Windows Server 2008 Technical Overview (Part 1 of 2): Webcast (08-03-2007)

Good afternoon all my windows 2008 testers!

First off thank you for attending the webcast! Secondly a huge thanks to Keith Combs and Shawn Travers for all the help with the questions! We had a lot of fun and I hope everyone enjoyed the webcast and more importantly attended part 2.

Without any more delay here are some additional resources and the questions from the webcast!

Resources:

Question: Will there be an update to SharePoint WSS for WinSrv2008?
Answer: As of right now it will be wss 3.0 and, it is an installable role. From what I can tell from the beta it is currently wss 3.0 you can learn more here: https://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsserver/sharepoint/default.mspx

Question: If we want all event logs based on date/time what do you have to choose and from want main window to filter for those events?
Answer: You can filter event log data a massive number of ways now including using day/time criteria. You can use the built-in filters or create a custom filter. See the actions pane on the right and you'll see the link for creating custom views. You can then save the custom filters to reuse them.

Question: Why does the new server 2008 have the same look of vista. Would it not be best to have it looking as simple as possible to lower the memory and processor usage?
Answer: The idea is to improve the usability of server in a similar way to the desktop. Usability is important on the server side as well. If you are looking for optimal performance, you can tweak down the graphics very easily by going into the performance tool. And if you want top performance, you can install Windows Server 2008 Core. Core is a headless server that will not have any GUI.

Question: Do we have the ability to view the event logs centrally for all servers?
Answer: Well, there are many event log collection tools that you can get for free that will do this; however, the best way to do this today is with MOM 2005. SCE 2007 will be available soon for Medium businesses.

Question: Is there going to be VPN functionality as found in the SBS line?
Answer: I'm not sure I would characterize the process of defining a VPN server "easy" in Window Server 2008. However, there are more choices on how to handle connection requests and the new wizard does a great job of simplifying the process of defining those policies.

Question: We still use .Net 1.0 app can IIS 7 host support it?
Answer: Yes, there's a compatibility mode for backward compatibility. Take a look here for more information: https://www.iis.net/articles/view.aspx/IIS7/Hosting-Web-Applications/ASP-NET/ASP-NET-Integration-with-IIS7.

Question: Is there a comparison chart showing the features of Server Core, Standard Server, Enterprise Server and what ever other Packages that 2008 will be offered in?
Answer: I have not seen a list of the roles and features comparison yet. I would expect to see it published when the RC comes out.

Question: Do I need to install Virtual Server 2005 on a server OS or can I install it on Vista?
Answer: You can install it on either. However, if you are going to run server workloads in production and want it officially supported, it must be installed on Windows Server 2003.

Question: Are there any modifications to WINS in Server 2008
Answer: No, no specific improvements of major note in WINS. We have however added the Global Names Zone which may in some cases reduce the need for WINS.

Question: Any change in the backup to deal with open files?
Answer: Backup has been completely rewritten. It has absolutely been improved to remove the concern of open files. Backup uses Volume Shadow Copy Service and block-level backup technology to efficiently back up and recover the operating system, files and folders, and volumes. After the first full backup is created, Backup automatically runs incremental backups by saving only the data that has changed since the last backup occurred. Unlike previous versions, administrators no longer have to worry about manually scheduling full and incremental backups. They also do not need to worry about individual open files.

Question: When using Microsoft’s pre-built VHD's it says I don't have certain components. Do the VHD's really look for certain server hard such as scsi?
Answer: To run Virtual Server 2005, you must have the prerequisites installed. This is mainly IIS and other features of IIS. Running the .VHD is a little different because Virtual Server VM's support emulated SCSI disks, but VHD's used under Virtual PC do not. See https://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/60009f7c-9a6b-472c-949a-4f047e791dd21033.mspx for a good installation starting point.

Question: Home Server backs up attached Workstations and can do a bare metal restore of a workstation in minutes. Is Workstation Backup and restore offered in Server 2008 like it is in Home Server?
Answer: No, there is nothing in Windows Server 2008 specifically to backup workstations to my knowledge. The solution for this would lie perhaps in Group Policy (which you can do today) to redirect and backup certain folders from the workstations. Or, you can use the Complete PC backup on the workstations and put that on a file share. You can also use SMS or System Center Operations Manager to do this. So, you have a lot of options to accomplish this task. Each option has its plusses and minuses.

Question: How is Add Application compared to Web site or virtual directory? Is it for hosting windows app on IIS?
Answer: IIS does not "host" windows applications. The Terminal Service role serves that function.

Question: Will Powershell have plug-ins for SQL Server 2008?
Answer: I'm sure the SQL team will have a number of cmdlets and such for their product. Keep and eye on their CTP releases at https://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/futureversion/default.mspx

Question: Has anything been done to event viewer so there are not so many “no further information available” messages?
Answer: Generally, you will see far fewer "No further information available" messages when viewing event viewer information on the web. Event viewer messages are renumbered and more detailed, and the information you send up to Microsoft can be adjusted to help give us more information to troubleshoot your issue.

Question: What OS versions support Powershell remotely?
Answer: Powershell remoting is not available in version 1.0 (our current version). It will be part of version 2.0. There are, however, a number of tools from third parties that will make remote connections a possibility. Here is one example: https://www.nsoftware.com/powershell/

Question: By using Printmgr.exe, will I be able to move the printers from W2K3 printer servers to Windows 2008 printer server?
Answer: this is a question I could not find any information about at all. I was not able to find any information about the printmgr.exe. Does anyone have any information you can send me regarding this program?

Question: Are all PowerShell API’s will be available if we want to open it through VS.Net 2005/2008?
Answer: Depending on what you are trying to do, yes and no. Mike Stall and David Aiken both do a great job with some blog entries here:

Building and Debugging Powershell cmdlets in the VS IDE

Creating a Windows PowerShell CmdLet using the Visual Studio Windows PowerShell Templates

Question: For users with only one server that is 64 bit hardware currently running 32 bit Windows 2003 is there a way to upgrade that server to 64 bit Server 2008?
Answer: No, if you are running a 32-bit OS you can only upgrade to other 32-bit OS’.