Getting to know Microsoft Project Honolulu for Windows Server management

Microsoft Project Honolulu is a browser-based tool that lets you manage Windows Servers from one dashboard. This way, you don't need to use remote-connected MMCs or RDP sessions.

You can install Honolulu on Windows Server 2016 or later, or even on Windows 10 for managing remote servers. The setup is a simple MSI package.

After installing, open your browser and go to:

https://localhost:6516/

You'll see a nice dashboard with tiles for Roles & Features, Certificates, Files, Events, PowerShell, and more. You can add multiple servers (or clusters) and manage them all from the same UI.

Some handy features to try:

• View and manage running services and processes
• Edit registry keys safely
• Apply Windows Updates remotely
• Launch an in-browser PowerShell session to the server

If you're used to the old Server Manager or RSAT tools, this feels faster and lighter. Everything runs through PowerShell under the hood, and you can even export the commands it executes.

Update Oct 2020: Project Honolulu is now called Windows Admin Center.