eWEEK Labs Walk-Through: Windows Server 2008 RC 1

I began my Windows Server 2008 RC 1 tests by installing the product on a VMware ESX Server-hosted VM (virtual machine), but the lack of a network adapter driver for my VM sent me back to a physical machine to continue my tests.

I attempted to work around the ESX-Windows Server 2008 driver gap by fiddling with VMwares guest OS settings, but these machinations earned me a Blue Screen of Death.

When I tested an earlier Longhorn Server beta, the system asked me to set an administrator password as the first in a list of suggested tasks. Thi

Windows Server 2008s Server Manager is one of the features I missed most keenly upon returning to Windows Server 2003.

The strength of Windows Server 2008s graphical management tools is a definite competitive advantage for the platform. Here, Im adding Windows Server 2008 to an Active Directory Domain on my lab network.

In addition to its graphical strengths, the command-line story for Windows Server 2008 is better than ever, with PowerShell available for installation from the Windows Server

New in Windows Server are enhanced Group Policy management capabilities, including broadened Windows and Control Panel settings granularity, as well as support for enabling users to modify certain administrator-set options.

I hope that Windows Server 2008s helpful role-dependency checking signals a move for Windows toward the package-based software management schemes that benefit Linux-based operating systems.

Also new in Windows Server 2008 with RC 1 are Remote Server Administration Tools, which allow administrators to install certain Windows Server 2008 management tools on a Vista Service Pack 1 computer for remote management.

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