An Overview of Windows Server 2008 R2

In this article we will provide an overview of this new release, present its characteristics, set of features, new functionalities, and basically see what it brings to the table. One might think this is yet another service pack, but that couldn’t be more wrong. It is a second release for a reason—and throughout this article, we’re going to get into it.

Before we begin, we’d like to proudly state that we have already published two articles, one about Planning the Migration to Windows Server 2008 and another one that actually describes the process of Migrating to Windows Server 2008. Chances are if you’re still running 2003 and not feeling comfortable with 2008, you want to check out those articles. This article will just focus on the R2’s additions.

When it comes to server operating systems, Microsoft tends to follow the approach of launching a new release, then after a year or so, an R2 (second release) that includes lots of enhancements, new features, server functionalities, and incorporates some of the latest technologies that were either developed or just fully perfected during that time. We’ve seen this happen to Windows Server 2003 and 2003 R2 as well.

Windows Server 2008 R2 brings to the table the following additions that we’ll cover during this article: virtualization (live migration, Hyper-V 2.0, desktop virtualization-VDI, etc.), IIS 7.5, scalability, Active Directory, administration-related tools (most importantly PowerShell 2.0; it also comes with hundreds of cmdlets), other management applications, and better around-the-clock compatibility with Windows 7.0.

And much, much more. That's enough of a summary; let’s get down to work.

This R2 version of Windows Server 2008 not only brings additions and new technologies, but also incorporates a lot of security patches and performance fixes. The kind of attention this operating system got from Microsoft was respectable since, obviously, they wanted to keep it within the top server OSes, and staying in the pole position in the world of IT requires dedication. That’s why the OS got so many updates.

Major improvements were brought to the table in the case of virtualization. In the first release of Windows Server 2008, back in June, the Hyper-V 1.0 was included. The R2 version comes with enhancements and new additions to make it as (and even more) competitive as the alternate virtualization solutions.

We’re looking at the following additions: Live Migration, scalability (384 VMs per host), clustered shared volumes (NTFS CSV size up to 256TB—yes, that’s terra—with a count of 4+ billion files as a ceiling, and no restrictions to directory structures), 512 VPs (that’s virtual processors per host server), TCP offload via VM Chimney—NIC DMA (requires compatible hardware, network traffic can be offloaded to a physical NIC), and many other tweaks that improve performance by up to 4x over its predecessor (R1).

The software giant did their best to include those features people complained VMware offered but Hyper-V 1.0 did not. By including full support for 64-bit processors, Microsoft could raise the numbers and throw them high into the sky. That’s why we’re looking at those outrageous scalability possibilities. And yes, we should mention that Windows Server 2008 R2 comes only in a 64-bit version. Say adios to 32-bit editions.

There are plenty of other virtualization features which we cannot get into, such as hot adding/removing VM storage, booting from VHDs, VDI (desktop virtualization) scenarios, processor compatibility (able to migrate VMs from/to different spec CPUs as long as the vendor is the same), file classification infrastructure (FCI), core parking (suspending inactive processor cores, using only when needed, etc.), and much more!

Moving on, another area where R2 brings a lot to the table is administration and management. The major addition is due to the inclusion of PowerShell 2.0. This “new” scripting language of course comes with even more features due to its nature and full support for administrating newer technologies. Windows Server 2008 R2 comes with hundreds of cmdlets. Server Manager shows off “remote” administration functions.

There is a development interface included to write and debug PowerShell scripts. The R2 also brings capabilities of remote execution on clients (without using third party tools or additional utilities such as PsExec), and a rather interesting feature that is called Best Practice Analyzer. This tool is a nifty wizard that examines your server roles and tries to guess the “best practices” for those roles. It usually works quite well.

In terms of networking and its administration, the R2 sports new technologies! First we have failover capabilities for both DHCP and WINS. Thanks to these protocols and, of course, the ability to set up backup/secondary servers, you can improve robustness. A lot of security enhancements were also included such as DNSSEC which basically prevents the interception of DNS queries by adding one layer of security.

We cannot even name all of the additions, let along describe them. This article is just an overview so we’re naming those that stand out and help a great deal for most organizations. On the next pages we will get into the web services—IIS 7.5—and the changes made to the Active Directory, and how it plays nicely with Windows 7.

All right now, let’s check out this new beast that is called IIS 7.5. The server core is capable of supporting ASP .NET and PHP technologies. There’s an integrated PowerShell provider. You'll find a lot of new additions to improve administration. You will also find lots of IIS manager modules. Logging and tracing capabilities received a makeover. As expected, there's a huge range of security patches, improved security, and extended protection...

The administration tools are centralized and you can technically deploy, set up, configure, and manage your entire Web infrastructure from one place. Performance is improved via dynamic caching and compression. Scalability (in the case of Web farms) comes from HTTP load balancing and request handling/routing. There are new media delivery options. Filtering options and server foot-printing can prevent unauthorized access.

One year ago when Windows Server 2008 was released, we all knew it was going to focus on running Vista on client machines. And it brought lots of enhancements targeting Vista, starting from administering Vista clients up to improving performance when having those kind of clients within a domain. It also included lots of user-friendly additions. This time it was expected to fully support Windows 7. And that’s how it delivers.

The following features are only possible when Win 7 is on the client machine(s). First we have DirectAccess, which is nothing but Microsoft’s attempt to “make it simple” for the VPN connections that organizations were already implementing to give their users the ability to access resources from the company’s intranet. Improvements to the RDP brought a renowned “remote desktop” utility that is more secure and faster.

Performance is improved due to technologies like BranchCache. It is a practical caching that does wonders in the case of branching scenarios. It caches not only HTTP but also SMB, frees up bandwidth and other resources, and delivers more speed from the client’s perspective. Another performance improvement comes from the ability to have read-only DFS replicas as well, not only read-only domain controllers.

Microsoft touches another area where there was a need, and usually network techs implemented workarounds to solve this. I'm talking about fault-tolerance between sites.

Say your company has numerous sites, and they are interconnected with VPN tunnels. Those are relying on Internet connectivity (which comes from ISPs) and network devices (that can go bad, lose power, etc.). Agile VPN is the new addition that allows multiple paths. Should the network route go down for whatever reason, another path is used. And the connection has not been lost.

In terms of security, BitLocker was extended to removable drives as well. And we have already mentioned the additions such as the VDI (virtualized desktop integration) a bit earlier when we talked about virtualization enhancements. Win 7.0 introduced the so-called RemoteApp & Desktop feeds, which helps alleviate problems the user may have experienced when running virtualized apps. RDS is implemented into to UI of Win 7.

And finally, let’s mention those additions that stand out when it comes to the Active Directory. First—let’s all yell hooray for the Recycle Bin. What? Yes! In the case of R2 functional level, the Active Directory has the garbage can where you can find those AD objects that you deleted by mistake (or not). And they can be restored, too.

The Administration Center has received a new UI with a few more functions. It’s based on the PowerShell cmdlets, so it means more seamless and varied administrative tasks. Another feature for which we’d somehow say “it was time!” is the offline domain join. The process can be automated with an .xml file and the tool is called djoin.exe. Should you want to read more about AD enhancements, check out this blog post.

That is it for now. Windows Server 2008 R2 brought amazing features, including a few where system administrators are compelled to say ‘oh, finally.’ And with virtualization, it was obvious; Hyper-V 2.0 needs to be competitive.

As you can see, we’re about to finish this article, but throughout the previous pages we have pretty much outlined the enhancements that R2 brought to the already rock-solid and mostly mature server operating system of Microsoft. Microsoft does not want and cannot afford to have their latest Server OS lose market share. And to keep it competitive, R2 was basically required. It fulfills needs that were not handled as well in R1.

We can draw a few remarks regarding R2. Most companies already running Windows 2008 will consider migrating to R2 once it's up for sale, since the process is made to be simple, and chances are everyone can find some features that might be worth appling in their specific environment.

On the other hand, those still running on Windows 2003 or, heck, even 2000 (statistically speaking, they aren’t as rare as you may think), might consider doing requirements analysis. Thereafter, should the results be positive and the investment worthwhile, they could really take the big step and migrate to 2008 R2.

In closing, I’d like to invite you to join our experienced community of technology professionals on all areas of IT&C starting from software and hardware up to consumer electronics at Dev Hardware Forums. As well, be sure to check out the community of our sister site at Dev Shed Forums. We are friendly and we’ll do our best to help you.