Managing Servers
In previous versions of Windows Server, you accessed different
server
management tasks from various icons. In Windows Server 2008,
accessing common
management tasks has been greatly streamlined by providing a
single point of
connection—Server Manager. This tool provides a simple interface
for most
server management tasks, such as:
Each of these tasks has a separate access point as well, but all
management
tasks can be quickly accessed through the Server Manager.
- Role-based installation: Enables you to select
which
features you want to install for a particular server. Windows
Server 2008
uses the concept of server roles, which determine the functions
the server
can perform. For example, if you install the Print Services
server role on
a server, that system becomes a print server for your network.
- Updating the server configuration: Lets you
change your
server's configuration (such as changing server roles) and
monitor the
health of your server. You can diagnose server health through an
event
viewer that gives you access to logs arranged by areas. Just
select a
particular section, such as group policies you want to monitor,
and Server
Manager displays the logs for that area.
You can customize the logs you view by area, type (Critical,
Error, Info and
so on) and keyword, to name a few.
Creating and managing user accounts: Gives you
access to
the Active Directory component to create a new user with the
same type of
interface as was available in previous versions of Windows
Server, without
having to open a separate tool.
Performance and reliability tools
Windows Server 2008 provides a plethora of tools for monitoring
the
performance of servers in your environment. Using Performance
Monitor, you
can view how hardware, network and server resources are being
used. Similar
to Task Manager in Microsoft Windows Vista, you can get a quick
view of how
your system is running. You can also audit specific services and
customize
your view. The Reliability Monitor tool provides insight into
causes of
issues by showing you what occurred at the time of a low
reliability curve.
A few other enhancements include:
-
Self-healing file system: Windows Server 2008
uses the
NTFS file system and runs the Chkdsk utility
automatically
in the background. Minor errors are corrected while the system
is
operating, and access is restricted only to the affected areas
of the disk.
-
Clearer visibility of how services are using system
resources: The kernel allocates processing access for
threads
based on the number of CPU cycles, instead of on clock time, as
in previous
versions of Windows Server. The kernel keeps track of how many
CPU cycles a
process consumes. This level of reporting gives better insight
into how
system resources are truly used, instead of how much clock time
is
allocated to specific processes.