This topic identifies the dependencies that server roles, role services, and features have on other roles, role services, and features in Windows Server® 2008 R2.
Dependencies in Server Manager
As you install roles and prepare to deploy the server, Server Manager prompts you to install any other roles, role services, or features that are required by a role that you want to install. For example, many roles, such as Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS), require Web Server (IIS) to run.
To install and run a program, all programs upon which is depends must also be installed. Some are simply child elements of the role, role service, or feature that is the dependent program. For example, .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features is the parent feature, and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Activation is a subfeature of .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features.
Similarly, if you want to remove roles, role services, or features from your computer, messages from Server Manager show you if other programs require the software that you are removing. For example, if you want to remove Web Server (IIS), Server Manager alerts you if other roles that depend on Web Server (IIS) remain on the computer. This complex arrangement of software dependencies is managed by Server Manager and prevents the accidental removal of software that the server requires to perform its assigned tasks. Users are not required to know on what software the roles they want to install depend.
Viewing role, role service, and feature dependencies by using Windows PowerShell
The procedure in this section describes how to use the Server Manager Add-WindowsFeature cmdlet in a Windows PowerShell session to display software that is required by roles, role services, or features that are available in Windows Server 2008 R2. By using the -whatIf parameter, you can view software dependencies without performing an actual installation.
 | Note |
Windows PowerShell cmdlets are not case-sensitive. |
 | To view role, role service, or feature dependencies |
Open a Windows PowerShell session with elevated user rights. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click Windows PowerShell, right-click the Windows PowerShell shortcut, and then click Run as administrator.
Type the following to load the Server Manager module, and then press Enter.
Import-module ServerManager
If you do not know the command name of the role, role service, or feature for which you want to view dependencies, type the following, and then press Enter. Otherwise, go on to the next step.
Get-WindowsFeature
Command names for roles, role services, and features are displayed in the Name column of the results.
Type the following, and then press Enter to run the Add-WindowsFeature cmdlet in -whatIf mode.
Add-WindowsFeature name -whatIf
In -whatIf mode, installation does not occur, but the roles, role services, or features upon which the specified role, role service, or feature depends are displayed as output.
You can show the dependencies for multiple roles, role services, and features by separating the command names of roles, role services, and features with commas, as shown in the following example.
Add-WindowsFeature Application-Server,Hyper-V -whatIf
The roles, role services, and features upon which your specified features depend to run are shown in the cmdlet results.