Windows Admin Center version 2410 is now in Public Preview!

Announcing Public Preview of Windows Admin Center v2410

Windows Admin Center provides a convenient method for IT admins to investigate and manage their Windows Servers. Over the last seven years, one of the top customer requests has been performance. With this release, we are ensuring that we deliver the solution that customers desire. This release marks a new era for Windows Admin Center as the platform for the future, bringing efficiency and convenience to you while bridging the gap in feature parity for virtual machine management.   

This 2410 preview release builds on top of the latest modernized gateway Public Preview build that was released July 29th. This build comes with new additions to the virtual machines tool and bug fixes.   

As always, thank you to our customers, partners, and fans. Your continued support of Windows Admin Center has been critical to its continued success. 

A couple important notes on this preview version of Windows Admin Center: 

• This build is a preview version and is not recommended for installation in production environments. 

• This preview version cannot install side-by-side with the last GA release (version 2311) or any of the previous releases. Once you install this build and migrate your user data and environment configurations, you will not be able to go back. 

• Any users utilizing a high availability (HA) setup should not install this preview version with the intent to use HA. HA is not currently supported in our v2 backend implementation, nor in the 2410 public preview release. 

What’s new in this build

Upgrade to .NET Core   

The Windows Admin Center frontend user-interface (UI) is built on Angular, which is in turn built on our shell. The shell hosts all the core services and most of our UI components, our solutions like server and cluster manager, and, on top of that, every extension that you use for server management. 
 
Our front end interacts with our backend, which is also known as our gateway. The gateway hosts our authorization structure, our PS services, our gateway plug-ins, and plays a critical role in every single experience that you use in Windows Admin Center. 

In this release, we have upgraded our backend again, from the .NET Core 6 to .NET Core 8, bringing enhanced security and improved cryptography to our product. This also includes support for HTTP 2, reducing latency and enhancing the responsiveness of Windows Admin Center. Combined with improved performance, providing faster load times, you’ll be able to get your tasks done more quickly and efficiently. 

Virtual machine tool update  

We have heard your feedback and have improved the virtual machine (VM) tool experience! Our primary goal is to provide you with the list of VMs as soon as possible so you are empowered to efficiently carry out your administrative tasks. To make this easier, we’ve added a toggle in the top right corner of the Virtual machines tool that will allow you to switch between a “detailed” mode and a “light” mode. 

Today, we invite you all to enable this feature, use the tool, and share your feedback.  

Highlights:   

• The VM Power operations (e.g. start, pause etc.) now only update the VM selected without reloading the entire table, saving customers valuable time  
• To optimize responsiveness (e.g., clicking, hovering and scrolling), we have removed the runtime pipeline.  
• To prioritize loading the VM list first, certain operations are deferred until after the initial load (e.g., cluster node check)  
• To optimize performance, we have reduced the number of columns in the default view. Note that this can be toggled off using the “Detailed Mode” toggle to switch back to the previous experience   
• In default mode, we list the computer name of running Windows VMs and their operating system versions 

Updated installer  

While modernizing our gateway, we also made the installer more flexible by providing increased customization options including network access settings, selecting trusted hosts, providing a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for your gateway machine, and more. For more details about the installer, read on to the Installing the 2410 public preview build section.   

Data migration 

To ensure that your user and environment data is transferred over, we have implemented a data migration flow so that you will seamlessly transition to the new build. All of your data will be copied over, except for 4 items that will require user intervention. For more details about the installer, read on to the Migrating your data section.   

Settings update 

As part of our gateway modernization effort, you may notice that your Windows Admin Center settings look a little bit different. 

As we discussed in the 2211 Windows Admin Center release, we have deprecated the in-app update experience and have consequently removed the settings blade for Updates. Additionally, the Access and Shared Connections blades are now available on local gateway installations (also known as “desktop mode” in legacy gateway builds). 

Multi-process, microservice based 

This build also leverages microservice architecture. Prior to this upgrade, Windows Admin Center performed all tasks in a single process. With our new model, we start one process for Windows Admin Center on application startup that serves as a process manager. As you use Windows Admin Center, additional sub-processes are spun up to perform specific tasks. 

Additionally, gateway plug-ins that are compatible with this build will also run their own collection of sub-processes under the Windows Admin Center service manager to perform their functions. 

Changing from a monolithic service to a microservice model helps Windows Admin Center be more flexible, scalable, and resilient. 

Kestrel HTTP web server 

Previously, Windows Admin Center utilized Katana components, including a web server, on the backend. With this build, we’ve shifted to an ASP.NET Core Kestrel web server. 

Kestrel is the recommended web server for ASP.NET Core applications. Kestrel is: 

• High performing: Kestrel is optimized to handle a large number of concurrent connections efficiently. 

• Lightweight: Optimized for running in resource-constrained environments, such as containers and edge devices. 

• Security hardened: Kestrel supports HTTPS and is hardened against web server vulnerabilities. 

Additionally, Kestrel supports the HTTP/2 web protocol, where previously we had only supported HTTP1.1 with the Katana components. The upgrade from HTTP1.1 to HTTP/2 brings reduced latency to our application as well as increased responsiveness through enhanced features like multiplexing and server push. 

Switching to a Kestrel web server will also allow for Windows Admin Center to potentially enable cross-platform support in the future. 

How does this build impact my extension?

Gateway plug-in extensions will be impacted by the changes to this build. Windows Admin Center gateway plug-ins enable API communication from the UI of your tool or solution to a target node. Windows Admin Center hosts a gateway service that relays commands and scripts from gateway plug-ins to be executed on target nodes. The gateway service can be extended to include custom gateway plug-ins that support protocols other than the default ones (PowerShell and WMI). 

Because gateway plug-ins communicate with Windows Admin Center’s backend to enable API communication, gateway plug-in code may include components written with the .NET framework version 4.6.2, which will not function with .NET Core. This code needs to be updated to use the .NET Core framework. 

Additionally, we’ve modified the way plug-ins work with this build. Instead of developing a C# class which implements the IPlugIn interface from the Microsoft.ManagementExperience.FeatureInterfaces namespace to extend the gateway plug-in, extensions will now be written in the form of ASP.NET MVC controllers. These controllers have increased flexibility compared to the simple C# class and extensive documentation. 

Learn more about gateway plug-in development in Windows Admin Center here. 

What about my tool and/or solution extension? 

Solution and tool extensions do not communicate with Windows Admin Center’s backend in-depth and should be minimally impacted by this build. We strongly recommend testing your extension to ensure it continues to run smoothly on the new backend. 

Installing the 2410 public preview build

With the 2410 public preview, we’ve made changes to our installer to offer more flexibility to the user. When running the installer, you will be presented with two different installation modes: express setup and custom setup. 

Express setup  

The express setup option does not allow for the configuration of the following features: 

• Login authentication mode 
• Host access network names 
• Internal and external network ports 
• Certificate type and thumbprint 
• Endpoint FQDN 
• Trusted hosts mode 
• WinRM over HTTPS 

If you would like to configure any of these features, please use the custom setup option instead. 

When you select express setup, the installer will use the operating system of your machine to determine the port Windows Admin Center is accessible through. If you run the installer on a client machine, Windows Admin Center will be accessible through port 6600 and will use internal ports 6601-6610. If you run the installer on a server machine, Windows Admin Center will be accessible through port 443 and will use internal ports 6601-6610. The exception to this rule is if you have a previous version of Windows Admin Center installed—then the installer will pick up that port instead (6516 by default). 

Custom setup 

Selecting custom setup allows you to configure all Windows Admin Center setup options: 

• Network access – This page allows you to select how you will be using Windows Admin Center. You may choose to restrict Windows Admin Center access to other users by selecting localhost access only or allow remote access through machine name of FQDN. 
• Port numbers – This page allows you to select the ports that will be reserved for Windows Admin Center. Windows Admin Center uses one external port for its primary processes. Other processes use internal ports. There are two internal processes by default, but extensions may define their own services that will require port access. By default, the internal range is 10 ports. 
• Select TLS certificate – This page allows you to select Self-Signed certificates or an official TLS certificate that Windows Admin Center should use. Self-Signed certificates include Self-signed CA root certificates and TLS certificates that work with the latest Edge/Chrome browser. 
• Fully qualified domain name – This page allows you to provide a fully qualified domain name for network access. This name must match the name on the TLS certificate. 
• Trusted hosts – This page allows you to select which type of remote hosts you’d like to manage. You may choose to manage only trusted domain computers or allow access to non-domain joined machines. 
• WinRM over HTTPS – This page allows you to select whether to use HTTPS for WinRM communication. WinRM communicates over HTTP by default. 

Troubleshooting installation 

If your installation failed, or you’re having trouble opening Windows Admin Center after install, you may need to uninstall and reinstall. This can also happen if you have an older version of a Gateway v2 preview build installed, and you are trying to update to a newer version. To uninstall, follow the instructions in the Uninstalling and cleanup section of this document. 

Migrating your data

Once you have installed the 2410 public preview, much of your transferable data is automatically copied over to the new build, reducing the time it takes for you to get started. However, there are four items that will require your input on: 

1. Proxy credentials 
2. WebSocket Origin configuration 
3. Azure registration 
4. Extensions 

You will only have to do this once. Once your data is fully migrated, future releases of Windows Admin Center will have the seamless update experience you know and love. 

Proxy credentials  

Windows Admin Center will not be able to able access Azure services and the public extension feed without proper proxy credentials. If you have a proxy set up, then you will need to enter the proxy address, as well as the username and password to give Windows Admin Center access.  

WebSocket Origin configuration  

If you had previously configured WebSocket Origins, you can review and edit them here. To get you started, we have imported the WebSocket Origins list from your previous Windows Admin Center setup.    

Azure registration  

Windows Admin Center now requires additional redirect URLs to be configured with the Azure App Registration instance. This can only be done through the Azure Portal. Selecting the “Configure” button will programmatically update the Azure App Registration on your behalf. After it is registered, you may need to re-enable Azure login to Windows Admin Center.  

You will need the elevated permissions on this Azure subscription to perform this re-registration.  

Extensions  

The extension feed for the 2410 public preview is not currently fully configured. You may notice missing extensions from this Windows Admin Center instance, including extensions not installed by default on install and ones you may have installed from your own feed or from external partners. As of right now, this page is read-only. We’re working with our internal and external partners to ensure that all extensions are compatible. These extensions should be available soon. 

Review + complete 

You will not be allowed to use Windows Admin Center unless you complete these steps.  

Uninstalling the 2410 public preview build

To uninstall, perform one of the following actions: 

• In the Apps & Features page of your gateway machine settings, select Windows Admin Center (v2) Preview from the program list and then select uninstall. 
• Navigate to the folder where the Windows Admin Center (v2) is installed (default directory is C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Admin Center (v2)) and select “Uninstall Windows Admin Center (v2)” 
• Run C:\Program Files\WindowsAdminCenter\unins000.exe 

Running the installer again will not result in an uninstall option at this time. To ensure your installation was removed successfully, check if a WindowsAdminCenter folder exists in C:\ProgramData or C:\Program Files. If it does not exist in either location, your application has been successfully uninstalled. 

During the uninstallation process, everything put on the machine during installation will be removed, except for the Windows Admin Center (v2) .exe installer file. 

FAQs

Q: Can you install the 2410 public preview build (Windows Admin Center (v2)) when you already have an existing build of Windows Admin Center installed? 

A: No, you cannot install a v2 build of Windows Admin Center side-by-side with a legacy gateway build. Installing this preview build will prompt you to migrate your user data and configuration settings, and after this is complete, you will not be able to go back to a legacy build without fully uninstalling. 

Q: Can I change the ports my Windows Admin Center installation is using after install? 

A: Yes, In the Program Files for Windows Admin Center, we’ve included a PowerShell module called Microsoft.WindowsAdminCenter.Configuration.psm1. This module allows you to modify your Windows Admin Center configuration after installation and can be found in the PowerShellModules folder of your installation (C:\Program Files\WindowsAdminCenter\PowerShellModules\ by default). 

To change the ports Windows Admin Center is using, run the following command: 

Set-WACHttpsPort -Wacport -ServicePortRangeStart -ServicePortRangeEnd  

Q: Changing the ports is great, but can I change other configuration settings after install? 

A: Yes! You may use the PowerShell module Microsoft.WindowsAdminCenter.Configuration.psm1 to change your configuration settings. It can be found in the PowerShellModules folder of your installation. 

Known issues

The account for the PowerShell session in the PowerShell tool always defaults to the user signed into the Windows Admin Center gateway, even if different management credentials were specified when remoting to a connection. 

The extension feed for this build has not been configured. Extensions not included in the Windows Admin Center installer (including external partner extensions) will not be available unless you add an extension feed. Even with an added feed, the following extensions do not currently function with the v2 build: 

• Dell OpenManage 
• Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure
• Lenovo XClarity Integrator 
• HPE OneView 
• HPE Server extension and HPE Azure Stack HCI extension 
• HPE Storage manager 
• Fujitsu ServerView RAID 
• Fujitsu Software Infrastructure Manager (ISM) 
• Fujitsu ServerView Health 
• Pure Storage FlashArray 

The extension feed will be available in the generally available release and will include all extensions that are compatible with the 2410 preview build. 

Other known issues include: 

• High availability configurations are not supported in this build. 
• Azure Arc status on the All Connections page may not successfully load if all connections are clusters. 
• When using the new Hyper-V preview mode feature in the Virtual Machines tool, inventory may load improperly when navigating between clusters and servers.  

Download today!

We hope you enjoy this latest update of Windows Admin Center, the various new functionality in preview, and all the extensions now available. 

Direct download link here!

As always, thanks for your ongoing support, adoption, and feedback. Your contributions through user feedback continue to be vital and valuable to us, helping us prioritize and sequence our investments. 

Windows Admin Center is continuously evolving and growing as a tool and a platform, and we are beyond thrilled to have you part of our journey. 

Thank you, 

Windows Admin Center Team (@servermgmt)