A: The new Server Manager that's part of Windows Server 2012 allows management of not just Windows Server 2012 servers but also Windows Server 2008 and Windows 2008 R2. To manage Windows 2008 and Windows 2008 R2, the Windows Management Framework 3.0 must be installed. After you do that, you can add the servers to Windows Server 2012 Server Manager.
You will receive an error that says that performance counter data cannot be retrieved. To resolve this problem, download this hotfix from the Microsoft web page "Server Manager in Windows Server 2012 does not retrieve performance data for computers that are running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2."
Apply the hotfix, and after the server reboots, the performance counter data will be retrieved.
