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Top 5 Windows Server 2008 New Features
Server 2008 is built on the same code base as Windows Vista. This common code base converts to common architecture and functionality between the two operating systems. Some of the new features in Server 2008 include: #5: PowerShell Server 2008 includes Windows PoweShell which is a powerful command-line scripting technology. Based on the.NET framework, PowerShell contains over 120 administrative utilities that can be used to perform and automate common tasks. Powershell is easy to learn and use as it uses consistent syntax and can be used in combination with existing scripts. #4: Server Virtualization One of the most intriguing new features of Server 2008 is Hyper-V. This is a virtualization technology that allows multiple operating systems to be run on a single piece of server hardware. Hyper-V can be used to consolidate multiple physical servers onto a single server's hardware. Additional servers are added to the host system as virtual machines. They run completely independent of the host system and can have all of their own configurations and software. Virtualization technology allows businesses to lower their total coast of ownership by minimizing hardware purchasing as well as lowering power consumption and cooling costs. #3: Server Manager Server 2008 includes a new management interface where a myriad of tasks can be performed including configuring, managing and monitoring various server roles and services. Server roles (DNS, DHCP, Active Directory) can be installed and managed easily. Once the new roles are installed, their management interfaces are automatically added to the Server Manager for future use. There is also a new and morfe powerful Event Viewer that provides much more detailed and useful logging functions. You can create custom views of service and application logs, as well as view logs on remote machines based on pre-configured logging criteria. Server Manager improves an administrator's ability to effectively and efficiently manage all aspects of the server. #2: Network Access Protection (NAP) NAP is a feature designed to better protect you network and its resources. It restricts access to network resources based on a client computer's compliance with predefined corporate policies. These policies can include who the client is, what groups they belong to and the degree to which they are in compliance. NAP provides an automatic mechanism to bring the client into a state of compliance. Once the client meets the policy guidelines, its network and resource access is updated dynamically. For example, when a client computer attempts to access a network, its antivirus definitions can be checked. If the antivirus software is not up to date, the client will be restricted to certain areas and resources. Once the client updates his/ her virus definitions, they will automatically and seamlessly be able to access more resources. #1: Server Core With Server 2008, there is no longer the need to install a full version of the operating system when all you need the server to do is perform roles such as DNS, print server and DHCP. This is where Server Core comes in. Instead of installing a full version of Server 2008, a slimmed down version (no GUI, no video drivers, no Explorer shell) is installed requiring only about 1 GB of drive space. This light version of Server 2008 not only decreases administration requirements of the server, but it also minimizes the attack surface since many services and applications are not installed. Server Core can be managed from the command-line or from a remote MMC. Overall Server 2008 is a very powerful, efficient and reliable server operating system. There are many new features that will prove to be beneficial to businesses of all sizes. For more information about Server 2008, please visit the Server 2008 page on Microsoft's website.
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The next edition of the Windows Server product was released on February 27th, 2008. Originally code named "Longhorn," this latest version was released with the simple name, Windows Server 2008. Server 2008 is available in multiple versions, each designed to support organizations of varying size, budgets and complexity: Web Edition, Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition and Datacenter Edition. |