Meet Windows 7’s Best Friend
As Windows 7’s October 22 launch date approaches, Microsoft has started describing why its server counterpart — Windows Server 2008 R2 — could also be a hit with customers. Here’s a quick look at what’s coming in R2, and why VARs should care.
A quick check of Microsoft’s Windows Sever blog provides plenty of info, but here’s a theory: Microsoft’s desktop operating system launches typically benefit from solid server-side Microsoft launches. At least, that was the buzz at the recent SMB Nation conference in Las Vegas.
The big deal is Hyper-V and Live Migration, which allows a complete server virtualization solution right out of the box. You can also shuffle VMs between actual servers with no downtime for server connections. Plus, there’s a new Active Directory user interface. Enhancements include a Recycling Bin to help better manage computers and users and improved Group Policy objects. If you’re the kind who thinks less is more, the “server core installation” has also been optimized so you can run R2 naked, without a GUI.
Money Matters
Microsoft is also looking to “go green” by lowering your electric bill and being more power-efficient. A priority development for the Server Team, Server 2008 R2 will now automatically tweak your processor, storage devices and other miscellaneous hardware for the best possible power-configuration based on your load.
Already have Windows Server 2008? An upgrade to R2 doesn’t require any more CALs (Client Access Licenses). That’s good news for end-customers.
The bottom line stressed by Oliver Rist at the development blog is that Windows 2008 Server R2 is “about two key design goals: dialing down costs and dialing up functionality and productivity.”
With that said, here’s a theory: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 may give each other a lift.
Follow The VAR Guy via RSS; Facebook; Identi.ca; Twitter; and via his Newsletter; Webcasts and Resource Center. Plus, check out more channel voices at www.vartweet.com.
I never understood what was so fantastic and ground-breaking about virtualization. The best I can tell, it appeals to those afflicted with lots of Windows Server installations. Which in turn have proliferated because it’s not been a good idea to run multiple apps on a single Windows server, because when something goes wrong, you don’t know which app to blame.
Unix/Linux servers, on the other hand, regularly handle lots of apps running on the same installation with ease. Something about open-source apps being better disciplined in control of resource usage and where they put things: the authors of such apps know they have to coexist with other apps, and there are established conventions for doing so. Not like proprietary app developers, who all believe they know better than the customer how their software is supposed to work.
Lawrence: Lots of virtualization in the Linux market, too… … Red Hat’s partner program has three specializations… Infrastructure (Linux), Middleware (JBoss) and Virtualization. Surely, there must be market demand if Red Hat bet 1/3 of its channel partner program on virtualization.
I suspect most of that “Linux virtualization” market is Linux hypervisors virtualizing Windows guests.
Lawrence: Interesting thesis, but The VAR Guy wonders if most of the virtualized servers involve VMware running mix of Linux and Windows. Our resident blogger wishes he had some hard data to share with you, and you’re definitely causing The VAR Guy to rethink his views on the virtualization market.