The acronym RSAT stands for Remote Server Administration Tools and designates the remote server administration tools offered by Windows. They allow administrators to take advantage of remote access to Windows servers to perform many of their tasks, such as installing software or managing roles or features.
What are the features of RSAT tools for Windows 10?
Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) are client-side server components offered by Windows. Administrators can thus remotely control and manage different Windows servers and computers. Please note: RSATs are only available as part of the Professional and Enterprise versions of Windows 10. In fact, it is not possible to install or activate RSATs with the Home, Standard and Education editions. In addition, RSAT tools can only be installed under Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022. Since October 2018, they are among the optional features of the Windows operating system, and simply activate them (in the case older versions of Windows 10, you should first update).
If users have the necessary administrator rights, RSAT gives them access to many features for their remote and routine administration tasks. This control usually occurs through a command prompt or graphical user interface (or GUI, for Graphic User Interface). The administrative tasks supported by RSATs include:
- deploying updates
- installing, removing or editing software and programs
- assigning or changing roles
- running services and features through remote desktop
- managing Windows-based networks by Active Directory
- managing user accounts and group policies
- configuring and monitoring servers, systems and applications
- control and management of DNS services, virtual private networks (VPNs) and file servers
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Enable RSAT for Windows 10: step-by-step instructions
If you are already using a Professional or Enterprise version, please note that it is no longer necessary to download RSAT from Windows 10. In fact, these Windows tools are now an integral part of your operating system. You just need to access the components available in the section of optional Windows featuresand activate them.
To do this, follow the different steps described below.
Install RSATs under Windows 10, from the graphical user interface
To activate the RSAT tools, the easiest way is to go through thewindows 10 graphical user interface. Since Windows 10 has included RSAT as an On-Demand feature, you can quickly enable the exact features you need.
- Access Windows Settings with the shortcut [touche Windows] + [i]or enter “Settings” in the Windows search bar.
- Once in the settings, select “ Applications “.
- Then click on “Optional Features”.
- You can now choose “Add an optional feature”, then “Show features”.
- A list of available optional Windows features is then displayed.
- To find RSATs, enter “RSAT” or “ Remote » in the search bar.
- All available RSAT tools then appear.
- Activate the tool that interests you by checking the corresponding box, then click “Next”.
Are you having problems installing your RSAT tools? Make sure you have administrator rights and delete your old RSAT files, if you have them.
Uninstall RSAT for Windows 10
To delete your RSATs, follow the following path: “Applications” > “Optional Features” > “Installed Features”. Then select the RSAT tools you want to uninstall. Before proceeding to uninstall the RSAT tool in question, however, check that it does not depend on an RSAT tool also installed. In case of dependency, you might face errors with auxiliary tools in case you uninstall an associated “parent” tool.
How to use RSAT tools in Windows 10?
You cannot manage a local client computer using RSAT tools. Indeed, you must always add one or more remote servers for the tool for this purpose. Your remote servers, just like your RSAT tools, can be administered from the Server Manager server pool. Want to know how to administer servers using Server Manager? Consult theWindows Learn article corresponding.
The available RSAT tools are displayed in the “Tools” menu of Windows Server Manager. To access the Server Manager console, use the following path: “Start” > “Applications” > “Management Tools” > “Server Manager”. You can also choose to open Command Prompt using the shortcut [touche Windows] + [R] ; Come in ” ServerManager » (Server Manager), then use the key [Entrée].
RSAT tools available for Windows 10
Below is a list of RSAT tools for Remote administrative management tasks on Windows devices and serversas well as the functionalities associated with it:
- tools for Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS), including trust authority, enterprise public key infrastructures, online responder management, and certificate templates
- tools for Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
- tools for Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS)
- Best Practice Analyzer
- administrative utilities for BitLocker drive encryption
- DHCP server tools
- DirectAccess, routing and remote access
- DNS server tools
- clustering tools with failover
- file services tools
- group policy management tools
- Hyper-V tools
- IP address management tools (IP Address ManagementIPAM)
- network adapter or network card (NIC) associations
- network controllers
- network load balancing tools
- tools for remote desktop services
- server managers
- volume activation solutions
- Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) tools
For the complete list and detailed description of the available tools, go to Microsoft Learn official website.
Important security aspects of RSATs
Using RSAT tools for centralized management of multiple servers and workstations can be very beneficial, especially for businesses; however, appropriate security measures should be taken for remote administrative management of critical data and systems. Indeed, if the cybersecurity solutions put in place are not sufficient, this can create vulnerabilities on the intranet. If hackers take control of administrative roles, they can, in critical cases, gain access to several areas crucial to the server structure. We therefore recommend that you consider the following security aspects when enabling and using remote server administration tools:
- accounts and groups with administrative rights and access to RSAT tools should be rigorously protected to prevent unauthorized access to servers via remote tools;
- For RSAT tasks, administrative hosts must be dedicated, reliable workstations with high access protection and two- or multi-factor authentication.
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Benefits of RSAT tools
Administrators who enable RSA tools can enjoy many benefits when it comes to remote management and control of Windows servers and services. As teleworking and Cloud computing become more and more popular over significant distances or internationally, it is today difficult to do without a remote toolbox, especially for business work. RSATs provide numerous administration features for servers and distributed computers, from a central interface. It is thus possible to run administration-related support services for several servers simultaneously. By saving time and effort, you can improve the security and efficiency of your operational processes by relying on server performance monitoring, process automation and role management.
