Windows Server 2008 gives users the ability to deliver rich, Web-based experiences efficiently and effectively; with improved administration and diagnostics, development and application tools, and lower infrastructure costs.
Windows Server 2008 can help users collaborate and share information as never before, substantially increasing efficiency.
· Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 – more than just a Web server, this provides a secure, easy-to-manage, highly modular platform for developing and reliably hosting Web applications and services.
· Windows SharePoint Services – helps organisations increase productivity by creating Web sites where users can collaborate on documents, tasks and events, and easily share contacts and other information.
· Windows Media® Services – provides the ultimate fast-streaming experience, dynamic programming for on-the-fly and personalised content delivery, and an industrial-strength platform that ensures ease of administration, customisation and scalability.
A solid foundation for business workloads:
· A new feature, the Server Core installation option, lets administrators install Windows Server 2008 with only the components that the administrator wants and without any extra overhead. Because there are fewer files installed and running on the server, there are fewer attack vectors exposed to the network, reducing the overall attack surface.
· Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering wizards and full IPv6 support, along with consolidated management of Network Load Balancing, make high availability easy to implement.
Server Manager is a new, integrated Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that provides a single location for administrators to view and control servers. Easing the task of managing and securing multiple server roles in an enterprise; Wizards Manager streamlines the task of deploying servers in your enterprise, by cutting the time required for installing, configuring and managing server roles and features. It also eliminates the requirement for the Security Configuration Wizard before deploying servers. Server roles are configured with recommended security settings by default and are quickly ready to deploy. With Server Manager, administrators can easily:
· View and make changes to server roles and features installed on the server.
· Perform management tasks associated with the operational life cycle of the server, such as starting or stopping services and managing local user accounts.
· Perform management tasks associated with the operational life cycle of roles installed on the server.
· Determine server status, identify critical events and analyse and troubleshoot configuration issues or failures.
· Install or remove roles, role services and features by using a Windows command line.
In larger organisations, management of multiple servers can be automated using Windows PowerShell®, which provides a new command line shell and scripting language designed specifically to automate administration tasks for server roles, such as IIS and Active Directory. Any organisation can benefit from Windows Deployment
Services and Windows Performance and Reliability Monitor. In addition, administrators and helpdesk support teams can save
time using the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset, which provides powerful, intuitive tools that help administrators recover PCs that have become unusable and easily identify root causes of system issues.