Longhorn Beta 3

April 26, 2007 at 7:04 am | Posted in Technical | Leave a comment

Microsoft is looking for folks to try out Longhorn Beta 3, their long-developed Windows Server offering. The following is a quote from their press release:

The release allows people to evaluate the increased control, flexibility and protection built into Microsoft Windows Server “Longhorn” Beta 3, available for download today at http://www.microsoft.com/getbeta3. The final version of Windows Server “Longhorn” is on track for release to manufacturing in the second half of 2007.

“As they take it for a test drive, our customers and partners will find we made some vast improvements in Windows Server ‘Longhorn’ to help them reduce costs and adapt to changing business needs,” said Bill Laing, general manager of the Windows Server Division at Microsoft. “Between early adopter customers and Microsoft IT, we have hundreds of servers running in production environments today. If there’s one message we want to send today, it is get ready, download and evaluate.”

Improvements Microsoft is touting for this release:

1. Windows PowerShell, a scripting tool for administrators, is now included in the product.
2. Active Directory Federation Services improvements allow customers to implement new policies and make it easier to set up a relationship between trusted partners.
3. The Server Core installation option now comes with additional roles and enhanced functionality, such as print services and Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services.
4. The Server Manager console includes additional remote administration tools to provide a more integrated management environment.
5. Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, now on by default, provides a persistent and more secure environment beginning at installation.
6. NAP is integrated with Microsoft Update and Windows Update to enable administrators to decide which updates are critical and set policies accordingly. It also has a new administrative interface for simplified setup, scalability and better performance.