Windows® Server® 2008 R2 builds upon the exceptional legacy of Windows Server 2008.  R2 is an incremental release to Windows Server 2008 – and only the second time that Windows Client and Server releases are shipped simultaneously (Windows 2000 Server...

Windows Server 2008 R2 represents the latest evolution of the Windows Server operating system and corresponding support for high-end hardware systems with large numbers of microprocessors.  The 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008...

The WS-* web services industry standard protocols are widely accompanied by managed-code end-point implementations.   With the Windows Web Services API (WWSAPI), you can connect your native client applications with web services as well as implement...

Server Core is a minimal installation option for Windows Server and is available with the following Windows Server editions: · Windows Server 2008 R2 Web Edition · Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition · Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition · Windows...

Windows PowerShell is a Windows command-line shell designed for ease-of-use not only by system administrators but also for application and system developers.  The shell includes an interactive prompt and a scripting environment that can be used independently...

The Windows Server Division weblog indicates that RTM is now available via MSDN and TechNet subscriber downloads.   Other availability dates are also listed.

Managing storage is no longer simply about volume and availability; organizations need to manage their data more effectively and more efficiently.  Only by gaining insight into their data can companies reduce the cost of storing, maintaining, and...

The modern challenges of implementing efficient Windows Services or background processes include performance, power efficiency, and security.  Windows Server 2008 R2 introduces a number of new platform features for systems and application developers...

The RTM release of the Windows SDK supporting Windows 7 is available on the Microsoft download center via Web setup and ISO .   It’s also available to MSDN Subscribers . One caveat is that the 64 bit versions of the ISO download are not available...

The Windows Server 2008 R2 Web Server (Internet Information Services, IIS, version 7.x) is built with a completely modular architecture, on top of rich extensibility APIs.  This enables developers to easily add, remove and even replace built-in IIS...

As of the date of this post, Windows 7 (but not Windows Server 2008 R2) is available for MSDN subscribers within the subscriber downloads section section of the website.   Note that subscribers may also download the debugging symbols (for both...

Although VHD files are closely associated with virtualization products like Hyper-V, the VHD file format is actually a stand-alone technology useful beyond just virtualization solution scenarios.   With Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7,...