Windows Server 2008 – Improved Security, Virtualization and More
Windows Server 2008 is scheduled to be released in the first part of next year. While most companies will want to wait to deploy this new Microsoft update, many are at least researching to see what benefits and challenges it will bring. As corporate adoption of Vista appears slow, the same is anticipated for Windows Server 2008. Still, for IT professionals working with servers; at least a general understanding of what the new OS will bring is important. We present here an overview of some of the major changes with Window Server 2008, the update to Windows Server 2003.
Windows Server 2008 is the server operating system containing many of the new client features from Windows Vista, in a relationship similar to that between Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP. It is built from the same code base as Windows Vista; therefore, it shares much of the same architecture and functionality.
While there are countless new or enhanced features in Windows Server 2008, the key ones can be classified into 4 main areas:
- Web. Contains Internet Information Services 7.0, a Web platform for application and services. It contains a simplified, task-based management interface, improvements in cross-site control, security enhancements, and integrated health management for Web Services.
- Virtualization. Multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux and others, can be virtualized on a single server. Virtualization is built into the OS and Microsoft promises simpler and more flexible licensing policies.
- Windows Server 2008 features major upgrades to Terminal Services. Terminal Services will support Remote Desktop Protocol 6.0. The most notable improvement is the ability to share a single application over a remote Desktop connection, instead of the entire desktop. This feature is called Terminal Services Remote Programs.
- Security. As with any new OS Microsoft unveils, it promises security improvements. New security capabilities include Network Access Protection, Federated Rights Management and Read-Only Domain Controller.
- Network Access Protection lets enterprises isolate computers that don't comply with your organization's security policies, and provides network restriction, remediation and ongoing compliance checking.
- Federated Rights Management Services provides persistent protection for sensitive data and provides a platform for comprehensive information protection.
- Read-Only Domain Controller allows organizations to deploy Active Directory Domain Services while restricting replication of the full Active Directory database, to better protect against server theft or compromise.
Management and control. Windows Server 2008 promises to provide improved management and control capabilities to help with workload and application requirements.
- Server Manager accelerates server setup and configuration, and simplifies ongoing management of server roles via a unified management console.
- Windows PowerShell is a new command-line shell with more than 130 tools and an integrated scripting language that enables administrators to automate routine system administration tasks, especially across multiple servers.
- Server Core is a new installation option for selected roles that includes only the necessary components and subsystems without a graphical user interface, to provide a highly available server that requires fewer updates and less servicing.
A few other new or enhanced features of note include:
- A new "Read-Only Domain Controller" operation mode in Active Directory, intended for use in branch office scenarios where a domain controller may reside in a low physical security environment. The RODC holds a non-writeable copy of Active Directory, and redirects all write attempts to a Full Domain Controller. It replicates all accounts except sensitive ones. In RODC mode, credentials are not cached by default. Local administrators can log on to the machine to perform maintenance tasks without requiring administrative rights on the domain.
- Restartable Active Directory allows ADDS to be stopped and restarted from the Management Console or the command line without rebooting the domain controller. This reduces downtime for offline operations and reduces overall DC servicing requirements with Server Core. ADDS is implemented as a Domain Controller in Windows Server 2008.
- Improved hot patching, a feature that allows non-kernel patches to occure without the need for a reboot.
- Granular password settings within a single domain - the ability to implement different password policies for administrative accounts on a "group" and "user" basis, instead of a single set of password settings to the whole domain.
- Disk management improvements, including the ability to resize hard disk partitions without stopping the server, even the system partition, and Shadow Copy based block level backup which supports optical media, network shares and Windows Recovery Environment.
Self-healing NTFS.
In previous versions of Windows, if the OS detected corruption in the file system of an NTFS volume, it marked the volume "dirty" and to correct errors on the volume, it had to be taken offline. With self-healing NTFS, an NTFS worker thread is spawned in the background which performs a localized fix-up of damaged date structures, with only the corrupted files/folders remaining unavailable without locking out the entire volume and needing the server to be taken down.
