Editions of Server 2008 Explained

Below is the differences in the upcoming Windows Server 2008 Editions, started off with a summary and then followed by features comparison, next by technical specifications in each, and then download links for each edition of RC1.

Windows Server 2008 Edition Summaries

Windows Server 2008 is the most robust Windows Server operating system to date. With built-in, enhanced Web and virtualization capabilities, it is designed to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure while helping save time and reduce costs. Powerful tools give you greater control over your servers and streamline configuration and management tasks. Plus, enhanced security features work to harden the operating system to help protect your data and network and provide a solid, highly-dependable foundation for your business.

Windows Server 2008 Enterprise delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications. Help improve availability with clustering and hot-add processor capabilities. Help improve security with consolidated identity management features. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating applications with virtualization licensing rights. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise provides the foundation for a highly dynamic, scalable IT infrastructure.

Windows Server 2008 Datacenter delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications and large-scale virtualization on small and large servers. Improve availability with clustering and dynamic hardware partitioning capabilities. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating applications with unlimited virtualization licensing rights. Scale from 2 to 64 processors. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter provides a foundation on which to build enterprise-class virtualization and scale-up solutions.

Designed to be used specifically as a single-purpose Web server, Windows Web Server 2008 delivers on a rock solid foundation of Web infrastructure capabilities in the next generation Windows Server 2008. Integrated with the newly re-architected IIS 7.0, ASP.NET, and the Microsoft .NET Framework, Windows Web Server 2008 enables any organization to rapidly deploy Web pages, Web sites, Web applications, and Web services.

Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems is optimized for large databases, line of business and custom applications providing high availability and scalability up to 64 processors to meet the needs of demanding and mission critical solutions.

Windows Server 2008 is the most robust Windows Server operating system to date. It is designed to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure while helping save time and reduce costs. Powerful tools give you greater control over your servers and streamline configuration and management tasks. Plus, enhanced security features work to harden the operating system to help protect your data and network and provide a solid, highly-dependable foundation for your business. This product does not include Windows Server Hyper-V.

Windows Server 2008 Enterprise delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications. Improve availability with clustering and hot-add processor capabilities. Improve security with consolidated identity management features. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating applications with virtualization licensing rights. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise provides the foundation for a highly dynamic, scalable IT infrastructure. This product does not include Windows Server Hyper-V.

Windows Server 2008 Datacenter delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications and large-scale virtualization on small and large servers. Improve availability with clustering and dynamic hardware partitioning capabilities. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating applications with unlimited virtualization licensing rights. Scale from 2 to 64 processors. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter provides a foundation on which to build enterprise-class virtualization and scale-up solutions. This product does not include Windows Server Hyper-V.

Source.

Features Included

Technical Specifications

Download locations of RC1’s

Standard

Enterprise

Enterprise with Hyper-V Beta (x64 only)

Datacenter

Web Server

Itanium

Regards,
Anthony

Anthony Clendenen | Solutions Engineer | 1E

http://configmgr.com

© Anthony Clendenen

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Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator

Use this new version of the WVHA to determine if your hardware is ready to migrate to Vista and determine if you can migrate to Server 2008.  It can also help you assess if you can virtualize servers by migrating them to Virtual Server or Server 2008’s Hyper-V and if you can safely migrate your applications into the virtualization world as well using Microsoft Application Virtualization.

You can download Server 2008 RC1 with Hyper-V here.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Overview

Introduction

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator (MAP) is the expanded version of the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment solution accelerator (WVHA). This new version of the network-wide assessment tool gives you not only the original capability of hardware inventory and assessment for desktops, but also expanded features including server migration recommendation with Windows Server 2008, virtualization workload placements for server consolidation with Hyper-V or Virtual Server 2005 R2, and application virtualization recommendations with Microsoft Application Virtualization.

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning tool is based on agent-less infrastructure scanning technology that makes it easier to set up the inventory without the requirement of installing any software agents on each machine being inventoried. In addition, this tool can generate localized desktop readiness reports in North American English, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Download Microsoft Assessment and Planning Beta Now!

Features Overview

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator performs three key functions, including hardware and device inventory, compatibility analysis, and readiness reporting.

Figure 1. Three Main Functions of Microsoft Assessment and Planning

Secure and Agentless Inventory

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning tool provides secure, agent-less and network-wide inventory for up to 100,000 computers. It collects and organizes system resource and device information from a single networked computer. Assessment tools often require users to first deploy software agents on all computers to be inventoried but this tool does not.

It is capable of discovering and assessing computers and devices on a network that supports Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and those that run on the following operating systems:

• Windows Vista
• Windows XP® Professional
• Windows Server 2003™ or Windows Server 2003 R2
• Windows 2000 Professional or Windows 2000 Server
• Non-Windows (SNMP-enabled)

Comprehensive Hardware and Device Compatibility Analysis

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning provides detailed analysis on hardware and device compatibility for migration to Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office.  Specifically, this tool analyzes each machine’s readiness for the migration by looking at the specific hardware and device compatibility requirements that Microsoft published.

For customers interested in server consolidation and virtualization technologies such as Hyper-V or Virtual Server 2005 R2, this tool helps gather performance metrics and generate server consolidation recommendation reports that identify the best candidates for server virtualization. It also provides assessment reports for SoftGrid.

In-Depth Readiness Reporting

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning tool generates custom reports containing both high-level and detailed assessment results for migration to many products. The results are provided in both Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word formats:

• Hardware assessment and upgrade recommendations for migration to Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office
• Server consolidation and workload placement recommendations using Hyper-V or Virtual Server 2005 R2
• Application virtualization candidate recommendation report for Microsoft Application Virtualization
• Inventory of Non-Windows or heterogeneous environment

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning tool can generate desktop readiness reports in seven languages including North American English, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Source.

Regards,
Anthony

Anthony Clendenen | Solutions Engineer | 1E

http://configmgr.com

© Anthony Clendenen

no comments yet.