What are the different Windows Server roles and their purposes?

Beginner

Answer

Common Windows Server roles include:

  • Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS): Provides directory services and domain authentication
  • DNS Server: Resolves domain names to IP addresses
  • DHCP Server: Automatically assigns IP addresses to network clients
  • File and Storage Services: Manages file shares and storage
  • IIS (Web Server): Hosts websites and web applications
  • Print and Document Services: Manages network printers
  • Remote Desktop Services: Provides remote access to applications and desktops
  • Hyper-V: Provides virtualization platform
  • Windows Deployment Services (WDS): Deploys Windows operating systems over the network

Each role can be installed and configured based on organizational needs.