Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 now provides a desktop environment similar to Microsoft Windows Vista and includes tools also found in Vista, such as the new backup snap-in and the BitLocker drive encryption feature. Windows Server 2008 also provides the new IIS7 web server and the Windows Deployment Service.

The entry-level version of Windows Server 2008 is the Standard Edition. The Enterprise Edition provides a platform for large enterprisewide networks. The Datacenter Edition provides support for unlimited Hyper-V virtualization and advanced clustering services. The Web Edition is a scaled-down version of Windows Server 2008 intended for use as a dedicated web server. The Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter Editions can be purchased with or without the Hyper-V virtualization technology.

Any server on which you will install Windows Server 2008 should have at least the minimum hardware requirement for running the network operating system. Server hardware should also be on the Windows Server 2008 Hardware Compatibility List to avoid the possibility of hardware and network operating system incompatibility.

You can select to have activation happen automatically when the Windows Server 2008 installation is complete. Make sure that the Automatically Activate Windows When I’m Online check box is selected on the Product Key page.

You can install Windows Server 2008 on a server not currently configured with NOS, or you can upgrade existing servers running Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003.

This stripped-down version of Windows Server 2008 is managed from the command line.

The Task Scheduler enables you to schedule the launching of tools such as Windows Backup and Disk Defragmenter.

You can access virtual memory settings and the Device Manager via the System Properties dialog box.

The Server Manager provides both the interface and access to a large number of the utilities and tools that you will use as you manage your Windows server.

Local user accounts and groups are managed in the Local Users and Groups node in the Server Manager. Local user accounts and groups are used to provide local access to a server.

Child domains and the root domain of a tree are assigned transitive trusts. This means that the root domain and child domain trust each other and allow resources in any domain in the tree to be accessed by users in any domain in the tree.

The primary function of domain controllers is to validate users to the network. However, domain controllers also provide the catalog of Active Directory objects to users on the network.

A server running Windows Server 2008 can be configured as a domain controller, a file server, a print server, a web server, or an application server. Windows servers can also have roles and features that provide services such as DNS, DHCP, and Routing and Remote Access.

The Server Manager window enables you to view the roles and features installed on a server and also to quickly access the tools used to manage these various roles and features. The Server Manager can be used to add and remove roles and features as needed.

Windows Deployment Services (WDS) enables you to install client and server operating systems over the network to any computer with a PXE-enabled network interface.

Windows Deployment Services requires that a DHCP server and a DNS server be installed in the domain.

The Windows Deployment Services snap-in enables you to configure the WDS server and add boot and install images to the server.

The Disk Manager provides all the tools for formatting, creating, and managing drive volumes and partitions.

A basic disk embraces the MS-DOS disk structure; a basic disk can be divided into partitions (simple volumes).

Dynamic disks consist of a single partition that can be divided into any number of volumes. Dynamic disks also support Windows Server 2008 RAID implementations.

RAID, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is a strategy for building fault tolerance into your file servers. RAID enables you to combine one or more volumes on separate drives so that they are accessed by a single drive letter. Windows Server 2008 enables you to configure RAID 0 (a striped set), RAID 1 (a mirror set), and RAID 5 (disk striping with parity).