How to Set Up Windows Server 2016 Remote Server Administration Tools

Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) is a set of management tools that allows administrators to manage Windows Server roles and features from a Windows client machine or a remote server without needing to log in directly to each managed server. On Windows Server 2016, RSAT enables centralized management of Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, Hyper-V, and many other roles through familiar MMC-based consoles and PowerShell modules.

This tutorial covers installing RSAT on Windows Server 2016, verifying which tools are available, connecting to remote servers, and managing common server roles from a single administrative workstation.

RSAT on Windows Server 2016

On Windows Server 2016, RSAT components are available as installable features through the Add Roles and Features wizard or PowerShell’s Install-WindowsFeature cmdlet. Unlike client versions of Windows where RSAT was a downloadable package, on Server 2016 the tools are built into the feature set and can be installed on demand.

The primary RSAT meta-feature is called RSAT (Remote Server Administration Tools), which contains sub-features for each server role. Installing the top-level RSAT feature installs all sub-tools, or you can install only the specific tools you need.

Step 1: Install All RSAT Tools

Open an elevated PowerShell session and install all available RSAT components:

Install-WindowsFeature RSAT

This installs the management tools for all server roles. If you only need specific tools, install them individually. For example, install only the Active Directory management tools:

Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-AD-Tools

Install DNS management tools:

Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-DNS-Server

Install DHCP management tools:

Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-DHCP

Install Group Policy management tools:

Install-WindowsFeature GPMC

Install Hyper-V management tools:

Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-Hyper-V-Tools

Step 2: List Available RSAT Components

To see all RSAT features and their installation state, run:

Get-WindowsFeature | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "RSAT*" -or $_.Name -eq "GPMC" } | Select-Object Name, DisplayName, InstallState | Sort-Object Name

Step 3: Manage Active Directory Remotely

After installing RSAT-AD-Tools, launch Active Directory Users and Computers:

dsa.msc

The console connects to the default domain controller. To connect to a specific domain controller, right-click the domain name in the console tree and select Change Domain Controller.

Manage Active Directory through PowerShell using the AD module that is installed with RSAT-AD-Tools:

Import-Module ActiveDirectory
Get-ADUser -Filter { Enabled -eq $true } -Properties DisplayName, LastLogonDate | Select-Object SamAccountName, DisplayName, LastLogonDate | Sort-Object LastLogonDate -Descending

Step 4: Manage DNS Remotely

After installing RSAT-DNS-Server, launch the DNS Manager console:

dnsmgmt.msc

Connect to a remote DNS server by right-clicking DNS in the console tree and selecting Connect to DNS Server. Enter the server name and the console loads zones and records from the remote server.

Query DNS records using PowerShell:

Get-DnsServerResourceRecord -ZoneName "contoso.com" -ComputerName DNS01 -RRType A | Select-Object HostName, RecordData

Step 5: Manage DHCP Remotely

Launch DHCP Manager after installing RSAT-DHCP:

dhcpmgmt.msc

Add a remote DHCP server by right-clicking DHCP in the console and selecting Add Server. Manage scopes, leases, and reservations from the graphical interface.

Retrieve active DHCP leases with PowerShell:

Get-DhcpServerv4Lease -ScopeId 192.168.1.0 -ComputerName DHCP01 | Select-Object IPAddress, ClientId, HostName, LeaseExpiryTime

Step 6: Manage Group Policy Remotely

Launch the Group Policy Management Console after installing GPMC:

gpmc.msc

GPMC connects to the domain automatically and shows all GPOs, OU links, WMI filters, and starter GPOs. Use it to create, edit, link, and back up Group Policy Objects without logging into a domain controller.

Force a Group Policy update on a remote computer:

Invoke-GPUpdate -Computer Server02 -Force -RandomDelayInMinutes 0

Step 7: Uninstall Specific RSAT Tools

Remove tools you no longer need to reduce the management surface:

Remove-WindowsFeature RSAT-DNS-Server

Remove all RSAT tools at once:

Remove-WindowsFeature RSAT

Remote Server Administration Tools on Windows Server 2016 form the backbone of centralized Windows server management. By installing RSAT on a dedicated management server or jump host, your team gains access to all the role-specific management consoles without needing to open Remote Desktop sessions to individual servers, improving both efficiency and security.