Microsoft has decided on the name Windows Server 2008 for the final version of what has been known as Longhorn Server up to this point. The Beta 3 release will be the final test version before the RTM (release to manufacturing) sometime in the second half of this year. Beta 3 includes a number of new features and performance improvements to previous releases.

Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) is pushing Windows Server 2008 as the perfect complementary server to go along with Windows Vista workstations. You’ll need a Windows Vista workstation to take full advantage of some of the new features in Windows Server 2008, including features such as native IPv6 support and NAP (Network Access Protection).

Key Themes

Microsoft is pushing three key areas as the benefits of Windows Server 2008. These include more control, greater flexibility, and increased protection. Each area addresses what the company sees as customer pain points when dealing with the management and operation of a server. The proliferation of servers in companies of all sizes has made it vitally important to simplify the IT administrator’s task as much as possible.

Eric Rezabek is a program manager on the Windows Server 2008 team. “We put a great deal of effort into understanding our customers’ top issues with the current server offerings in order to address them in Windows Server 2008. Many of those issues were well known, while others were somewhat of a surprise,” says Rezabek.

The more control and greater flexibility themes are closely related. “Many of our customers told us they wanted the ability to install servers for specific purposes and at the same time reduce the amount of time and effort required to manage those servers,” says Rezabek. The new modular approach has been named Windows Server Core and focuses on creating a server custom-tailored with only the necessary components needed to accomplish a specific task.

Security and reliability have been at the top of Microsoft’s list for quite some time. Windows Server 2008 addresses this subject from multiple angles to provide the highest level of protection possible. NAP incorporates a number of technologies and techniques to isolate systems that don’t meet a minimum level of requirements such as antivirus and operating system patch level.

New Features

Microsoft has done a lot to help make Windows Server 2008 easier to manage. The new version of Windows Manager has a much improved user interface, along with a multitude of wizards that help simplify many of the typical administration tasks. Those same management functions are also available from the command line, making it easier to automate standard configuration tasks.

One key component to Microsoft’s automation strategy is Windows PowerShell. This replacement to the venerable command line based on Microsoft’s DOS adds a whole new world of capability to creating scripts. Beta 3 is the first version of Windows Server 2008 to include Windows PowerShell in the distribution. You can find a wealth of information on Windows PowerShell on the Microsoft Script Center site (www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/hubs/msh.mspx).

“We see PowerShell as a key part of Microsoft’s overall management automation story. PowerShell will make it possible to automate numerous tasks into a single command file executed in one step. IT administrators will be able to either use scripts provided to them or create their own,” says Christopher Voce, analyst with Infrastructure and Operations for Forrester Research.

IIS (Internet Information Server) 7.0 is available for the first time in the Beta 3 release of Windows Server 2008. The latest release of IIS includes a whole host of features and a new modular architecture with more than 40 installable modules. Modularity also makes it possible to configure the Web server with just the minimum capabilities needed to reduce the overall attack surface.

BitLocker drive encryption was a new feature introduced with Windows Vista, making it possible to encrypt an entire disk drive as an added protection layer against data theft. This same technology has been incorporated into Windows Server 2008 for situations such as a remote branch office that could contain sensitive information.

Missing In Action

Virtualization is the most high-profile component that didn't make it into the Beta 3 release. Microsoft has announced that a beta version of the technology will be available with the RTM release of Windows Server 2008. The final version of Windows Server virtualization is scheduled for release within 180 days after the release of Windows Server 2008.

Some of the features originally planned for Windows Server Virtualization have been cut as well. One significant feature cut was something called live migration. This would allow running virtual machines to be moved or migrated from one physical machine to another. Live migration will make managing dynamic application loads as simple as moving a file from one server to another.

Another feature removed from the initial release of Windows Server Virtualization is the ability to add resources while the virtual machine is running or “hot resource adding.” This feature is another helpful tool to deal with dynamic loads.

Action Plan

The big question for many IT administrators is should they download and test the Beta 3 release or just wait for the RTM release. Forrester’s Voce says, “We think there’s real benefit for administrators and IT pros in organizations of all sizes to begin to get familiar with the new features and changes in Windows Server 2008.”

by Paul Ferrill


System Requirements For Windows Server 2008 Beta 3

Processor

• Minimum: 1GHz

• Recommended: 2GHz

• Optimal: 3GHz or faster

Memory

• Minimum: 512MB RAM

• Recommended: 1GB RAM

• Optimal: 2GB RAM (full installation) or 1GB RAM (Server Core installation) or more

• Maximum: 32GB RAM (32-bit systems) or 64GB RAM (64-bit systems)

Available Disk Space

• Minimum: 8GB

• Recommended: 40GB (full installation) or 10GB (Server Core installation) or more

Note: Computers with more than 16GB of RAM will require more disk space for paging, hibernation, and dump files.

DVD-ROM drive

Super VGA

• 800 x 600 pixels or higher resolution monitor

Keyboard

• Or compatible device

Mouse

• Or compatible pointing device

SOURCE: MICROSOFT WINDOWS SERVER 2008 BETA 3 REVIEWERS GUIDE