The beast known as Longhorn began its slow migration from concept to reality in 2003. Back then, the whispered details of a new Windows file system, protocol stack, and presentation layer bred endless speculation and excitement. As the years wore on, the new file system fell away, the buzz died, and the client became a brand --
This week, Longhorn -- that is, Windows Server 2008 -- gets its final push out of the Microsoft corral. With every feature already public, why make a big deal about Longhorn's official launch?
Because, says InfoWorld chief technologist Tom Yager, "You really have to get your hands on the shipping version to appreciate it." You who have followed Tom's somewhat tepid Longhorn coverage may be shocked to discover that his in-depth review of Window Server 2008 holds the new OS in high esteem.
What's so great about Longhorn? Tom notes the strength of the security features, especially the ease with which administrators can lock down clients on and off the network. Next in line are the improved terminal services. But the real surprise, he says, is in the scalability of Windows Server 2008.
"There's never been a smaller Windows Server by MS," says Tom. The new OS can actually be scaled down to 512MB of RAM and a mere 1GB of disk space, which hits Linux where it lives. In conjunction with Microsoft's new Hyper-V virtualization technology, administrators can run unlimited instances of the OS on a single server with a single license.
So how will all this lovely new Longhorn stuff affect IT? If Microsoft is lucky, positive coverage of Windows Server 2008 may take some of the sting out of last week's Vista SP1 debacle. Another worthwhile distraction: MS's announcement last week that it would play nice with Linux and, more importantly, release 30,000 pages of documentation on the APIs and protocols for its flagship server and desktop products.
Key Words: Microsoft, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Operating System, Microsoft Products.
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