Windows Server 2008 Updates

SMB 2.0

Originally seen in MS Windows Vista, SMB 2.0, which is also referred to as Common Internet File System, is offered in MS Windows Server 2008 as well. Server Message Block or SMB is mainly a network file sharing protocol but it can also be used to perform other functions.

SMB 2.0 may be used for dialect negotiation, determining other MS SMB Protocol servers in the network, file and directory change notification, printing over a network, extended file attribute handling, file and record locking, and Unicode support.

There are three general types of packets used by SMB 2.0. General message packets send data regarding print queues, named pipes, and mailslots. File access packets, on the other hand, are used for accessing and manipulating files and directories on the remote server. Lastly, session control packets are used for establishing and discontinuing connection to shared server resources.

SMB 2.0 is also used with opportunistic locks. An opportunistic lock or oplock is a lock placed by a client on a certain file stored on the server. Oplocks are often used to cache data locally and consequently improve response time as well as network traffic.

File Server Role

A file server provides network users a central location wherein they can store and share files. Instead of having to pass and exchange files between users, they can opt to access these files in the file server.

To configure a computer as a file server, you’d have to make sure first that it runs on MS Windows Server 2008 and any other MS OS that supports this function. It must also be joined to an Active Directory domain. Next, available disk space should be allocated and Windows Firewall enabled. Existing disk volumes should support the NTFS file system.

Consider if you wish to use a disk quota. Disk quotas are for tracking and controlling disk space usage. They prevent users from going beyond the maximum amount of space allotted to them. Consider if you wish Indexing Service as well. This feature creates indexes of contents and properties of documents stored on local or shared drives. Folders for sharing must have their own name and description. Permission restrictions may also be applied.

Multipath I/O

This feature provides support for usage of various data paths to a storage device running on an MS Windows OS.

Windows Server Backup

This feature offers a simple but effective and easy-to-apply backup and recovery solution for your server. Backup is composed of a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in together with several command-line tools. Windows Server Backup is not part of Windows Server Core and as such, you’ll have to add and install this program first.

Windows Server Backup comes with several significant improvements. Firstly, it uses Volume Shadow Copy Service or VSS together with block-level backup technology to back up and recover your OS and other important files and resources. It can then be configured afterwards to run only backups for data that has been changed since its last backup procedure. To restore, just choose among the files and resources that have been backed up and click on them.

Other storage improvements offered by MS Windows Server 2008 are Storage Explorer, iSCSI Initiator and Remote Boot as well as iSNS Server.

Here are some other articles about A Glimpse of Storage Improvements from MS Windows Server 2008:

9 Basic Things to Know about Removable Storage Manager in MS Windows Server 2008

A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Multipath I/O in MS Windows Server 2008

A Quick Guide to the Storage Enhancements in MS Windows Server 2008

Primer on Internet Storage Naming Server

The Link between Storage Explorer and Storage Area Networks in MS Windows Server 2008

Understanding How Storage Manager for SANs Works in MS Windows Server 2008