Administer Multiple Servers Using Central Management Servers
You can administer multiple servers by designating Central Management Servers and creating server groups.
Benefits of Central Management Servers and Server Groups
An instance of SQL Server that is designated as a Central Management Server maintains server groups that contain the connection information for one or more instances of SQL Server. Transact-SQL statements and Policy-Based Management policies can be executed at the same time against server groups. You can also view the SQL Server log files on instances that are managed through a Central Management Server. Versions of SQL Server that are earlier than SQL Server 2008 cannot be designated as a Central Management Server.
Transact-SQL statements can also be executed against local server groups in Registered Servers.
Related Tasks
To create a Central Management Server and server groups, use the Registered Servers window in SQL Server Management Studio. Note that the Central Management Server cannot be a member of a group that it maintains. For more information about how to create Central Management Servers and server groups, see Create a Central Management Server and Server Group (SQL Server Management Studio).