Windows Server 8
The Windows 8
Consumer Preview--the desktop version of Windows 8--has been getting all
of the attention lately, but another new kid is in town as well:
Windows Server 8. Packing in tons of new features and improving many of
the old ones, Microsoft has made Windows Server 8 a compelling platform
for IT administrators.
Flexible Installation
Windows Server 8
should be easier to install than its predecessor, thanks to
“scenario-based” deployment wizards that guide you as to which features
and capabilities to enable depending on how the server will be used. It
also provides admins the flexibility to switch between a core server
install and a full Windows 8 GUI by adding or removing components after
the fact.
ReFS (Resilient File System)
The new Resilient
File System, or ReFS, replaces the venerable NTFS that most admins are
familiar with. ReFS maintains backward compatibility with NTFS for
features such as BitLocker data encryption and access control lists, but
it includes a wide variety of new technologies designed to ensure that
data integrity is maintained, and to prevent file corruption even in the
event of a sudden loss of power.
Offloaded Data Transfer
If you are moving
data from one SAN drive to another SAN drive across the network, you
have no need to pass that data through the server. Windows Server 8 uses
Offloaded Data Transfer to remove the server as the middleman, allowing
the data to transfer with minimal impact to server resources or
bandwidth.
Dynamic Access Control
Dynamic Access
Control is a new file-authorization framework in Windows Server 8.
Admins can define central, domain-level access policies that apply
across the domain to all file servers. Dynamic Access Control policies
are enforced in addition to the file and folder permissions that exist
at the file level, and they override any conflicting permissions to
ensure that data is protected.
DirectAccess
DirectAccess
itself isn’t new. However, Microsoft has now combined DirectAccess and
Routing and Remote Access Server (RRAS) into a unified tool that
simplifies administration, configuration, and monitoring of remote
devices. DirectAccess in Windows Server 8 is also capable of running
over both IPv6 and IPv4 networks.
Server Management
Like so many
other aspects of the Windows OS, management tools in Windows Server 8
sport a Metro UI face-lift. Admins will appreciate being able to add
tiles for any of the physical or virtual servers on their network, as
well as to easily view the current state and relevant details of all
servers from one place. You can create a personalized dashboard
displaying the server data most important to you, and manage servers
simply by right-clicking the tiles.
IP Address Manager
Windows Server
8's new IP Address Manager tool greatly simplifies the job of keeping
track of all those IP addresses. Admins can manage IP addresses, track
IP address usage, and identify and resolve conflicts. The tool also
provides an audit trail that can come in handy for tracing an IP address
at a point in time for troubleshooting and incident response.
Hyper-V Clusters
Windows Server 8
supports clusters of insane proportions using Hyper-V. You can group up
to 63 Hyper-V hosts, and as many as 4000 virtual machines in a single
cluster. Windows Server 8 also includes various features to make
managing and maintaining Hyper-V clusters easier, such as cluster-aware
patching, data de-duplication, and BitLocker encryption for cluster
volumes.
Disaster Recovery
You can use a
Hyper-V Replica in Windows Server 8 as a standby server in the event of a
server crash or other catastrophe. Windows Server 8 will continuously
sync the original server with the Hyper-V Replica, so you always have a
virtual server backup that is current within 5 minutes of the original,
and can be configured for automatic failover and failback.
Simplified Live Migration
One of the
biggest drawbacks of virtual machines in Hyper-V with previous versions
of Windows was that migrating a virtual machine from one place to
another was a clumsy process that could be both frustrating and time
consuming. Windows Server 8 makes it much easier to migrate a running
virtual machine in Hyper-V without interrupting productivity.
