Merge pull request #8114 from MicrosoftDocs/main

Auto Publish – main to live - 2026-06-01 17:30 UTC

Author: learn-build-service-prod[bot]

WindowsServerDocs/manage/windows-admin-center/deploy/high-availability.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Deploy Windows Admin Center with High Availability
-description: Deploy Windows Admin Center with High Availability (Project Honolulu)
+description: Deploy Windows Admin Center with high availability (Project Honolulu).
 ms.topic: install-set-up-deploy
 author: davannaw-msft
 ms.author: dawhite
@@ -9,44 +9,44 @@ ms.date: 06/23/2025
 
 # Deploy Windows Admin Center with high availability
 
-You can deploy Windows Admin Center in a failover cluster to provide high availability for your Windows Admin Center gateway service. The solution provided is an active-passive solution, where only one instance of Windows Admin Center is active. If one of the nodes in the cluster fails, Windows Admin Center gracefully fails over to another node, letting you continue managing the servers in your environment seamlessly.
+You can deploy Windows Admin Center in a failover cluster to provide high availability for your Windows Admin Center gateway. This solution is  active-passive, where only one instance of Windows Admin Center is active. If one of the nodes in the cluster fails, Windows Admin Center gracefully fails over to another node so that you can continue managing the servers in your environment seamlessly.
 
-[Learn about other Windows Admin Center deployment options.](../plan/installation-options.md)
+Learn about [other Windows Admin Center deployment options](../plan/installation-options.md).
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
-> Direct upgrades from high availability deployments in Windows Admin Center versions 2311 and older to versions 2410 and newer are not supported due to architectural changes. To upgrade, you must uninstall and reinstall Windows Admin Center. 
+> Windows Admin Center versions 2311 and older don't support direct upgrades from high-availability deployments to versions 2410 and newer because of architectural changes. To upgrade, you must uninstall and reinstall Windows Admin Center.
 
 ## Prerequisites
 
-- High-availability deployment scripts from the [Windows Admin Center HA Script zip file](https://aka.ms/WACHAScript). Download the .zip file containing the scripts to your local machine, and then copy the deployment script as needed based on the guidance in this article.
-- A failover cluster of two or more nodes running on Windows Server 2016 or later. [Learn more about deploying a Failover Cluster](../../../failover-clustering/failover-clustering-overview.md).
-- A cluster shared volume (CSV) for Windows Admin Center to store persistent data that all the nodes in the cluster can access. 10 GB is sufficient for your CSV.
+- High-availability deployment scripts from the [Windows Admin Center HA Script zip file](https://aka.ms/WACHAScript). Download the .zip file containing the scripts to your local machine. Then copy the deployment script as needed based on the guidance in this article.
+- A failover cluster of two or more nodes running on Windows Server 2016 or later. Learn more about [how to deploy a failover cluster](../../../failover-clustering/failover-clustering-overview.md).
+- A cluster shared volume (CSV) for Windows Admin Center to store persistent data that all the nodes in the cluster can access. Your CSV needs only 10 GB.
 - A certificate thumbprint from a certificate from a valid certificate authority (CA) with the private key installed on every node.
 
 > [!NOTE]
 > The `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.zip` file contains the following scripts:
+>
 > - `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Deploy.ps1`
 > - `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Validate.ps1`
 > - `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Inspect.ps1`
 > - `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Uninstall.ps1`
 
 ## Install Windows Admin Center on a failover cluster
 
-1. Copy the `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Deploy.ps1` script to a node in your cluster. Download or copy the Windows Admin Center `.exe` to the same node.
-1. Connect to the node via RDP, go to the folder containing the script, and run the `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Deploy.ps1` script as an administrator with the following parameters:
-    - `-clusterStorage`: the local path of the Cluster Shared Volume to store Windows Admin Center data.
-    - `-clientAccessPoint`: choose a name that you use to access Windows Admin Center. For example, if you run the script with the parameter `-clientAccessPoint contosoWindowsAdminCenter`, you access the Windows Admin Center service by visiting `https://contosoWindowsAdminCenter.<domain>.com`.
+1. Copy the `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Deploy.ps1` script to a node in your cluster. Download or copy the Windows Admin Center `.exe` file to the same node.
+1. Connect to the node via Remote Desktop Protocol, go to the folder that contains the script, and run the `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Deploy.ps1` script as an administrator with the following parameters:
+    - `-clusterStorage`: The local path of the CSV to store Windows Admin Center data.
+    - `-clientAccessPoint`: The name that you use to access Windows Admin Center. For example, if you run the script with the parameter `-clientAccessPoint contosoWindowsAdminCenter`, you access the Windows Admin Center service by visiting `https://contosoWindowsAdminCenter.<domain>.com`.
     - `-staticAddress`: Optional. One or more static addresses for the cluster generic service.
     - `-InstallerPath`: The path for the Windows Admin Center `.exe` file.
-    - `-CertificateThumbprint`: TLS certificate thumbprint present on every node.
+    - `-CertificateThumbprint`: A Transport Layer Security certificate thumbprint present on every node.
     - `-generateSslCert`: Optional. If you don't want to provide a signed certificate, include this parameter flag to generate a self-signed certificate. The self-signed certificate expires in 60 days.
-    - `-HttpsPort`: Optional. If you don't specify a port, the gateway service is deployed on port 443 (HTTPS). To use a different port, specify in this parameter. If you use a custom port besides 443, you access the Windows Admin Center by going to `https://\<clientAccessPoint\>:<port>`.
+    - `-HttpsPort`: Optional. If you don't specify a port, the gateway service is deployed on port 443 (HTTPS). To use a different port, specify in this parameter. If you use a custom port instead of 443, you access the Windows Admin Center by going to `https://\<clientAccessPoint\>:<port>`.
 
 > [!NOTE]
 > The `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Deploy.ps1` script supports `-WhatIf` and `-Verbose` parameters.
 
-> [!IMPORTANT]
-> To perform further lifecycle operations on your high availability install, ensure all scripts from the `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.zip` file are present on all nodes. 
+To perform further lifecycle operations on your high-availability installation, ensure that all scripts from the `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.zip` file are present on all nodes.
 
 ### Example
 
@@ -61,9 +61,9 @@ $parameters = @{
 Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Deploy @parameters
 ```
 
-## Update an existing high availability installation
+## Update an existing high-availability installation
 
-Use the same `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Deploy.ps1` script to update your HA deployment, without losing your connection data.
+Use the same `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Deploy.ps1` script to update your high-availability deployment, without losing your connection data.
 
 ### Update to a new version of Windows Admin Center
 
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ You can also update the certificate when you update the Windows Admin Center pla
 
 ### Update the certificate used by Windows Admin Center
 
-You can update the certificate used by a HA deployment of Windows Admin Center at any time by using the `-UpdateCertificate` flag.
+You can update the certificate used by a high-availability deployment of Windows Admin Center at any time by using the `-UpdateCertificate` flag.
 
 ```powershell
 $parameters = @{
@@ -96,9 +96,9 @@ $parameters = @{
 Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Deploy @parameters
 ```
 
-## Uninstall the high availability deployment
+## Uninstall the high-availability deployment
 
-To uninstall the HA deployment of Windows Admin Center from your failover cluster, run the `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Uninstall.ps1` script.
+To uninstall the high-availability deployment of Windows Admin Center from your failover cluster, run the `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Uninstall.ps1` script.
 
 ```powershell
 $parameters = @{
@@ -110,9 +110,9 @@ Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Uninstall @parameters
 
 ## Troubleshooting
 
-Logs are saved in the temp folder of the CSV. For example, `C:\ClusterStorage\Volume1\temp`.
+Logs are saved in the temp folder of the CSV. An example is `C:\ClusterStorage\Volume1\temp`.
 
-If needed, you can run diagnostics by passing `Diagnostics` using the `-Mode` flag in the `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Inspect.ps1` script. The following example shows running the diagnostic collection for the last 24 hours on a cluster:
+If needed, you can run diagnostics by passing `Diagnostics` by using the `-Mode` flag in the `Deploy-GatewayV2Ha.Inspect.ps1` script. The following example shows running the diagnostic collection for the last 24 hours on a cluster:
 
 ```powershell
 $parameters = @{

WindowsServerDocs/manage/windows-admin-center/deploy/install.md

@@ -1,94 +1,85 @@
 ---
 title: Install Windows Admin Center
-description: Learn how to install Windows Admin Center on a Windows PC or on a server so that multiple users can access Windows Admin Center using a web browser.
+description: Learn how to install Windows Admin Center on a Windows PC or on a server so that multiple users can access Windows Admin Center by using a web browser.
 ms.topic: install-set-up-deploy
 author: robinharwood
 ms.author: roharwoo
 ms.date: 05/28/2025
 ---
 # Install Windows Admin Center
 
-This article explains how to install Windows Admin Center on a Windows PC or a Windows Server remote server so multiple users can use Windows Admin Center in a web browser.
+This article explains how to install Windows Admin Center on a Windows PC or a Windows Server remote server so that multiple users can use Windows Admin Center in a web browser.
 
 > [!TIP]
-> New to Windows Admin Center?
-> [Learn more about Windows Admin Center](../overview.md) or [download now](https://www.microsoft.com/evalcenter/download-windows-admin-center).
+> New to Windows Admin Center? Learn more about [Windows Admin Center](../overview.md) or [download now](https://www.microsoft.com/evalcenter/download-windows-admin-center).
 
 ## Determine your installation type
 
-Review the [installation options](../plan/installation-options.md), which include the [supported operating systems](../plan/installation-options.md#installation-supported-operating-systems). To install Windows Admin Center on a virtual machine in Azure, see [Deploy Windows Admin Center in Azure](../azure/deploy-wac-in-azure.md).
+Review the [installation options](../plan/installation-options.md), which include the [supported operating systems](../plan/installation-options.md#installation-supported-operating-systems). To install Windows Admin Center on a virtual machine (VM) in Azure, see [Deploy Windows Admin Center in Azure](../azure/deploy-wac-in-azure.md).
 
 ## Download the Windows Admin Center installer
 
 Download the Windows Admin Center installer from the [Windows Admin Center Evaluation Center](https://www.microsoft.com/evalcenter/download-windows-admin-center) to a location on the machine where you want to install Windows Admin Center.
 
 ## Prerequisites
 
-To install Windows Admin Center, you need the following prerequisites:
-
-- A Windows PC or server to install Windows Admin Center on.
-
-- Admin privileges or equivalent permissions on the machine you're installing Windows Admin Center on.
-
-- Optional: An SSL certificate for _Server Authentication (1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1)_. Use a self-signed certificate for testing, but always use a certificate from a trusted certificate authority for production environments. If you don't have a certificate, use the Windows Admin Center installer to generate a self-signed certificate. The certificate is valid for 60 days.
+- A Windows PC or server on which to install Windows Admin Center.
+- Admin privileges or equivalent permissions on the machine on which you're installing Windows Admin Center.
+- Optional: A TLS/SSL certificate for _Server Authentication (1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1)_. Use a self-signed certificate for testing, but always use a certificate from a trusted certificate authority for production environments. If you don't have a certificate, use the Windows Admin Center installer to generate a self-signed certificate. The certificate is valid for 60 days.
 
 ## Install Windows Admin Center
 
-To install Windows Admin Center, perform the following steps:
+To install Windows Admin Center, follow the steps for the desktop experience or Windows Server Core.
 
-### [Desktop Experience](#tab/desktop-experience)
+### [Desktop experience](#tab/desktop-experience)
 
-To install Windows Admin Center on your machine running the Windows Server Desktop Experience, follow these steps:
+To install Windows Admin Center on your machine running the Windows Server desktop experience, follow these steps:
 
 1. Sign in to the machine where you want to install Windows Admin Center.
 
-1. Run the Windows Admin Center installer you previously downloaded.
+1. Run the Windows Admin Center installer that you previously downloaded.
 
-    ![Screenshot of the Windows Admin Center v2 Installer setup wizard welcome screen.](../media/windows-admin-center-v2-installer.png)
+    ![Screenshot that shows the Windows Admin Center v2 installer setup wizard welcome page.](../media/windows-admin-center-v2-installer.png)
 
-1. On **Welcome to the Windows Admin Center setup wizard**, select **Next** to continue.
+1. On the **Welcome to the Windows Admin Center setup wizard** page, select **Next**.
 
-1. On **License Terms and Privacy Statement**, if you agree to the terms, select **I accept these terms and understand the privacy statement**, and then select **Next** to prepare your environment and start the installation process.
+1. On the **License Terms and Privacy Statement** page, if you agree to the terms, select **I accept these terms and understand the privacy statement**. Then select **Next** to prepare your environment and start the installation process.
 
-    ![Screenshot of the Windows Admin Center v2 Installer with two installation modes for express or custom setup.](../media/windows-admin-center-v2-installation-mode.png)
+    ![Screenshot that shows the Windows Admin Center v2 installer with two installation modes for express or custom setup.](../media/windows-admin-center-v2-installation-mode.png)
 
-1. In **Select installation mode**, select either **Express setup** or **Custom setup**.
+1. On the **Select installation mode** page, select either **Express setup** or **Custom setup**:
 
-    Express setup determines your network access and port selection based on your operating system. Express setup doesn't allow for configuration of extra features.
+    - **Express setup**: Determines your network access and port selection based on your operating system. Express setup doesn't allow for configuration of extra features.
+    - **Custom setup**: Allows you to configure network access, port numbers, Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate type and thumbprint, fully qualified domain name of the endpoint, trusted hosts mode, and WinRM over HTTPS.
 
-    Custom setup allows you to configure: network access, port numbers, TLS certificate type and thumbprint, fully qualified domain name of the endpoint, trusted hosts mode, and WinRM over HTTPS.
+1. Select **Next**.
 
-    Select **Next**.
+1. On the **Select TLS certificate** page, select the option that matches your needs, and then select **Next**.
 
-1. In **Select TLS certificate**, select the option that matches your needs, and then select **Next**.
+   You must select which TLS certificate that Windows Admin Center should use. If you already have a certificate, it must be installed in the `LocalMachine\My` certificates store. If you install Windows Admin Center for testing purposes only, the installer can generate a self-signed certificate that expires after 60 days.
 
-   You must select which Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate Windows Admin Center should use. If you already have a certificate, it must be installed in the `LocalMachine\My` certificates store. If you're installing Windows Admin Center for testing purposes only, the installer can generate a self-signed certificate that expires after 60 days.
+   ![Screenshot that shows the Windows Admin Center v2 installer with the certificate options.](../media/select-tls-certificate.png)
 
-   ![Screenshot of the Windows Admin Center v2 Installer with the option to either select a pre-installed TLS certificate or to generate a self-signed certificate.](../media/select-tls-certificate.png)
+1. On the **Automatic updates** page, select your preferred update option. The recommended option to install updates automatically is selected by default. Then select **Next**.
 
-1. In **Automatic updates**, select your preferred update option. The recommended option to install updates automatically is selected by default. Then select **Next**.
-
-1. In **Send diagnostic data to Microsoft**, select your preference, and then select **Next**.
+1. On the **Send diagnostic data to Microsoft** page, select your preference, and then select **Next**.
 
 1. Review **Ready to install**, and then select **Install** to start the installation process.
 
-1. After the installation process finishes, check the box to **Start Windows Admin Center**, and then select **Finish**.
+1. After the installation process finishes, select **Start Windows Admin Center** checkbox, and then select **Finish**.
 
 1. Sign in as an administrator to start using Windows Admin Center.
 
-   ![Screenshot of the Windows Admin Center sign in page in the browser window.](../media/sign-in-to-windows-admin-center.png)
-
-You installed Windows Admin Center on your machine.
+   ![Screenshot that shows the Windows Admin Center sign-in page in the browser window.](../media/sign-in-to-windows-admin-center.png)
 
 ### [Server Core](#tab/server-core)
 
-To install Windows Admin Center on your machine running the Windows Server Core experience or using PowerShell, follow these steps:
+To install Windows Admin Center on a machine running the Windows Server Core experience or by using Windows PowerShell, follow these steps:
 
-1. Sign in to your machine. If you're on Server core, from the SConfig menu, enter option **15**, and then press <kbd>Enter</kbd>
-   to open a PowerShell session. If you're on the desktop experience, remote desktop into your VM and launch PowerShell.
+1. Sign in to your machine. If you're on Server Core, from the `SConfig` menu, enter option **15**, and then select <kbd>Enter</kbd>
+   to open a PowerShell session. If you're on the desktop experience, remote desktop into your VM and start PowerShell.
 
-1. Download the Windows Admin Center installer
-   and copy it to your computer by using the following PowerShell command:
+1. Download the Windows Admin Center installer, and copy it to your computer by using the following PowerShell command:
 
    ```powershell
    $parameters = @{
@@ -104,22 +95,23 @@ To install Windows Admin Center on your machine running the Windows Server Core
    Start-Process -FilePath '.\WindowsAdminCenter.exe' -ArgumentList '/VERYSILENT' -Wait
    ```
 
-1. You might also need to start the Windows Admin Center service by using the following command:
+1. You might also need to start Windows Admin Center by using the following command:
 
    ```powershell
    Start-Service -Name WindowsAdminCenter
    ```
+
 > [!TIP]
 > You can use the following options for the `-ArgumentList` parameter:
+>
 > - /Silent
 > - /VerySilent
 > - /HTTPSPortNumber
 > - /CertificateThumbprint
 >
-> To specify the HTTPS port number and certificate thumbprint on install through PowerShell, run the following command:
+> To specify the HTTPS port number and certificate thumbprint on installation through PowerShell, run the following command:
+>
 > ```powershell
 > .\WindowsAdminCenter2511.exe /HTTPSPortNumber=1234 /CertificateThumbprint=“1234abcd4567efgh”
 
-You've now installed Windows Admin Center on your machine.
-
 ---