An Overview of Windows Server 2008 R2
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At the beginning of the year 2008, when Windows Server 2008 hit the shelves, it was considered the most mature operating system that Microsoft had ever created. Come to think of it, the successor was from the year 2003—that’s five years of development! Windows Server 2008 has already received two service packs, and now, roughly a year and a half later, we’re already playing around with the second release (R2) of Windows 2008.
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.
Next: Virtualization, Administration >>
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