All new features introduced in Microsoft Windows 2008 server

Some of the new feature of Microsoft Windows 2008 server

Hyper-V Live Migration

• Moves virtual machines between two hosts without interruption (slight performance drop)
• Uses the new Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) file system within Failover Clustering in         Windows Server 2008 R2
• CSV volumes can only be used for the Live Migration feature
• Requires failover clustering of Windows Server 2008 R2

Event forwarding

This only works if you have Vista on the desktop. It allows clients to automatically forward their event logs to the server, making it easier to diagnose problems on remote machines.

Cluster Node Connectivity Fault Tolerance

• The CSV architecture supports dynamic I/O redirection (I/O can be rerouted within the failover cluster) for three types of failures:
• Failure of a cluster node connection to the shared storage between cluster nodes
• Failure of network connectivity for a cluster node
• Failure of a cluster node

Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS).

This was available in Server 2003 but only as an add-on purchase. The new version adds new features to limit access to certain files.

Clean Service Shutdowns

usually in windows servers or window workstations, while shutting down the system it uses a    typical 20 second timer that will give 20 second time to all the services to shutdown. In this scenario, some services will exit with error because that service was working with the disk which requires a longer time to finish the work. Now in Windows 2008 Server, that 20-second countdown has been replaced with a service that will keep applications given the signal all the time they need to shut down, as long as they continually signal back that they’re indeed shutting down.

Other Hyper-V 2.0 features

• Support for 32 logical processor cores in a single virtual machine
• Hot add of VHD and pass-through disks
• Second Level Translation (SLAT): Support for Intel’s Enhanced Page Tables and AMD’s Nested Page Tables (improves performance, especially for large applications, due to better memory management; it also reduces the memory requirements for the Windows Hypervisor from approximately 5% to 1% of the total physical memory)
• Boot physical machines from .vhd files: Allows you to deploy Windows Server 2008 R2 to physical and virtual computers using the same .vhd files.

New password policies.

No longer is there a restriction of one password policy per domain.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

• Desktop Virtualization is a new feature in Windows Server 2008 R2.

• Windows clients (XP, Vista, Windows 7) run on virtual machines on a centralized server
• VDI includes the following technologies: Hyper-V, Live Migration, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Microsoft Application Virtualization version 4.5 in Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), and Vista Enterprise VECD licensing

Group Policy database.

Server 2008 adds a searchable database for group policy managers, so admins no longer have to track this manually.

RemoteApp & Desktop Connections (RAD)

RemoteApp was introduced with Windows Server 2008. It allows end-users to launch a single application on a remote server via RDP. Desktop Connections are common sessions on a Terminal Server.

• RAD control panel applet: Allows end-users to connect to RemoteApp programs and Remote Desktops
• Single management console for RemoteApp, Desktop Web Access, and Remote Desktop
• RemoteApp and Remote Desktop also work for standalone computers (non-domain members)
• New apps are automatically populated to users’ desktops and Web Access page
• Single sign-on (I guess only for domain members)
• Almost all Remote Desktop Services administrative tasks can now be scripted using PowerShell 2.0
• Profile cache quota and Group Policy caching speed up user logon
• Improved compatibility with Microsoft Installer (MSI); no need for “install mode” where users had to log off

Group Policy comments.

Now admins can add comments to explain what various Group Policy settings actually mean

Remote Desktop Services Gateway (formerly Terminal server Gateway) (improved)

• Silent Session Re-authentication: Ensures that changes to user profiles are enforced
• Secure device redirection: Device redirection settings are always enforced
• Pluggable Authentication: Allows corporations to use their own authentication and authorization technologies
• Idle & session timeout: Allows admins to disconnect idle sessions or limit the connection time
• Consent Signing support: Remote users have to give their consent to corporate terms and conditions
• Administrative messaging: Broadcast messages to remote users

Internet Information Services 7.5 (IIS)

• PowerShell provider for IIS 7 has more than 50 new cmdlets
• Administration Pack extensions: Database Manager (SQL Server management within IIS Manager), Configuration Editor (generate scripts with a GUI to automate administrative tasks), IIS Reports, Request Filtering (HTTP filtering, URL rewriting, etc.)
• One-click publishing in Visual Studio 10
• Web Deployment Tool (formerly MS Deploy): Deployment, management, and migration of Web applications, sites, and entire servers
• Configuration Tracing: track configuration changes to IIS and applications
• New performance counters
• .NET support for Server Core
• WebDav integration (was available before as a separate extension)
• URLScan 3.0 integration: restricts the types of HTTP requests (was available before as a separate extension)
• FTP server services: integrated in the IIS administration interface; new .NET XML-based *.config format; virtual host names for FTP sites; improved logging
• Integrated extensions: new kind of extensions that appear to be an integral part of IIS

RAD enhancements for third parties

• Support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and XSL Transformations (XSLT) to customize the Web Access portal
• Support for protocols other than RDP
• Session broker extensibility: Policy (determines the proper farm or VM for a connection), Load Balancing (chooses the proper endpoint based on load), Orchestration (prepares a VM to accept RDP connections)