The next release of Windows Server will be in 2010 or thereabouts. This will probably be soon after the release of Windows 7, the successor to Windows Vista. This new server product will be called Windows Server 2008 R2.
It will be focusing on:
- Branch office technologies that can be leveraged for remote computing. These include a new silent VPN client that intelligently connects to the remote network without bothering the end user. It allows simultaneous VPN and Internet traffic. There will also be a new block level caching technology for web and file services called BranchCache. This will improve remote computing for applications such as SharePoint.
- Machine Virtualisation: Hyper-V will be improved with a new “instant” VM migration technology based on a new cluster file system. Microsoft is also working with hardware partners to offload much of the host process to the hardware, e.g. network processing will be done by the network card instead of the host machine’s processor.
- Remote Desktop Services: Terminal Services will be combined with a recently acquired virtual desktop infrastructure solution. They will both leverage technologies from Server 2008 such as TS Gateway and Easy Print.
- Power savings: a new concept of Core Parking will hibernate parts of and entire CPU’s within a server. The CPU is the major consumer of power and generator of heat within a server. Being able to reduce these power consumers will generate cost savings over the life of a physical server.
The major news of Windows Server 2008 R2 is that it will only be available for the 64 bit (x64) platform. There will not be a 32 bit (x86) release. Hardware from major manufacturers has been 64 bit for years. If you are attempting to future proof your services or applications then you should start preparing for 64 bit computing now. This may include porting your applications, contacting your software suppliers for 64 bit support testing your application platform.
If you need assistance with development/testing then please feel free to contact us and we can help with providing a physical and/or virtual test environment to meet your needs.
C Infinity’s managed hosting services platform is built on 64 bit hardware and is fully supported for 32bit and 64 bit production servers. We’re already running Windows Server 2008 x64 for much of our management infrastructure.
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