Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 is an operating system from Microsoft. It is the successor to Windows Server 2003.
Windows Server 2008 introduces most of the new features from Windows Vista to Windows Server. This is kinda like what happened between Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.
Windows Server 2008 will be released to manufacturing in the first quarter of 2008 with the official launch taking place on February 27, 2008.
Windows Server 2008 is built from the same code base as Windows Vista Service Pack 1; therefore, it shares much of the same architecture and functionality.
It automatically benefits from most of the technical, security, management and administrative features new to Windows Vista such as the new improved rewritten networking stack (native IPv6, native wireless, speed and security improvements); improved image-based installation, deployment and recovery; improved diagnostics, monitoring, event logging and reporting tools; new security features such as Bitlocker and ASLR; improved Windows Firewall with secure default configuration; .NET Framework 3.0 technologies, specifically Windows Communication Foundation, Microsoft Message Queuing and Windows Workflow Foundation; and the core kernel, memory and file system improvements.
Perhaps the most notable new feature of Windows Server 2008 is a new variation of installation called Server Core.
Server Core is a significantly scaled-back installation where no Windows Explorer shell is installed, and all configuration and maintenance is done entirely through command line interface windows, or by connecting to the machine remotely using Microsoft Management Console.
Server Core also does not include the .NET Framework, Internet Explorer or many other features not related to core server features.
A Server Core machine can be configured for several basic roles: Domain controller/Active Directory Domain Services, ADLDS (ADAM), DNS Server, DHCP Server, file server, print server, Windows Media Server, Terminal Services Easy Print, TS Remote Programs, and TS Gateway, IIS 7 web server and Windows Server Virtualization virtual server.
Active Directory is expanded with identity, certificate and rights management services.
Active Directory until Windows Server 2003 allowed network administrators to centrally manage connected computers, to set policies for groups of users, and to centrally deploy new applications to multiple computers.
This role of Active Directory is being renamed as Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS).
A number of other additional services are being introduced, including Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS), Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS), (formerly Active Directory Application Mode, or ADAM), Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS), and Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS).
Identity and certificate services allow administrators to manage user accounts and the digital certificates that allow them to access certain services and systems.
Federation management services enable enterprises to share credentials with trusted partners and customers, allowing a consultant to use his company user name and password to log in on a client's network. Identity Integration Feature Pack is included as Active Directory Metadirectory Services.
Each of these services represents a server role.
Windows Server 2008 is the first Windows operating system that will ship with Windows PowerShell, Microsoft's new extensible command line shell and task-based scripting technology.
PowerShell is based on object-oriented programming and version 2.0 of the Microsoft .NET Framework and includes more than 120 system administration utilities, consistent syntax and naming conventions, and built-in capabilities to work with common management data such as the Windows Registry, certificate store, or Windows Management Instrumentation.
PowerShell's scripting language was specifically designed for IT administration, and can be used in place of cmd.exe and Windows Script Host.
Other features included in Windows Server 2008 are Self-healing NTFS, Windows Server Virtualization, Windows System Resource Manager and server Manager.
We will discuss them all on this site.
Most editions of Windows Server 2008 will be available in x64 (64-bit) and x86 (32-bit) versions. Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems will support IA-64 processors.
The IA-64 version will be optimized for high workload scenarios like database servers and Line of Business (LOB) applications.
Microsoft has announced that Windows Server 2008 will be the last 32-bit Windows server operating system.