What is Windows Server® 2008?

The Windows Server® 2008 operating system helps you increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure. New security enhancements, virtualization tools and web resources help save time, reduce costs, and provide a solid foundation on which to build your business.

What’s new and improved?

Solid Foundation for your Business Workloads
Windows Server 2008 is a flexible and robust operating system. With new technologies and features such as Server Core, PowerShellTM, Windows Deployment Services, and enhanced networking and clustering technologies, Windows Server 2008 provides a versatile and reliable platform for all workload and application requirements.

• Server Manager: This new tool provides a great, out-of-the-box experience for adding, configuring and managing server roles, role services and features.
• Windows PowerShell: A new interactive command-line, task-based scripting language that helps simplify system management by enabling administrators to automate common tasks.
• Server Core: Allows administrators to install Windows Server® 2008 with only the components wanted, helping to minimize overhead and exposed attack surface.
• Branch Office: Employs new features like “Restartable Active Directory” to help provide more control over servers in remote locations.
  Application Platform: There have been significant updates to .NET 3.0, IIS 7.0 and Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) 4.0, as well the Application Server Role and Web Server Role. These enhancements will help developers create the next generation of distributed applications more rapidly — connected solutions, and reusable components that can be easily deployed and managed.

Security
Windows Server® 2008 provides a highly secure server environment. Its hardened operating system and security innovations, including Network Access Protection, Federated Rights Management, and Read-Only Domain Controller, help provide improved levels of protection for networks, data, and businesses.

• Network Access Protection (NAP): NAP helps prevent unhealthy computers from accessing and compromising an organization’s network. It also helps provide remediation services for noncompliant client computers.
• Read-only Domain Controller (RODC): Helps increase security at branch offices by providing local authentication to users without deploying a full, writeable copy of the Active Directory database.
• Active Directory Federation Services: Provides browser-based clients with highly secure access to Internet-facing applications, enabling organizations to securely collaborate using existing user account infrastructure.
• Security Features: Numerous enhancements. Secure Startup helps protect against data theft. Windows Service Hardening limits network access and privileges. Windows Firewall screens traffic. And Windows BitLocker™ helps protect servers at remote locations.
• Enhancements to Windows PKI: Simplified management, streamlined certificate revocation services, and decreased enrolment attack surface.
  Source: Positioning Msgs, INF210-10Reasons, Book of Longhorn

Virtualization
With its available built-in server virtualization technology, Windows Server 2008 helps reduce costs, increase hardware utilization, optimize infrastructure, and improve server availability.

• Windows Server Virtualization (WSv): Helps reduce costs by consolidating servers and better utilizing hardware.
• New Terminal Services Capabilities: Terminal Services technologies enable access from almost any computing device to a Windows-based server.

Web
Enhanced development and application tools can help deliver rich web-based experiences with improved administration and diagnostics, and lower infrastructure costs.

• Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0: Provides a highly secure, easy to manage, highly modular platform for developing and reliably hosting Web applications and services.
• Windows Media Services: Helps provide a lively fast-streaming experience. Features dynamic programming for on-the-fly and personalized content delivery, and an industrial-strength platform that helps ensure ease-of-administration, customization, and scalability.

Windows Server 2008 is highly secure, reliable and flexible.

Enhancements Windows Server® 2008 provides in relation to Window Server 2003
In Windows Server 2003, server roles and role management were fragmented across multiple tools, including Windows Server 2003 Setup, Post-Setup Security Updates, Manage Your Server, Configure Your Server Wizard, Remove Windows Components, and the Computer Management Security Configuration Wizard.

Windows Server® 2008 provides enhancements over Windows Server 2003 RS2, including:

• Server Manager console simplifies installation, initial configuration, and server management, helping to save you valuable time
• Operating system hardening and policy-based management help improve data and network security
• Server virtualization, centralized application access, extensible Web solutions, and improved deployment help provide greater flexibility for growth and expansion
• TS Gateway helps authorized remote users to log on to terminal servers on a corporate network from almost anywhere, using the Internet
• Terminal Services Remote Programs (TS RemoteApp) helps provide the ability to run both local and remotely-hosted programs on a Windows desktop.
• With TS Web Access, users can visit a Web site, either from the Internet or from an intranet, to access a list of available Remote Applications that can be launched with a click.
  

Windows Server 2008 Editions

Windows Server 2008 System Requirements*

*Actual requirements will vary based on your system configuration and the applications and features you choose to install. For more information, please see www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008.