Windows Server 2008 r2 Beta

What is with operating systems? Nothing for ages then two on the same day, Windows 7 Beta and now Windows 2008 r2 Beta? Well sort of as Windows Server 2008 shares a lot with Vista so Windows Server 2008 r2 has a lot in common with Windows 7. 

Obviously DBA’s will be a bit more interested in the Server and possibly Server core as this now has enough of the .Net framework in to run SQL Server.  Running on SQL Server on core means:

  • more grunt for SQL Server in terms of memory and CPU
  • more security as there’s less attack surface
  • less downtime to patch the OS as there’s lees to patch.

You will need to install SQL Server from the command line as there is no UI in Core and remotely manage the database by putting the client tools elsewhere.  Also bear in mind that Core itself is tricky to administer so you might want to practice in a virtual machine, for example you need to open up the firewall for SQL Server and you can’t do this remotely until you have configured Core to allow you to do this remotely. 

When I get 5 minutes with James O’Neill we’ll show you how in the meantime if you are interested in some of the other stuff in Windows Server 2008 r2 like powershell (now with a GUI), undo for active directory and you have a TechNet subscription you can download it here by selecting and expanding operating systems.  as with Windows 7 Beta this will expire in August 2009.

Technorati Tags: Windows Server 2008r2 Beta,core,sql server