Server 2008 Information
General Information:
The starting point to obtain information on Windows Server 2008 and related technologies.
Windows Server 2008 RC Evaluation - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/audsel.mspx
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Edition Summaries - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/editions/overview.mspx
Use these pages to compare editions, features, roles and specifications for the upcoming release of Windows Server 2008.
System Center Overview - http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/about/default.aspx
Enterprise IT departments need solutions that support performance and availability monitoring, software updates and deployment, data storage and recovery, IT reporting, and problem, capacity, and operations management. The System Center family encompasses leading IT management solutions that accommodate all of these needs.
For Developers:
IIS 7.0 enables developers to extend IIS to provide custom functionality in new, more powerful ways. IIS 7.0 extensibility starts with an all-new set of core server APIs, which support module development by using both native-code (C, C++) and managed-code (C#, Visual Basic, Managed Extensions for C++) languages.
Top 7 Ways to Light Up Your Apps on Windows Server 2008 - http://msdn2.microsoft.com/library/bb852230.aspx
Whether you are building Web applications or writing core server-based system services, Windows Server® 2008 provides many new features that you can leverage to build more secure, flexible, and innovative applications.
Develop Federation-Aware Applications - http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb852218.aspx
Learn how to extend your Web applications to vendors, partners and other trusted organizations. Active Directory® Federation Services (AD FS) is the key to providing secure external access to your Web applications while minimizing the increased workload on staff. AD FS used with Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) as an identity provider for authentication and Windows Authorization Manager (AzMan) for control of access policy provides a complete solution to extending your Web applications to trusted organizations.
The Windows Vista release of the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) and the latest Windows Logo Kit (WLK) are available for download through the Windows Driver Kit and Windows Logo Kit Program on the Microsoft Connect Web site.
For IT Pros:
Windows Server Hyper-V: A Key Feature of Windows Server 2008 - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/virtualization/default.mspx
Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is the hypervisor-based virtualization feature included as part of Windows Server 2008. It contains everything needed to support machine virtualization. Hyper-V enables IT organizations to reduce costs, to improve server utilization and to create a more-dynamic IT infrastructure. Hyper-V provides the greater flexibility because of dynamic, reliable and scalable platform capabilities combined with a single set of integrated management tools to manage both physical and virtual resources, which enables you to create an agile and dynamic datacenter and progress toward achieving self-managing dynamic systems.
Windows Deployment Services Role Step-by-Step Guide - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=84628
The Windows Deployment Services role in Windows Server 2008 is the updated and redesigned version of Remote Installation Services (RIS). Windows Deployment Services enables you to deploy Windows operating systems, particularly Windows Vista® and Windows Server 2008. You can use it to set up new computers by using a network-based installation. This means that you do not have to be physically present at each computer and you do not have to install each operating system directly from a CD or DVD.
Active Directory Rights Management Services Role - http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/library/77b591cc-5d32-4ff6-bb02-64bde149dc991033.mspx
AD RMS, a format and application-agnostic technology, provides services to enable the creation of information-protection solutions. It will work with any AD RMS-enabled application to provide persistent usage policies for sensitive information. Content that can be protected by using AD RMS includes intranet Web sites, e-mail messages, and documents. AD RMS includes a set of core functions that allow developers to add information protection to the functionality of existing applications.
Server Core Installation Option of Windows Server 2008 Step-By-Step Guide - http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/library/47a23a74-e13c-46de-8d30-ad0afb1eaffc1033.mspx?mfr=true
The Server Core installation option is a new option that you can use for installing Windows Server 2008. A Server Core installation provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles, which reduces the maintenance and management requirements and the attack surface for those server roles.
Webcasts and More:
Step into a New Windows Server 2008 Virtual Lab for Free - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/2008/bb512925.aspx
Come experience the next major release of Windows Server! In these Virtual Labs, you'll have the opportunity to test-drive new and improved features and functionality in the upcoming Windows Server 2008 release, including management, network protection and improvements to Terminal Services.
Windows Server 2008 Webcasts - http://www.microsoft.com/events/series/windowsserver2008.aspx?tab=webcasts
Prepare yourself for the next release of Microsoft’s server operating system—Windows Server 2008. Tune in and learn how you can leverage the new features to improve your organization's networking infrastructure and security, server performance and reliability, remote resource access, and client deployment. Subject matter experts break down what these upgrades mean for your environment and how to take advantage of them.
Windows Server 2008 – Learning Portal - http://www.microsoft.com/learning/windowsserver2008/default.mspx
Focus on readiness for Windows Server 2008 now, and you can be the one who stands out when initiatives happen—and when promotion decisions are made. Let Microsoft Learning resources give you the head start you need to transition your skills and credentials to the latest Windows Server technologies—or get started with a new certification.
Windows Server 2008 Developer Training Kit (Beta 3) - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=B36EE81A-AFF5-4314-95D7-DAD3ACFA8094&displaylang=en
The Windows Server 2008 Developer Training Kit includes a set of hands-on-labs and presentations for technologies such as IIS7, Management, WCF, WF, Windows CardSpace, Windows PowerShell, Virtualization and the Transactional File System (TxF).
Interoperability for Virtualization Summits - Reducing the Complexity – http://www.itmanagementsummit.com/moreinterop
These half-day events produced globally by IDG, you and your peers will learn about the latest options for taking advantage of Windows and Linux interoperability to employ virtualization, reduce systems overhead, and tame the complexity brought on by combining disparate environments.
