Windows Server 8

2011: The first announcement

The Microsoft company for the first time in June, 2011 acquainted general public with some opportunities of the following server platform under the working name Windows Server 8. So far representatives of Microsoft did not disclose all characteristics of future system, opening only a part of data on support of private "clouds" and virtualization.

From the moment of the first emergence the technology of virtualization Microsoft Hyper-V gained quite wide recognition at small and medium-sized enterprises in composition of Windows Server 2008. In 2010, for example, the majority of the licenses Windows Server were on sale for use on virtual servers, and in 2011 the number of virtual servers should exceed number of physical. For additional scalability upgraded version of Hyper-V as promise in Microsoft, will support more than 16 virtual processors on the machine. One more function under the name Hyper-V Replica provides asynchronous replication of virtual machines on external platforms on a case of contingencies.

One more important aspect of Hyper-V technology is that this platform should become a support in the strategy of private "clouds" according to Microsoft. Understanding that not each enterprise will agree to use traditional "cloud" environments (for technical, legal or other reasons), the Microsoft company actively advertizes "private clouds" as a safe alternative to "normal clouds". It is supposed that these "private clouds" will save all advantages of normal – convenience of selection of new virtual machines, fast deployment of applications, isolation of separate services and so on – only in network of the enterprise. If to consider the Hyper-V and Windows Server platforms functional units for creation of such environments, then the new version of a packet of System Center 2012 should provide with them management – the beta should appear any day. In turn, the packet of Operations Manager will provide monitoring and diagnostics of applications in environments Windows, Azure and others, and the module App Controller will provide deployment and control of resources both in private, and in public "clouds".

2012: Release of the beta

After the fact-finding publication of the new OS Windows 8 Microsoft on March 1, 2012 released the beta of server operating system of Windows Server 8. Announced in September, 2011, Windows Server 8 OS is updating of the basic code of flagman OS of the server Windows Server 2008.

The beta will allow administrators to test the operating system and will provide a feedback with Microsoft as OS is in a completion stage and prepares for commercial release. The company does not report date of final readiness of the operating system and its exit at retail.

As Bill Laing, the vice president of Microsoft for corporate servers and "clouds" noted in the blog, the basis of updating of Windows Server 8 included numerous improvements in the system of virtualization, control of several machines and possibilities of a hosting of applications.

The mechanism of virtualization Windows Server 8 gives to administrators the chance of creation of virtual networks, allowing different business divisions and clients to use one physical network, saving at the same time complete independence of other virtual networks. One more functionality helping with a case of disaster recovery and providing the continuity of execution of operations allows to move files between nodes of network without stopping of the application server, using these files.

Implementing functionality of a hosting of Windows Server 8 includes the copy of a. net Framework 4.5 as a part of which new opportunities of simultaneous start of the program on several cores of the processor. The software of the IIS Web server is improved. The command line interface PowerShell is expanded due to adding of 2300 commands.

For start of the free beta the server needs the 64-bit processor of 1.4 GHz, at least 512 MB of OZU and 32 GB on the hard drive. Users will be able to pass to the beta of the new operating system from the existing versions of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, however to carry out updating of this release on the subsequent at them it will not turn out – it will be necessary to purchase the license.