With great power comes great complexity. Microsoft attempts to change that dictum as its new server OS, code-named Longhorn, gets closer to prime time. Though the OS has a long way to go before its planned release in 2007, Beta 2 shows much of what Redmond has in mind. It's a good bet that IT pros will be pleased with the emphasis on security, the new tools for management, and the many significant under-the-hood improvements. But is it that much simpler to use? Microsoft makes a valiant effort to simplify the life of the busy administrator in a smaller shop—and almost succeeds (in this beta, at least).
The new Windows Server installs from a DVD with about 2.2GB of data. When I installed it, I encountered just a few glitches provoked by my generic ATA drive card, which wasn't recognized by the installer. CD installation isn't supported, but the developers have simplified deployment services over the network. Unlike earlier versions of the installer, this one doesn't require you to sit and watch—a much-appreciated improvement. In the interest of testing, however, I did sit and watch. I counted three reboots, and the system was up and ready to begin configuration in about 45 minutes. Instead of forcing you to choose hardware options like keyboard and network cards, as in the past, the setup program now tries to detect your hardware. The current version didn't do a great job with my older drivers, however—for example, I had to set up my network cards manually
Initial Configuration Wizard
The Initial Configuration Wizard, a welcome ease-of-use feature, reminds you to perform important server tasks like changing passwords and installing additional features.
Add Server Roles wizard
The Add Server Roles wizard lets administrators install all the server components they need with optional files stored on each server so there’s no need to insert the distribution DVD.
Active Directory
New roles for better security underpin Active Directory in Longhorn, which makes for policy-based administration across the entire operating system.
Performance Diagnostics Console
The slick new Performance Diagnostic Console gives you a snapshot of server health, letting you see utilization of components including the CPU, disk, network, and memory.
Event Viewer
Showing off the new Actions panel in the Microsoft Management Console, an enhanced Event Viewer lets you search and filter events easily.
Windows Longhorn Server Beta 2 Firewall
The new Windows Firewall with Advanced Security offers monitoring and control of both in-bound and outbound network traffic with access to dozens of predefined rules for all major protocols.
Inbound Rules
Casual admins are sure to find it daunting, but the extensive settings for dozens of rules in the new Windows Firewall offer precise control over network traffic down to protocol, port, application, endpoints, and users.
IIS7 Manager
The administrator console for Web and .NET Framework applications offers precise control over server resources with a much kinder interface than that of its predecessors.
Server Setup Options
The Longhorn setup utility offers gives you the option of installing only server core components, giving stripped-down command-line (shell) administration for servers that have certain simpler roles.
Terminal Server
The greatly improved terminal server lets you launch applications on remote clients.