Networking with Windows Server 2008 R2

Better Together with Windows 7
Many of the enhancements of Windows Server 2008 R2 are independent of the client operating
system being used, but others, such as DirectAccess, only work with Windows 7 clients.
Others, as is the case with the new RDS features, work better with a Windows 7 client, but are
still important improvements even if you’re running Windows Vista or Windows XP.
Some of the things that make Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 work better together
(and the technologies that enable them) are the following:
  1.Simplified remote connectivity for remote users (DirectAccess)
  2.Secure remote connectivity, even from public computers (Remote Workplace plus RD
     Gateway and RD Session Host)
  3.Improved branch office performance and security (BranchCache and read-only Distributed
     File System Replication [DFS-R])
  4. More efficient power management where the hardware supports it (Group Policy)
  5. Virtualized desktops (VDI)
  6. Improved removable drive security (BitLocker To Go)

Top Reasons to Upgrade

   Windows Server 2008 R2 is not a free update to Windows Server 2008 unless you have Software
Assurance (SA). So should you upgrade? And why?
6 CHAPTER 1 What’s New in Windows Server R2
Well, the short answer is yes, you should upgrade. The why is what this book is all about in
many ways, but here are our top 10 reasons to upgrade:

  1. Powerful hardware and scaling features Windows Server 2008 R2 supports
      up to 256 logical processors. R2 also supports SLAT, which enables R2 to take advantage
      of the Enhanced Page Tables feature found in the latest AMD CPUs as well as the
      similar Nested Page Tables feature found in Intel’s latest processors. The combination
      enables R2 servers to run with much improved memory management.
  2. Improved Hyper-V Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2 can now access up to 64
      logical CPUs on host computers—twice Hyper-V’s initial number of supported CPUs.
      Live migration enables a highly fault-tolerant virtualization infrastructure, and dynamic
      addition and removal of disks simplifies backup scenarios and overall management of
      virtualized resources.
  3. Reduced power consumption Windows Server 2008 R2 supports Core Parking,
      which dynamically turns off unused processor cores when they aren’t needed, reducing
      power consumption.
  4. Reduced desktop costs Windows Server 2008 R2 enables VDI technology, which
      extends the functionality of RDS to provide full desktop virtualization or application
      virtualization of key applications.
  5. Improved server management Windows Server 2008 R2 includes a new version
      of Windows PowerShell, which is now available on Server Core as well. Server Manager
      can now also be used remotely.
  6. Improved branch office performance and security Windows Server 2008 R2
      includes BranchCache and read-only DFS-R, which extends the branch office scenarios
      introduced in Windows Server 2008.
  7. Improved Web server Windows Server 2008 R2 includes IIS 7.5 as well as a new
      FTP server. IIS 7.5 includes a new Windows PowerShell provider for IIS management.
  8. Windows PowerShell v2 Windows Server 2008 R2 includes an improved and
       more powerful version of Windows PowerShell that has cmdlet support for remote
       management. Windows PowerShell is now available on Server Core in Windows Server
       2008 R2.
   9. Improved Remote Desktop Services The new RDS features provide an improved
       and more seamless user experience, especially when the client is running Windows 7.
  10.Improved mobile user experience Mobile users running Windows 7 have seamless
       and continuous access to corporate resources through DirectAccess. And RD Web
       Access, shown in Figure 1-1, provides users running at least Windows XP SP3 with full
       access to published applications or desktops.