Microsoft has eased up its server licensing rules so that organisations can make more efficient use of servers in virtualised environments.
Microsoft said on Monday in the US that the server version of Windows 7 would not be a major release and will bear the name Windows Server 2008 R2.
Microsoft has announced that its Hyper-V hypervisor is finally available, but analysts have questioned whether large enterprises will adopt the product as their sole virtualisation technology.
Insiders broadly welcome Microsoft's virtualisation push but voice some frustration at the fact some products are later than expected.
Microsoft officially launched Windows Server 2008, Windows Visual Studio 2008, and announced SQL Server 2008, which is due in the third quarter of this year.
Trying to understand the logic behind Microsoft's development decisions is a bit like S&M: it's a painful activity probably best left to others. But a recent example from the storage world does suggest something about Microsoft's "people will beat up on us regardless" dilemma.
You've only got to hang around a datacentre for about 30 seconds before someone starts raving on about virtualisation. While the cost benefits of virtualisation are obvious, the management challenges often get swept under the carpet.
There are some common elements in how IT professionals and home users deal with backup: the need for backups to happen automatically and quietly, and to be easily and quickly restored when the proverbial hits the fan.
Synchronising data between multiple computers is difficult and dangerous, which is why we get software to do it these days rather than attempting to manage all the file movements ourselves. But making the assumption that the software knows what it's doing can in itself be dangerous.
This Business Guidebook consolidates a massive selection of features, blogs, case studies, news stories and whitepapers along with a review of the product to provide everything you need to know about Microsoft Windows Server 2008.
With Microsoft set to officially launch Windows Server 2008 this week, ZDNet.com.au sister site CNET News.com sat down with Bob Muglia, senior vice president of Microsoft's Server and Tools Business to talk about what to expect.
Microsoft's Hyper-V is the missing piece from the launch of Windows Server 2008. We examine its background, and predict how the hypervisor market is likely to develop.
Virtualisation was high on the list of important technologies at the Windows Server 2008 launch yesterday and not just one or two sorts of virtualisation. By the time the show was over, seven distinct flavours were on display. Some of them looked oddly familiar.
Google is used to sifting through huge amounts of information to generate its search results, but a 12 gigabyte database proved something more of a challenge for its own financial management and planning systems.
Enforcing the acceptable use of business computers is often a tricky business. Policy Central Enterprise is an application that offers to help manage an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) by placing the onus on individual users.
Microsoft's Hyper-V is a solid virtualisation platform that's compatible with a wide range of modern server hardware.
Symantec Backup Exec 12 allows complete system recovery and concentrates on continuous file/data protection. Though AU$1,795 may seem a lot of money for an application, Backup Exec might be worth the investment if you're using it for irreplaceable and highly valuable data.
Microsoft has set March 12 as the release-to-manufacture date for the six new versions of its server operating system, paving the way for a shipping date of 29 April.
Much of the buzz over Apple Computer's Mac OS X 10.2 has focused on desktop computers, but the company also has a new server operating system that's been refined for businesses.
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