Windows Server 2008, to review or not?

Writing by 1call on Sunday, 1 of June , 2008 at 8:30 am

It is safe to dive into the new server, Windows 2008!

Microsoft has a new server in town. Yes, we realize you did not notice as has been the case for many business people. So decisions are needed, do you review the new server or add another Windows 2003 server to your mix? Let’s start with some summary statements then you can decide if you want to read the rest of this article series.

Windows Server 2008 comes in several flavors, which by now everyone is getting used to full versions and less featured or just plain crippled versions. So if you are using your server behind a firewall and only use file and print service then there isn’t a good reason to move forward unless your server is aging and now is the time you planned to upgrade. If you do not use Microsoft Exchange and don’t plan to then again no need to upgrade. Contact us if you want a robust alternative to Exchange.

We like the new server but approach the subject in a “justify it” approach. If we can’t justify it then we cannot recommend windows server 2008 for the sake of having the latest server in the back office.

Windows Server 2008 comes with significant changes but most users won’t notice running XP or Vista Business. Ok, if you read this far and decided you are not going to buy a server with windows server 2008 and will either stay with Windows 2003 server or will install Windows 2003 server then you don’t need to spend any more time reading on the subject..

We will greatly simplify the Windows Server 2008 offering. Microsoft has review documents on thier site and the “short version” is only 116 pages long. We don’t call that a short enough version. We don’t know of any executive that could stomach a 116 page presentation on a server or “infrastructure platform” as the term goes. At the time of this writing some of the features touted are actually in BETA even though the Windows Server 2008 product has been released to manufacturing.

Breat it Down! Summary feature with commentary.

Setup. The server uses the Vista install routine with the ability to read raid drivers from USB drives instead of floppies. Anyone want to buy a stack of old floppies? Microsoft has a server core install only option that reminds old gear heads of Novell or Unix which also used a command line management console which pretty well kept users from meddling with the server. There will some tools and 3rd party scripts to help manage a core install.

Server Roles. Configuring services from the new server manager is a great educational tool as Microsoft has added lots of explanations for what things do and this will help admininistrators learn about the server.

Copying Files. Copying files has been improved but still won’t do much for XP users. Microsoft updated the SMB (file copying for the lay person) protocol which means multiple connections and instructions simultaneously. If you don’t have a GIG switch in the server closet contact us.
IIS 7.0 A new version of web server. Touted as allowing hosting of applications and lowering costs. Same message they gave us for Windows server 2003 and IIS 6.0. A server core installation will not support IIS 7.0.

Security. Network access protection. Microsoft told us we had this in 2003 but didn’t get it right. This is improved but with the new network stack included will it be more secure? Pinging IPv6 addresses is not the same old ping.

Active Directory. Improved ability to delegate who can manage services. It is more complicated but a good team can make it very simple for average users to manage things once only dreamed about. A small office under 75 users won’t use the new features or will not have the resources to implement the new features. That is where Dallas Computer Service can come in and help however.

Virtualization. Virtual machine support is now built in but we prefer VMware since the integration services only support windows server 2003 or 2008 guest operating systems. Enough said.

We told you this was going to be brief with 100 plus pages boiled down to just a few.  The new server has an emphasis on security and seems stable from the community buzz just don’t upgrade until your lifecycle plan says to upgrade and then you will still have to decide on 2003 or 2008.  Most standard users should go for 2008 and SBS users should really consider 2003 instead of SBS 2008 still in the works.

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Category: Maintenance, Servers, Windows Server 2008