After many months of waiting, Microsoft finally released the Beta 3 version of Windows Server 2008 (previously codenamed Longhorn), a major milestone pre-release version of the next version of Windows Server. (More recently, a CTP, or Community Technical Preview, version was distributed to beta testers in June 2008.) Windows Server 2008 has evolved quite a bit over time, and though the project hasn't suffered from the many feature drops and problems that dogged Windows Vista, there are certainly a few surprises in Beta 3 and the June CTP. Here's what you need to know about Windows Server 2008.

Windows Server 2008 will be a major Windows Server release with dramatically improved functionality when compared to its predecessors. Enhanced scripting and task automation via the new Windows PowerShell--a surprise addition to Beta 3, given that PowerShell was originally not going to ship as part of this product--and improved roles-based installation and management capabilities will give administrators more control than ever, Microsoft says. Indeed, the roles-based installation and management features now extend to Server Core, a new lightweight and safer version of the server.

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