Active Directory Management Gateway Service

Microsoft has released the AD Management Gateway Service AKA the Active Directory Web Service for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

Windows Server 2008 R2 includes a new role called the Active Directory Web Service. This is an interface for MS native PowerShell based tools to it interact with and manage Active Directory, i.e. Active Directory Administrative Center (ADAC) and the PowerShell module for Active Directory. Obviously you need to locate installations of this service close to your AD administrators. What if they are running legacy domain controllers? What’s where the Active Directory Management Gateway Service comes in. Here’s what MS says in the download page:

“The Active Directory® Management Gateway Service provides a Web service interface to Active Directory domains and instances of Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) or Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM) that are running on the same server as the Active Directory Management Gateway Service.

You can download and install the Active Directory Management Gateway Service on servers and domain controllers running the following operating systems:

1. Windows Server® 2003 R2 with Service Pack 2 (SP2)
2. Windows Server 2003 SP2
3. Windows Server 2008
4. Windows Server 2008 SP2

Note: You can install the Active Directory Management Gateway Service on writable domain controllers as well as Read-only domain controllers that are running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 SP2.

After it is installed on any of these operating systems, the Active Directory Management Gateway Service runs as the Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory Web Services (ADWS) service and provides the same functionality. For more information about ADWS, see What's New in AD DS: Active Directory Web Services.

Note: The Active Directory Management Gateway Service does not support instances of the Active Directory Database Mounting Tool running on Windows Server 2008–based servers.

The Active Directory Management Gateway Service enables administrators to use the Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell and the Active Directory Administrative Center running on Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7 to access or manage directory service instances that are running on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003 operating systems in the previous list.

Note: Installing the Active Directory Management Gateway Service on your Windows Server 2008–based or Windows Server 2003–based servers does not make it possible for you to install the Active Directory module or the Active Directory Administrative Center (which is available only on Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7 operating systems) on these servers.

If the Active Directory Management Gateway Service on your Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003 server is stopped or disabled, client applications, such as the Active Directory module or the Active Directory Administrative Center will not be able to access or manage any directory service instances that are running on this server.”