Ten surprises in Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2003 felt like a refresh of Windows Server 2000. There were few radical changes, and most of the improvements were fairly under the surface.

Windows Server 2008, on the other hand, is a full-sized helping of 'new and improved'. While the overall package is good, there are a few surprises and hidden delights you may want to know about before deciding if you will be moving to Windows Server 2008 any time soon.

1. The 64-bit revolution is not complete
There have been 64-bit editions of Windows Server for years now, and Microsoft has made it quite clear that it wants all of its customers to move to 64-bit operating systems.

That does not mean that you can throw away your 32-bit Windows Server 2008 CD, however.

Over the last few months, I have been shocked, on more than one occasion, by the pieces of Microsoft software that not only do not have 64-bit versions but will not run under a 64-bit operating system (OS) at all. This list includes Team Foundation Server and ISA Server.

If you are planning on moving to 64-bit Windows Server 2008, be prepared to have a 32-bit server or two around, whether on physical hardware or in a virtual machine.

2. Who moved my cheese?
While the changes to the user interface in Windows Server 2008 are not nearly as sweeping as those implemented by the Aero interface in Vista, it has undergone a dramatic rearrangement and renaming of the various applets around the system.

In retrospect, the organisation of these items is much more sensible, but that hardly matters when you have years of experience going to a particular area to find something, only to find it has suddenly changed places. Expect to be a bit frustrated in the Control Panel until you get used to it.

3. Windows Workstation 2008 might catch on
Microsoft has provided the ability to bring the 'Vista desktop experience' into Windows Server 2008.

I doubt that many server administrators were asking for this, but the unusual result is that a number of people are modifying Windows Server 2008 to be as close to a desktop OS as possible.

There have always been a few people who use the server edition of Windows as a desktop, but this makes it much easier and friendlier. These home-brewed efforts are generally referred to as 'Windows Workstation 2008', in case you're interested in trying it out on your own.

4. Hyper-V is good, but…
Hyper-V was one of the most anticipated features of Windows Server 2008, and it's surprisingly good, particularly for a version-one release from Microsoft.

It is stable, easy to install and configure, and does not seem to have any major problems.

For those of us who have been beaten into the 'wait until the third version' or 'don't install until Service Pack 1' mentality, this is a refreshing surprise.

5. …Hyper-V is limited
Hyper-V, while high-quality, is sorely lacking in features.

Considering that it was billed as a real alternative to VMware and other existing solutions, it is a disappointment — to say the least — that it does not seem to include any utilities for importing virtual machines from products other than Virtual PC and Virtual Server. Even those imports are not workaround-free.

Another real surprise here is the lack of…