Q: How can I check what other roles and features will be installed on my Windows Server 2012 box when I add a role or feature?
A: Many roles and features require other roles and features to function correctly. One easy way to check what will be installed if a role/feature is added is to perform the installation from Windows PowerShell by using the -whatif switch. This switch lists what roles/features will be installed. For example, here's what I got when I entered it:
PS C:\> add-windowsfeature ipam -whatif
What if: Continue with installation?
What if: Performing installation for "[IP Address Management (IPAM) Server] IP Address Management (IPAM) Server".
What if: Files for "[IP Address Management (IPAM) Server] IP Address Management (IPAM) Server" are not available on the target server.
What if: Performing installation for "[Windows Internal Database] Windows Internal Database".
What if: Files for "[Windows Internal Database] Windows Internal Database" are not available on the target server.
What if: Performing installation for "[.NET Framework 4.5 Features] TCP Activation".
What if: Files for "[.NET Framework 4.5 Features] TCP Activation" are not available on the target server.
What if: Performing installation for "[.NET Framework 4.5 Features] ASP.NET 4.5".
What if: Files for "[.NET Framework 4.5 Features] ASP.NET 4.5" are not available on the target server.
What if: Performing installation for "[Windows Process Activation Service] Process Model".
What if: Files for "[Windows Process Activation Service] Process Model" are notavailable on the target server.
What if: Performing installation for "[Windows Process Activation Service] Windows Process Activation Service".
What if: Files for "[Windows Process Activation Service] Windows Process Activation Service" are not available on the target server.
What if: Performing installation for "[Windows Process Activation Service] Configuration APIs".
What if: Files for "[Windows Process Activation Service] Configuration APIs" are not available on the target server.
What if: Performing installation for "[Remote Server Administration Tools] DHCP Server Tools".
What if: Files for "[Remote Server Administration Tools] DHCP Server Tools" are not available on the target server.
What if: Performing installation for "[Remote Server Administration Tools] Role Administration Tools".
What if: Files for "[Remote Server Administration Tools] Role Administration Tools" are not available on the target server.
What if: Performing installation for "[Remote Server Administration Tools] Remote Server Administration Tools".
What if: Performing installation for "[User Interfaces and Infrastructure] Graphical Management Tools and Infrastructure".
What if: Performing installation for "[User Interfaces and Infrastructure] User Interfaces and Infrastructure".
What if: Performing installation for "[Remote Server Administration Tools] DNS Server Tools".
What if: Files for "[Remote Server Administration Tools] DNS Server Tools" are not available on the target server.
What if: Performing installation for "[Group Policy Management] Group Policy Management".
What if: Files for "[Group Policy Management] Group Policy Management" are not available on the target server.
What if: The target server may need to be restarted after the installation completes.
