June

Improvements in Windows Server 2008

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During the coming weeks and end of the year, we will proceed to hang articles relating to Windows Server 2008. The first in a long line is this: "Improvements in Windows Server 2008."

For weeks we are preparing for the MCITP certification from Microsoft. We will use this blog to explain more about the preparations for the exams and the material used.

In this first article we rely, as in almost all the preparation for the MCITP, in a magnificent book by Jonathan Hassell is titled "Windows Server 2008: The definitive guide", copyright 2008 Print ISBN 978-0-59-651411 - 2. This book of over 500 pages in English is an excellent guide to learn how Windows Server 2008, both novice and experienced administrators. The book is divided into 14 chapters, very extensive and complete.

The following link can obtain more information from the book: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596514112

In this article we will explain the first chapter of the book. Note that we have tried to summarize the major points of the first chapter. This summary is a very good guide for the preparation of the MCITP certification exam.

Let's cut to the chase. First of all let's explain that Windows Server 2008 is the new Microsoft server product, launched in early 2008. There are 4 editions:

- Windows Web Server 2008: ideal for web servers, has limitations, mainly has IIS and little else

- Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (SE) commonly used in business, management constraints up to 2 processors per machine

- Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition (EE): same functionality as SE but adds clustering, hot Adding memory, network connections and unlimited limit of up to 8 processors per machine.

- Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition (DE): same functionality but adds hot EE Adding processors and limit of 8 to 32 processors per machine.

Then I spent a few links to download previous programs:

Download Windows Server 2008 Standard (x86 and x64)

Download Windows Server 2008 Enterprise (x86 and x64)

Download Windows Server 2008 Datacenter (x86 and x64)

Download Windows Web Server 2008 (x86 and x64)

The main enhancements in Windows Server 2008 compared to the old versions can be divided into 6 groups, with the first two groups the most important: Server Core and IIS.

1) improvements in Server Core Group

Server Core is a way of installing Windows Server 2008 can conduct a number of features complete installation. Administrators can install what you want to manage.

The roles included are: Active Directory, Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS), DHCP Server, DNS Server, Files Server, Print Server, Streaming Server, Windows Server Virtualization and Web Server (IIS).

The functions included are: Bitlocker Drive Encryption, Failover Clustering, Telnet Client, Remove Storage Management, Multipath for input and output, SNMP Services, Windows Server Backup Server and WINS.

2) Group improved IIS (Internet Information Services)

IIS provides the tools and features necessary to easily manage a secure server. We should note that IIS does NOT support dynamic websites, static HTML only.

The biggest improvements in IIS include:

- Complete control over parts of IIS that you want to install and operate

- Flexible model, developers can access the APIs through the core of the IIS

- Simplified configuration XML file Through

- Delegated management: Administrators can delegate IIS control of some functions to other people

- Efficient administration: with a new command-line administration utility (appcmd.exe)

3) improvements in networking group

The working group of Windows Server 2008 has placed special emphasis on improvements related to networking, such as allowing dual manage IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously. The security of communications is enhanced with IPSec.

The main improvements are the following 3:

- TCP / IP Stack: Many changes in this version are related to the communication stack TCP / IP. The main two are:

Auto tuning TCP windows size: Windows Server 2008 enables automatically enhance the size of the receive window of each connection, thus increasing its efficiency in data transfer between machines on the same network.
Scaling Networking: Windows Server 2008 enables scaling of NICs and their associations of traffic with multiple CPUs. Previously a NIC was associated with a single physical processor. With this release multiple NICs may be associated with multiple processors.

- Changes in Terminal Services: Network applications have dramatically increased their need in recent years, which is why the team of Windows Server 2008 introduces new enhancements in this section. Mainly we will discuss three improvements:

TS RemoteApp: Windows Server 2008 supports the ability to define programs that run directly to TS-enabled server but are integrated with the local copy of Windows user, allowing independence of toolbars, resizing windows, Alt-tab functions , and more.
TS Gateway allows users to access applications from Terminal Services-hosted a website securely via encrypted HTTPS channel. Through The Gateway sends connection firewalls.
Active Directory, Read-only Domain Controler: Read-only Domain Controller (RODC) is a good way to manage enterprise domains with different sites across a WAN. RODC can manage safely domains (only allows reading) on machines where the domain controller is not physically protected role as a machine in a datacenter. RODC makes a copy of domain controller in each office to allow logins with more speed and efficiency, greater security before being intrusive attacks only read-only domain.

4) Group security improvements

The working group has made Windows Server 2008 special emphasis on safety-related improvements. The issue of security has been improved substantially in each new version of Windows Server. Major enhancements in this release are 5:

- OS File Protection: Operating System File Protection ensures the integrity of the boot process servers. Windows Server 2008 creates a validation key to use the files in the OS kernel, it also creates a HAL (hardware abstraction layer specific) for the system and drivers are started. If any subsequence of these keys start after modifying these files, the OS will know and boot processes so they can be repaired.

- BitLocker: is designed for scenarios where a thief has physical access on a hard drive. Without encryption the hacker can boot the disk with another operating system or a hacking tool and steal all the files. With Bitlocker encrypts the whole operating system, passwords are stored in a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip in your system or on a USB flash.

- Installation Device Control: Allows control the installation and use of new devices installed in the system. Administrators can block new devices installed as USB flash drives, external HDD, ...). Group Policy is set by machine level. This system allows us to solve such typical case we make a thousand and one layer of security, but there comes a flash drive and a user saves a file. An elegant way we can manage instead of disabling ports to sack.

- Windows Firewall with Advanced Security: This combines firewall with IPSec firewall management in unified management console (MMC snap-in). The firewall engine has been refined to reduce coordination between filtering and IPSec.

- Network Access Protection (NAP) protection is a platform where the machines are tested by rules defined by administrators, and if a machine fails the test can prevent access to the network (quarentena). NAP has 3 major components:

Health Policy Validation: When a computer attempts to connect to the network performs a security test to see if it meets the security policies.
Health Policy Compliance: compliance policies are applied if a machine fails the validation test. An update is done automatically or through Systems Management Server addresses such as Windows Update.
Limited Access:
- Active Mode: If the machine does not meet validation quarantena turns, is isolated from the network.
- Monitoring-only mode: if the machine fails the validation, not applicable privacy policies but is tracked by a log.

We should note that NAP is only a platform to perform these checks, as SHAs tools required (system health agents) and SHVS (system health validators) to perform these validations on each machine individually.

5) improvements in manageability Group

The management of all components were added in Windows Server 2008 should be just as easy and comprehensive that the improvements made for this reason has been treated with care usability improvements in management. Mainly two actors have changed very common in a Windows Server:

- Server Manager: to simplify management tasks from a server to control their stability, integrity, roles installed, real-time events, ... Server Manager is the union of Your System Configure, and Manage Your System Configuration Wizards Securuty previous versions .

- Windows Deployment Services: Based on the old tool RIS (remote installation services), which allowed the installation of operating systems through the network. This tool is very grateful to the network administrators, has been substantially improved.

6) Group Performance and Reliability Improvements in Upgrades

As in other aspects we tried to improve the reliability and staging of various services. Among them has been improved:

- Performance Diagnostics Console: is the fusion of Task Manager and Performance Monitor on a single console.

- Resource View: console to view processes and services are using the resources of the machine.

- Reliability Monitor: shows a detailed view of what events are happening in a space of time, which are degrading the server stability.

So much for the summary of the first chapter of this magnificent book. We pretent to sketch study for readers to easily understand the main improvements made Windows Server 2008 on the old versions.

We recall that tuquiosco.es technology news editors looking to increase the number and quality of the articles. If you are interested in helping write to info@tuquiosco.es

1 Comment to "Improvements in Windows Server 2008"

Bitacoras.com July 6, 2010 at 16:47
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Bitacoras.com Value: During the coming weeks and end of the year, we will proceed to hang articles relating to Windows Server 2008. The first in a long line is this: "Improvements in Windows Server 2008." For several weeks we have ... ..

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