also, double check that you copied it to the correct folder. Then, restart Serva to make sure it detects the driver before the network installation procedure starts.
• If, on the target computer, Serva is not able to load at all over the network, consider enabling the “Bind DHCP to this address” and “Bind TFTP to this address” settings in the DHCP and TFTP tabs.
• If you connected two computers directly, with a crossover cable, you need to set Serva as DHCP server, in order for everything to work. This means setting the 1st address available in the IP pool, the pool size, and the subnet mask to be used when Serva assigns IP addresses.

Another good tip is to restart Serva every time you change any of its settings and every time you add something to its root folder.

Since we are not the developers of this software, we cannot provide support for it and help you with all the issues you might encounter. If our guide does not help you, then double check Serva’s documentation – Serva PXE/BINL – AN01: Windows Install and advanced configuration guide – Advanced Topics on TFTP.

Conclusion

As you can see from this guide, setting things up with Serva requires quite a bit of time and attention. However, it is the simplest way of installing any modern version of Windows over the network. It works great both for home networks and small or medium sized business networks.

If you know other useful tools for installing Windows over the network, don’t hesitate to share them using the comments form below.