Beta Preview: Windows Server 'Longhorn'

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There are some interesting touches in Longhorn Server, including the option of a single instance file store. Originally only available in the R2 release of Windows Storage Server 2003, the Windows Single Instance Store scans NTFS streams for duplicate files, and turns them into links to a master copy in a common store. If your users are sharing lots of large documents, this can save considerable amounts of disk space. SIS can also speed up back-ups. We're very dubious about the name Microsoft's given to the service that finds duplicate files though; it's called the Groveler.

Rethinking the web server

Internet Information Services also gets a revamp. IIS 7 is a modular web server, with a wide selection of optional components. New management tools make it easier to administer, and if you're porting IIS 6 applications across, a compatibility mode lets you run sites without any changes. The new management console is clearer than Windows Server 2003's MMC snap-in, and gives quick access to key functions using a control panel-like approach. Click on an icon to open a section and make the changes you need.

A key component of Longhorn Server is the Server Manager. A one-stop shop for server management tools, the Server Manager is where you'll manage your servers, defining roles, handling security and networking, as well as storage and backup. Microsoft has done a good job here, bringing all the tools you want into one management console. These include the ability to schedule operations at specific times, with plenty of feedback on just which actions have run and when. Tasks don't need to be given a time to run - they can also be triggered by system events.

Windows Server "Longhorn" is starting to shape up into a credible successor to Windows Server 2003. Improved management tools and a role-based approach to server configuration will help system administrators run their server farms. There's a lot in the August CTP, much of which you won't uncover until you start using it in a wide range of different test scenarios. It's nowhere near a release candidate and it doesn't pretend to be, but if you haven't started evaluating Windows Server "Longhorn" yet, this is a good build for a first look.

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