The Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating system is designed to power the next generation of networks, applications, and Web services. Windows Server 2008 R2 is capable of unprecedented workload size, dynamic scalability, and across-the-board availability and reliability. A host of new and updated features contribute to this, including improved virtualization, scripting, power consumption, remote access, and file classification.
Combined with Microsoft® SharePoint® Server 2010 and Microsoft® BizTalk® Server 2010, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 provides the foundation for a Service-Orientated Architecture (SOA). The features and technologies of these three product platforms are well suited to integrate with an enterprise SOA initiative, resulting in a highly flexible platform that can quickly adapt, scale, and extend your applications in response to changing business needs.
With Windows Web Server 2008 R2, you can deliver rich Web-based experiences efficiently and effectively, with improved administration and diagnostics, advanced development and application tools, and lower infrastructure costs.
For mission-critical servers, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 includes a Best Practices Analyzer (BPA) for all major server roles, including Failover Clustering.
New Windows Server 2008 R2 features
Improved virtualization
With Hyper-V you can consolidate multiple server roles and operating systems as separate virtual machines (VMs) running on a single physical machine. Hyper-V Live Migration gives you the ability to move virtual machines from one host to another with no perceivable downtime. Hyper-V now has support for up to 64 logical processors, and its processor compatibility mode for Live Migration allows migration across different CPU versions within the same processor family.
More powerful scripting
Windows PowerShell 2.0 helps enterprises optimize resources and trim costs with powerful scripting capabilities which can help automate server deployment and configuration. PowerShell 2.0 offers significant enhancements from the previous version with the inclusion of more than 240 pre-built “cmdlets” as well as a new graphical user interface (GUI) that adds professional-level development features for writing scripts.
Extended IIS capabilities
IIS 7.5 offers full support for .NET on Server Core, as well as updated PHP support, new management tools and bundled extensions.
Reduced power consumption
Improved power management results in up to 18% reduced power consumption over Windows Server 2003.
Seamless remote access
Remote workers can securely and seamlessly remotely connect to their work environment, as if they were on the corporate network, and IT administrators continually manage those PCs, without the use of a VPN.
File classification
The new File Classification Infrastructure (FCI) provides a built-in solution for file classification, allowing administrators to initiate processes for files with predefined policies based on the data’s business value. Examples include identifying sensitive data and automatically expiring stale data.
To learn more, visit the Windows Server home page.
