Security Configuration Wizard: Frequently Asked Questions

SCW is an optional component in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and can be installed via Add/Remove Windows Components under Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel. See the SCW Quick Start Guide for more information.

You can install and run SCW on computers running a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 operating system.

SCW assists administrators in creating security policies that reduce the attack surface on their servers based on the server role(s). The Windows security templates and Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in help administrators in more generic system configurations across clients and servers. SCW provides the ability to operate in conjunction with pre-defined template settings by allowing import of templates.

In general, SCW should be used by experienced administrators to configure a single- or multi-role server, or set of identical servers, running Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1. Administrators should leverage the security templates and associated snap-in for generic configuration of client and server machines running Windows 2000 Server or higher.

SCW can be extended by authoring and registering custom role extensions for third-party or in-house line-of-business applications. Detailed information for creating custom role extensions is included in the Extending SCW white paper.

Security policies created in SCW can be deployed to servers running Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 through the SCW wizard itself, using Microsoft Group Policy (GPO), or through other means of software distribution such as Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS). Deployment methods are described in detail in the SCW Deployment Guide.

The SCW Troubleshooting Guide provides detailed steps for troubleshooting the use of SCW, including policy configuration, rollback, analysis, application interoperability, and IPsec and firewall configuration.