eWEEK Labs' first take on the 64-bit-only Windows Server 2008 R2 RC shows that the update takes major steps forward, especially in the area of virtualization. However, moving existing Windows Server 2008 systems to the newest version will not be easy.eWEEK Labs recently took a first look at the release candidate of
Windows Server 2008 R2--which was made available to MSDN and TechNet
subscribers on April 30--and found that the update offers major
improvements, especially in the area of virtualization.
But the first thing you might notice is that the 32-bit version of
the operating system is gone; Windows Server 2008 R2 is only available
as a 64-bit OS. This in itself isn't a big deal, as nearly all CPUs
from the last three to four years are 64-bit based. Also, 32-bit
applications can run on 64-bit Windows.
In addition, for enterprise IT, where virtualization and big
(commodity) iron rule the day, Windows Server 2008 R2's 64-bit
architecture makes sense because virtualization is constrained more by
memory than by CPU. At organizations where file and print servers are
still predominant, Windows Server 2008 R2 may be overkill.
The update's biggest draw is improvement to Hyper-V, Microsoft's virtualization platform.
For example, Live Migration is a big improvement over Quick
Migration, which has a reputation of not being as nimble as its name
implies.
Take a look at images of Windows Server 2008 R2.
While Quick Migration uses Windows Server clustering to maintain
application availability when the physical host server goes down, Live
Migration can transparently move running guest systems from one node to
another inside a failover cluster without a dropping the network
connection. (Failover clustering requires shared storage using either
iSCSI or Fibre Channel SANs.)
Virtual machines also can now support hot plug in and hot removal of
both virtual and physical storage without rebooting the physical host
system, and Hyper-V can now offload some processing to the physical
host, including TCP/IP operations.
AMD and Intel both make hardware that is specially designed to
assist virtualization technologies, including those found in Hyper-V.
The latest example of this is the Intel Xeon 5500, or "Nahelem,"
processors. I'll be looking at how current-generation AMD and Intel
server systems help boost the performance and capacity of
virtualization tools as I work through a series of hardware reviews in
the coming months. I'm not allowed to talk about some of the
other improvements made in Hyper-V just yet, but expect to see
extensive testing of these features soon.
Another compelling feature is AppLocker, which is also featured in
Windows 7 and replaces the operating systems' Software Restriction
Policies feature. (See eWEEK Labs' first look at Windows 7 RC here.)
At first glance, AppLocker appears to increase administrator control
over how users can access and use executable files, scripts and Windows
Installer files. With AppLocker, administrators define rules based on
file attributes such as product name, file name and file version.
Tough migration
There's no doubt that Windows Server 2008 R2 offers major
improvements, but getting existing Windows installations to this most
current release may be a drag.
Migrating from a 32-bit version of Windows Server 2008 or 2003
basically requires a number of migration tools followed by installation
of Windows Server 2008 R2.
Microsoft makes available a Solution Accelerator to help the
migration along, but, in my experience, where Solution Accelerators go,
complexity and planning are sure to follow. This almost certainly means
that IT managers should plan on seeing Windows Sever 2008 R2 arrive on
new equipment instead of attempting field upgrades of deployed
production systems.
Technical Director Cameron Sturdevant can be reached at csturdevant@eweek.com.
