1Start
2PowerShell
Real work is meant to be done through PowerShell. As was pointed out at a recent sneak peak that I attended in Redmond, everything that can be done in the GUI can now be done in PowerShell. Im sure one or two exceptions will pop up, but for system admins the message is clear: get used to working in PowerShell.
3Server Manager
4Server Roles
5IP Address Management
6Confirm Installation
My impression is that the roles and features installation process is significantly improved over previous Windows Server versions. Prereqs were checked and automatically recommended when they were found missing. The confirmation process neatly detailed my changes and made it easy to double-check my work.
7Add Servers
8Server Group
9Local Server
The revamped Server Manager is designed to bubble problems to the surface. Ill be seeing how well that works as I put WS8 through its paces at eWEEK Labs. I can say that Server Manager surfaced several configuration concerns on this first installation.