Windows Server 2008: preview, part 1

Alan Stevens ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 25 May 2007

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Server to the core
Another innovation is Server Core, which takes the stripped-down approach to its logical conclusion, doing away with anything not absolutely needed on a network server, including the GUI. Indeed, if you opt for Server Core rather than a full setup when you install Windows Server 2008, all you’ll get is a command line plus a couple of very simple graphical tools such as Notepad and a Control Panel time and date applet.

It’s still a powerful server though, and you can still use Server Core to host server roles. The list, however, is much shorter, with just seven roles to choose from — namely Active Directory, Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services, DHCP, DNS, File, Print and Windows Media Services (media streaming). Server Core can also be used with Server Virtualisation and, although it’s not designed to be an application platform, to host SQL Server for local use.

Server Core also provides support for some of the new Windows Server features such as Backup and BitLocker full drive encryption, plus High Availability clustering.

On the downside, one of the biggest issues is that there’s no .NET Framework in Server Core, which means it’s not possible to run the new Windows PowerShell scripting language. Neither can you choose a Web server role, as IIS also depends on.NET. Microsoft representatives have spoken openly about plans to develop a cut-down framework for Server Core, but it certainly won’t be in the first release and may take a long time to arrive.

In the meantime, you do get SNMP support, and Server Core systems can also be managed remotely using the graphical tools available on other Windows Server 2008 servers.

Root and branch
Server Core is one of several enhancements aimed primarily at the branch office; another is the ability to configure a Read-Only Domain Controller (RODC). Introduced because Domain Controllers (DCs) often have to be sited in insecure remote offices to compensate for slow WAN links and provide continuity in the event of a connection failure. Unfortunately, conventional DCs all hold a compete replicated copy of the entire Active Directory database, including every single user name and password. If the host server is stolen, that’s a potential security risk requiring all of those details to be changed — often a Herculean task.

With an RODC, the database is not only read-only, but it also only stores passwords for non-administrator users who log on locally. So should the server be stolen, only a few users will be at risk. Moreover, changing the passwords and resetting and deleting the RODC has become very quick and easy.

Add BitLocker full drive encryption and branch office servers can be made even more secure, with EFS (Encrypting File System) technology also available for complete belt-and-braces protection.

And so to Web
Finally, at least for now, Windows Server 2008 includes a completely re-architected Web server in the form of Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 which, like the host operating system, is now much more modular.

With previous versions of IIS, all of the available functionality was built in by default, with no easy way to extend or replace what was on offer. The core of IIS 7.0, by comparison, provides only basic static web server capabilities. Over 40 separate optional modules are then available to add to that functionality, each of which can be installed independently. This approach is designed to improve security and reduce management as you only have to patch the modules you’ve installed.

Included in both the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows Server 2008, IIS 7.0 still promises full compatibility with existing ASP (Active Server Pages), ASP .NET 1.1, and ASP .NET 2.0 applications, and most ISAPI extensions and filters. There’s also a new API accessible to developers using managed .NET languages such as Visual C# and Visual Basic 2005. Additional diagnostic and troubleshooting tools are provided to, for example, view requests running on the server in real time. Native PHP support is also provided, and an IIS 7.0 server can now support different PHP versions and ASP .NET applications side by side.

A new IIS Manager tool makes for much simpler management, with remote administration over HTTP plus a new command line interface, scriptable using PowerShell or WMI. Moreover, the old metabase store is replaced by a new simpler configuration file that can shared between servers, enabling global changes to be made much more quickly and easily. Web application settings can also now be stored in simple configuration files, allowing for rapid deployment simply by copying the files involved.

More to come
And that’s not all. There’s plenty more in Windows Server 2008, including a revamped High Availability clustering service, Network Access Protection (NAP) , and the much-talked-about Server Virtualisation facilities. We’ll look at all of this in more depth in part 2 of this preview.

 

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