Where is IIS on Windows Server 2012 Essentials

Essentials comes with IIS preinstalled, so unless you uninstalled it for some reason, its there already.

I'm assuming you want to get to the IIS 8 admin tool.
In order to get there

  • press the start button (on your keyboard)
  • click on the Administrative Tools tile
  • From there scroll down to IIS Manager and double click

OR

Hold down the windows key and press the R key (win+r) then type in inetmgr


Apparently is not that simple on ws2012 as I thought, please try following this guide:

http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-8/installing-iis-8-on-windows-server-2012


I don't think it's whether he has it installed or not, it's that they changed how you GET to it. IIS manager USED to be accessible from Server Manager, but it is no longer so. In 2008 (and earlier, but I don't have a box readily available) from Server Manager, expand Roles, then Web Server. If you click "web Server" You see a "dashboard", displaying events, Services, Best Practices, Etc. WITHIN that, you can click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager, and see the sites, and manage and configure the sites on the machine.

In 2012, you can ONLY see that dashboard information, events, service status, best practice, etc. There's no way to navigate into IIS and manage the sites and applications. Up in the top-right corner, the menu "Tools" (Between "Manage" and "View") contains IIS Manager.

I'd LOOOOOVE to see a transcript of the design session where this change was suggested. Mostly just to get the attendance, and then hunt them all down.