Windows Server (Formerly Codenamed Longhorn)

Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 was designed to help IT professionals to increase the flexibility of their server infrastructure while offering developers a more robust web and applications platform for building connected applications and services.

Windows Server 2008, with built-in Web and virtualization technologies, enables you to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure. New virtualization tools, Web resources, and security enhancements help you save time, reduce costs, and provide a platform for a dynamic and optimized datacenter.

Powerful new tools like IIS7, Windows Server Manager, and Windows PowerShell, allow you to have more control over your servers and streamline Web, configuration, and management tasks. Advanced security and reliability enhancements like Network Access Protection and the Read-Only Domain Controller harden the operating system and protect your server environment to ensure you have a solid foundation on which to build your business.

Here are some key features of "Windows Longhorn":

￭ Simplify Web server management with Internet Information Services 7.0, which is a powerful Web platform for applications and services. This modular platform provides a simplified, task-based management interface, greater cross-site control, security enhancements, and integrated health management for Web Services. ￭ Internet Information Server (IIS) 7 and .NET Framework 3.0 provide a comprehensive platform for building applications that connect users to each other and to their data, enabling them to visualize, share, and act on information.

￭ Virtualize multiple operating systems - Windows, Linux and others - on a single server. With virtualization built into the operating system and with simpler, more flexible licensing policies, it’s now easier than ever to take advantage of all the benefits and cost savings of virtualization. ￭ Windows Server 2008 provides you with the flexibility to create an agile and dynamic datacenter to meet your changing business needs. ￭ Terminal Services Gateway and Terminal Services RemoteApp are designed for easy remote access and application integration with the local desktop, enabling secure and seamless application deployment without the need for a VPN.

￭ Windows Server 2008 is the most secure Windows Server ever. Its hardened operating system and security innovations, including Network Access Protection, Federated Rights Management, and Read-Only Domain Controller, provide unprecedented levels of protection for your network, your data, and your business. ￭ Windows Server 2008 helps protect against failure and intrusion for servers, networks, data, and user accounts. ￭ Network Access Protection gives you the power to isolate computers that don’t comply with your organization's security policies, and provides network restriction, remediation, and ongoing compliance checking. ￭ Federated Rights Management Services provides persistent protection for sensitive data; helps reduce risks and enables compliance; and provides a platform for comprehensive information protection. ￭ Read-Only Domain Controller allows you to deploy Active Directory Domain Services while restricting replication of the full Active Directory database, to better protect against server theft or compromise.

￭ Windows Server 2008 is the most flexible and robust Windows Server operating system to date. With new technologies and features such as Server Core, PowerShell, Windows Deployment Services, and enhanced networking and clustering technologies, Windows Server 2008 provides you the most versatile and reliable Windows platform for all of your workload and application requirements. ￭ Server Manager accelerates server setup and configuration, and simplifies ongoing management of server roles via a unified management console. ￭ Windows PowerShell is a new command-line shell with more than 130 tools and an integrated scripting language that enables an administrator to automate routine system administration tasks, especially across multiple servers. ￭ Server Core is a new installation option for selected roles that includes only the necessary components and subsystems without a graphical user interface, to provide a highly available server that requires fewer updates and less servicing.

Limitations:

￭ 30 days trial

￭ Standard ￭ Enterprise ￭ Datacenter ￭ For Itanium-based Systems ￭ VHD

Windows Media Services 2008 for Windows Server 2008 is an optional supplement to Windows Server 2008 RC1. In Windows Server 2008 RC1, the Streaming Media Services role (which includes the latest version of Windows Media Services) and remote administration tools are not included in Server Manager. To obtain the new features and tools available in Windows Media Services for Windows Server 2008 RC1, such as the built-in WMS Cache/Proxy plug-in, you must obtain and run the appropriate Streaming Media Services role installer file on the updated platform.

These Microsoft Update Standalone Package (MSU) files install either 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) versions (as noted in the file names) of: ￭ Windows Media Services and the rest of the Streaming Media Services role in Server Manager, on "full" installations of Standard and Enterprise editions of ￭ Windows Server 2008 RC1 ￭ The Streaming Media Services Server Core role, on "Server Core" installations of Standard and Enterprise editions of Windows Server 2008 RC1 ￭ The Windows Media Services snap-in for Microsoft Management Console (MMC) on a computer that is running the Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate edition of the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system.

￭ Admin x64 ￭ Core x64 ￭ Server x64 ￭ Admin x86 ￭ Core x86 ￭ Server x86

Utilities and SDK for UNIX-Based Applications is an add-on to the Subsystem for UNIX-Based Applications (referred to as SUA, hence forth) component that shipped in Microsoft Windows Vista / Windows Server2008 RC1.

This consists of the following components: ￭ Base Utilities ￭ SVR-5 Utilities ￭ Base SDK ￭ GNU SDK ￭ GNU Utilities ￭ UNIX Perl ￭ Visual Studio Debugger Add-in

This release enables 64-bit application development for SUA. development and porting of custom UNIX applications using the Windows OCI (Oracle Call Interface) and Windows ODBC libraries (collectively referred to as 'Mixed Mode' in the rest of the document).

￭ The installation packages are different for Windows Vista and Windows Server2008 RC1. ￭ Windows Vista users should download either 'Utilities and SDK for UNIX-based Applications_X86.exe' or 'Utilities and SDK for UNIX-based Applications_X64.exe'. ￭ Windows Vista SP1 RC1 and Windows Server2008 users should download only the packages whose names end with 'RC1'.

Download the 10.0.6000(25).0 version for UNIX-based Applications_AMD64, UNIX-based Applications_AMD64_RC1, UNIX-based Applications_IA64_RC1, UNIX-based Applications_X86, UNIX-based Applications_X86_RC1

This time-limited release of Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate will expire on June 30, 2008. After this time, you will need to uninstall the software or upgrade to a later release or a fully-licensed version of Windows Server 2008.

Here are some key features of "Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V":

￭ New and improved architecture: New 64-bit micro-kernelized hypervisor architecture enables Hyper-V to provide a broad array of device support and improved performance and security. ￭ Broad OS support: Broad support for simultaneously running different types of operating systems, including 32-bit and 64-bit systems across different server platforms, such as Windows and Linux. ￭ SMP support: Ability to support up to 4 multiple processors (SMP) in a virtual machine environment to enable you to take full advantage of multi-threaded applications in a virtual machine. ￭ Memory support: Support for large memory allocation per virtual machine enables you to now virtualize most workloads, making Hyper-V an ideal platform for both enterprises and small to medium businesses alike. ￭ Improved storage access: With pass-through disk access and broad support for SAN and internal disk access, Hyper-V provides greater flexibility in configuring and utilizing storage environments optimally. ￭ Network load balancing: With the new virtual service provider/virtual service client (VSP/VSC) architecture, Hyper-V provides improved performance and utilization of core resources such as disk, networking, video, etc. ￭ New hardware sharing architecture: With the new virtual service provider/virtual service client (VSP/VSC) architecture, Hyper-V provides improved access and utilization of core resources such as disk, networking, video, etc. ￭ Quick migration: Hyper-V enables you to rapidly migrate a running virtual machine from one physical host system to another with minimal downtime, leveraging familiar high-availability capabilities of Windows Server and System Center management tools. ￭ Linux integration components: Beta Linux integration components are now available for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 x86 and x64 Editions. These integration components enable Xen-enabled Linux to take advantage of the VSP/VSC architecture and provide improved performance. Beta Linux Integration components are available for immediate download through connect.microsoft.com. ￭ Virtual machine snapshot: Hyper-V provides the ability to take snapshots of a running virtual machine so you can easily revert to a previous state and improve the overall backup and recoverability solution. ￭ Scalability: With support for multiple processors and cores at the host level and improved memory access within virtual machines, you can now vertically scale your virtualization environment to support a large number of virtual machines within a given host and continue to leverage quick migration for scalability across multiple hosts. ￭ Extensible: Standards-based Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) interfaces and APIs in Hyper-V enable independent software vendors and developers to quickly build custom tools, utilities, and enhancements for the virtualization platform.

This product requires a valid product key for activation within 30 days of installation. If you have received a product key via email confirmation, you may use the key with the software you can download the 1.0 Version.