Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Beta CTP -- A Major Move Forward
It's official: Windows Server 2008 (WS08) will be launched Feb. 27, 2008, along with new versions of Visual Studio and SQL Server. Microsoft's flagship server operating system will probably be Bill Gates' last product launch before he retires later in 2008. Is Bill Gates going out with a bang? We examined the Windows Server 2008 Beta Community Technology Preview (CTP), which was released in June, 2007, to see what it promises for the upcoming OS.
Microsoft has been working on WS08 for several years now, ever since the launch of Windows Server 2003 (WS03) on April 24, 2003. Release 2 (R2) of Server 2003 came two years after the launch, and while R2 wasn't a revolutionary change in the OS, it was definitely evolutionary. It brought many new manageability features, such as Microsoft Management Console version 3, File Server Resource Management, Simple SAN, vastly improved Distributed File System features, Active Directory Federated Services, and the integration of all of the additional options to the setup of Windows Server 2003 R2, making R2 a must-have for any shop running Windows servers.
