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Windows Server 2008: preview, part 1

Alan Stevens ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 25 May 2007

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It’s a powerful shell
Microsoft has long claimed to listen to what customers tell it, and at long last the company seems to have understood that, when it comes to server management, graphical tools are of limited value. What most administrators want is a scriptable command line — especially those who need to perform repetitive tasks, day in, day out on multiple servers.

This has always been possible in Windows Server using batch files and the built-in CMD.EXE command line. But, as a DOS throwback, you’re strictly limited in what CMD lets you do. And although you can also use VBScript and WMI, the tools involved are really aimed at programmers rather than network administrators and, again, don’t cover all the options.

PowerShell, on the other hand, is designed from the ground up to be used by server and network administrators. That doesn’t mean that it won’t take time to learn, but it compares well against what went before and the scripting shells available to UNIX/Linux users. It will run existing scripts and is also available now for use with Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows XP (check out Microsoft's web site for download details).

Another big plus is PowerShell's ability to automate just about anything. The claim is that if you can do it from the GUI you can also do it using PowerShell. For example, you can mount the server registry and access it as though it were a standard file system. You can even manage IIS and Exchange Server 2007, plus it’s possible for both end users and third parties to develop so-called 'cmdlets' that can be saved and used to create custom management tools.

Server manager
Good news, then, for those who are into scripting. But that doesn’t leave those addicted to the GUI out in the cold. Far from it, Microsoft has also put a lot of effort into revamping and integrating together its graphical tools, the end result being a totally new Server Manager console that consolidates a lot of hitherto individual utilities.

Now a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in, Server Manager is much more than just an amalgamation of those tools. The interface is cleaner and easier to understand, with important status information displayed immediately rather than having to drill down through long tree structures to get to where you want. You’re also presented with intuitive context-sensitive links to HTML dashboards, wizards and other tools needed for day-to-day management.

It still takes a while to get used to, and doesn’t do away entirely with the need for separate utilities. However, Server Manager is a big improvement and really does help make Windows Server 2008 easier to administer.

 

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