By Michael Cherry [bio]
Posted: Feb. 4, 2008                            

The following an excerpt of a Research Report published by Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm focused exclusively on Microsoft strategy & technology. More samples of our content, as well as a list of upcoming articles and reports are also available.

Free! Executive Summary

Report outlines improvements to configuration management, security, terminal services, rights management and other areas as well as reviews application compatibility and licensing issues

Free! Windows Server 2008 Takes Shape

Organizations will want to evaluate Windows Server 2008 to determine how the new features will impact network infrastructure, and to find any application compatibility issues

Server Core May Impact Infrastructure

A new Server Core installation for Windows Server 2008 provides a minimal set of components for specific server roles, but requires administrators to learn remote-management techniques

Windows Management Tools Improved

Updated management tools, delivered in Windows Server 2008 and an add-on for Vista SP1, will help set up servers in secure configurations and provide better control over clients using Group Policy

AD Changes in Windows Server 2008

Changes to Active Directory in Windows Server 2008 will help larger organizations with distributed offices or federated services and will improve administration

Windows Server 2008 Controls Network Access

Network Access Protection allows an organization to control which computers access its network, but its ultimate value will depend on the availability of health-monitoring components

IIS 7 Aims at Apache

IIS 7 aims to make Windows a better platform for hosting Web sites, with a more modular architecture, better performance for PHP applications, and management tools more suited for large-scale environments

Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008

Terminal Services continues to evolve to improve the user's experience while running remote applications

Windows Server 2008 Protects Content

An update to Rights Management Services in Windows Server 2008 will simplify the sharing of protected documents between organizations

Future Directions and Considerations

Future development on the Windows Server roadmap and compatibility considerations could influence Windows Server 2008 migration plans

Editions, Requirements, Activation, Upgrades

Overview of Windows Server 2008 editions, hardware prerequisites, requirements for activation, and upgrade issues

Windows Server 2008 Packaging, Licensing, Pricing

The most frequently sold packages of Windows Server 2008 will include Hyper-V virtualization technology, and a new virtualization product will also make the technology available stand-alone

Resources

Links to additional information about Windows Server 2008 features, application compatibility, licensing, and other issues