Microsoft upgrades Windows Server 2003 with R2

 

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By Alun Williams

Posted on 7 Dec 2005 at 12:26

Microsoft has released to manufacturing an update to its flagship server system - Windows Server 2003 R2. While the CDs are being pressed the code will also appear on MSDN.

Redmond declares the system is all about 'optimising infrastructure' rather than particular bells and whistles of new features. Having said that, over 80 per cent of Release 2 is new code rather than a bundling together of previously released feature packs (SharePoint Services, and Active Directory Application Mode being the two exceptions).

Features of R2 include greater interoperability with Unix systems (via NFS support, the Network File System originally developed by Sun, tools support, and interoperability with various WS-* specifications) and more centralised management of data, whether it be in terms of backups, print management or group collaboration.

'R2 presents our customers with an array of new ways to reduce cost and complexity, boost end-user productivity, and increase the strategic value of their IT systems,' said Microsoft's senior VP of Server and Tools, Bob Muglia.

Specifically, it has been designed to offer simplified branch server management (for automating admin of remote offices), improved use of virtualisation (to increase the use of hardware resources), more efficient storage management and ID access management (to better extend access for people and applications outside of a firewall, through Active Directory Federation Services and support for third-part Unix identity management systems).

An interesting technology within R2 is Microsoft's patent-pending Remote Differential Compression technology (RDC), for optimising the transfer of data across a network.

This is a file replication technology rather than a backup strategy. It is triggered by NTFS file closure notifications and includes a self-tuning 'on the wire' algorithm that monitors files in terms of 'chunks'. This means it only copies across networks data that has been changed. Microsoft says it is file-type agnostic and adjusts itself in accordance with changes in the handling of the file. Third-party tools have been available for this task before, but now the replication is built-in to the server software.

Note that all the fixes post-Service Pack 1 are not automatically included as part of the package. This is to give admins greater control over the installation process and not force a full upgrade, explained Julius Davies, a Microsoft Technical Pre-Sales Specialist.

You can find more information on the Microsoft website.