News
Windows Server 2008 R2 Available on TechNet, MSDN
- By Becky Nagel
- August 17, 2009
On Friday Microsoft made the new R2 version of its Windows Server 2008 server operating system available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers.
The release comes about a week after Windows 7 was pushed to both sites. Manufacturers received the RTM versions in July, and the releases were made available to volume licensing customers earlier this month.
According to Microsoft's release schedule, Gold and Certified partners will have access to the software Wednesday, and a 180-day evaluation version of Windows Server 2008 R2 will be made available the general public (what Microsoft calls "technical enthusiasts") on Thursday. The software will become available via retail channels on Sept 14, although the official "launch" date for both software releases is currently scheduled for Oct.22.
Windows Server 2008 no longer supports 32-bit processors, but does support 64-bit and can support 256 logical processors. It also offers numerous new features in a variety of areas. In the virtualization space, Windows Server 2008 R2 includes Hyper-V 2.0, which now features "live migration." Other improvements include hot storage swapping, scalability upgrades and an update of System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2008.
New management features for the rest of Windows Server 2008, according to Microsoft, include an new integrated management console, PowerShell 2.0, new Active Directory and Group Policy features, and a best practices analyzer.
Other additions include IIS 7.5, ASP.NET on Server Core and improved "componentization," letting administrators install only the parts of the operating system they plan to use.
A detailed list of what's new is available here (scroll down to bottom of page). Systems requirements are available here.
More information on the Windows Server 2008 download can be found here.
About the Author
Becky Nagel is vice president of AI for 1105 Media, where she specializes in training internal and external customers on maximizing their business potential via a wide variety of generative AI technologies as well as developing cutting-edge AI content and events. She's the author of "ChatGPT Prompt 101 Guide for Business Uses," regularly leads research studies on generative AI business usage, and serves as the director of AI Boardroom, a new resource for C-level executives looking to excel in the AI era. Prior to her current position she was a technical leader for 1105 Media's Web, advertising and production teams as well as editorial director for a suite of enterprise technology publications, including serving as founding editor of PureAI.com. She has 20 years of enterprise technology journalism experience, and regularly speaks and writes about generative AI, AI, edge computing and other cutting-edge technologies. She can be reached at [email protected].