Windows Server 2008 R2: Features, Editions, and Its Legacy

Windows Server 2008 R2, codenamed "Windows Server 7", is the fifth-generation operating system produced by Microsoft for servers. It belongs to the Windows NT family of operating systems and was released on July 22, 2009, becoming generally available on October 22, 2009, shortly after the completion of Windows 7. As a successor to Windows Server 2008, this server operating system is derived from the Windows Vista codebase and was later superseded by Windows Server 2012, which is based on Windows 8.

Windows Server 2008 R2 comes with new and enhanced features to deliver an improved experience to enterprises. The new functionalities include advanced features for Active Directory, management features for virtualization, and support for up to 256 logical processors. Additionally, the version 7.5 of the Internet Information Services web server is a part of this server operating system.

Windows Server 2008 R2 is built on the same kernel as Windows 7, the client-oriented operating system from Microsoft. However, it is the first server operating system released by Microsoft not to support 32-bit processors, marking a shift to more advanced hardware.

Windows Server 2008 R2 marked a significant milestone for Microsoft as it introduced new functionalities for virtualization and Active Directory. It was the most comprehensive server operating system available for enterprises, offering advanced features to support their needs. Although it has been superseded by newer versions of Windows Server, Windows Server 2008 R2 continues to be a widely used server operating system globally.

In Windows Server 2008, Microsoft delivers a server operating system that is something more than the sum of its parts. Windows Server 2008 isn’t just a server operating system or a network operating system. It is a best-of-class operating system with the foundation technologies necessary to provide networking, application, and online services that can be used anywhere within your organization. From top to bottom, Windows Server 2008 is dramatically different from earlier releases of Windows Server operating systems. Windows Server 2008 is in fact so different from its predecessors that Microsoft considers earlier releases of Windows Server to be legacy operating systems, or admittedly at the very least to have legacy components.
The way you approach Windows Server 2008 will depend on your background and your implementation plans. If you are moving to Windows Server 2008 from an earlier Windows server operating system or switching from UNIX, you’ll fi nd that Windows Server 2008 is a signifi cant change that requires a whole new way of thinking about the networking, application services, and the interoperations between clients and servers. The learning curve will be steep, but you will fi nd clear transition paths to Windows Server 2008. You will also fi nd that Windows Server 2008 has an extensive commandline interface that makes it easier to manage servers, workstations, and, indeed, the entire network using both graphical and command-line administration tools.

1. From the Run command, type in the path to the winnt32.exe file, either on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM or a network installation share point, and click OK.
2. The Welcome to the Windows 2000 Setup Wizard page appears. Select the Option to Upgrade to Windows 2000 (Recommended). Then click Next.
3. Read the License Agreement, then select the I accept this agreement option button. Then click Next.
4. Enter the 25-character Product Key. After entering the product key, click Next.
5. If your boot partition is FAT, you will be presented with the opportunity to upgrade it to NTFS 5. Select Yes, upgrade my drive. Then click Next.
6. Setup then copies the installation files. If you are using a CD-ROM, the copy phase is fairly quick, because only base system files required to start the installation during bootup are required. If you install from a network installation share point, all the files in the i386 folder will need to be copied to your machine in order to complete the installation.
7. When the file copy phase completes, the computer will reboot. From this point next, the upgrade and installation process will continue without user intervention.