Tech Shout!

On Wednesday, Microsoft announced the availability of the first public ‘beta’ version of its next-generation Windows Server operating system, code-named Longhorn. The Redmond-based company maintained that the product is on track for a debut in the second half of 2007.

It’s the last time the product will be available for testing and feedback before the final release later this year. The last major fix to the server OS was done in 2003.

This is also the first time that users can get a peak at a new scripting and command-line technology, Microsoft PowerShell, at work from within Longhorn server. The technology, which enables administrators to more easily automate tasks across Windows servers on a network, was available as a separate add-on, but will now be built directly into Longhorn.

Further on, customers also can get a first look at two new Longhorn features - a new always-on firewall in Server Manager and an installation option called Server Core, said Ward Ralston, senior technical product manager for the software.

Server Manager in Longhorn is developed to keep the server firewall up 100 percent of the time, which means server administrators will have to unlock the firewall using the Server Manager console when they want to install components, he said. With this, administrators can deploy components required for certain server roles, leaving anything extraneous out of the system, Ralston said. The server also will know what dependencies and restraints the roles will have once installed, and will configure the server automatically to run most effectively in those scenarios, he continued.

Server Core is a minimal installation option for Windows Server that only installs components for eight server roles - out of a possible 18 - on the server and automatically configures them for the most reliable performance. This limits the amount of code that needs to run on the server, and also will decrease the number of and time allotted for updates because the server will only need to be rebooted for updates related only to those roles, Ralston said.

Bob Visse, a senior director in Microsoft’s Windows Server group said that he expects “hundreds of thousands” of companies to test the beta, and that Microsoft is on track to finish work on the software by the end of the year.

Longhorn, which will replace Microsoft’s server current server operating system Windows Server 2003, is the compliment to its new Windows Vista PC operating system.

Both operating systems share many of the same enhancements such as better security.

The download is available at www.microsoft.com/getbeta3.