You have probably usedWindows Server 2008already, if only
on the internet. In late June, Microsoft started rolling out Server
2008 andInternet Information Server (IIS) 7.0on Microsoft.com. And according to Netcraft, which monitors
the web, Server 2008 is now hosting more than 2,600 sites, most of
which are not at Microsoft.
Server 2008 has, of course, been a long time coming. The first
beta was released two years ago, in July 2005, under the Longhorn
codename. We have now reached
beta 3, the first public beta, which is feature-complete and
doubles as RC1 (Release Candidate 1).
It is not dramatically different from Windows Server 2003
running IIS 6, except in one respect: it is the first version of
Windows where the windows are optional. If you do not need a
graphical user interface, you can install a "core system" and run
it from the new Powershell command shell. The core system takes up
less space and offers more performance, and removing the browser
must also make it more secure.
The other key feature is what Microsoft calls "role-based
deployment". Microsoft says most companies set up servers for
particular functions, and Server 2008 provides you with at least 17
typical installations. All installations offer a variety of
choices, and there is also a set-up wizard if you want to create
your own.
Role-based deployment makes it obvious that you do not need to
take a big bang approach. You can start with one or two low-risk
installations and see how it goes.
Microsoft says Server 2008 has also benefited from the work it
has done to increase security - as seen in Windows Vista - and that
installations are now designed to be "secure by default" instead of
open.
Further security is provided by
Network Access Protection, which is operated via group
policies. This prevents staff from connecting to the network if
their PCs do not meet certain conditions, such as having a firewall
turned on.
Server 2008 also has the new IPv6 and rewritten TCP/IP stack
installed as the default. This is used to talk to any Vista PCs
connected to the network.
It is not clear when Server 2008 will appear. Microsoft says
release to manufacturing will be in "the second half of the year,"
but it seems most likely to be at the end of the year. Iain
McDonald, director of the Windows Server programme, says the aim is
to ship a system that will not need a service pack "for a couple of
years".
Anyone who wants to try to prove him wrong can download Server
2008 free.
● Jack Schofield is computer editor at the Guardian
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