Microsoft has always had a clear mission – to dominate in all things to do with enterprise and consumer computing. Fortunately, the company has had stiff competition over the years that ensured its products would only continue to improve, while the enterprise had choices when it came to selecting the best fit for their environment. Now, with Windows Server 8, some are wondering if Microsoft hasn’t hit a new high, challenging VMware for dominance in this space.
A PC World slide show explored the new Windows Server 8, examining new functions and capabilities to get a better idea of what this platform has to offer. Some are arguing this new offering is not truly Windows as the default runs in Server Core format, but the Windows GUI is readily available for those who desire this interface. And, because this iteration strays from the maze of administrative GUIs that tend to characterize Windows Servers, users will have a new way to navigate and control through the PowerShell.
Here, we take a look at the Server Manager Shell.
One of the benefits in Windows 8 Server is that it houses a Server Manager. This Server Manager combines a number of administrative utilities that were separate functions in previous Windows Server platforms. For instance, roles, services and graphing are combined to provide a performance picture. The information is also used by the Best Practices Analyzer to compare server instances with policies and best practices.
In taking the lead from the Systems Manager, the Server provider delivers a similar view of the servers, while also providing admin with visibility into services and events. To enable rapid examination or even group control, services can be grouped according to type of server instances. For example, turning on, shutting down or modifying services instances can all be established groups for optimal management of the services.
The ability to drill-down is essential for any IT manager, especially in large systems where the root cause of an issue is difficult to identify. The Server Manager within Windows 8 Server is ideally suited for larger systems administrators as it puts a significant amount of information into a single screen to allow the IT manager or administrator to drill down to the root cause or correlate different streams to identify the source of a problem or outage.
Alarms are essential, especially in the enterprise-class system. Windows 8 Server Manager has no shortage in alarms, although IT managers can configure as many or as few as necessary. Set alarms do allow for fast drill down to problem triggers. Group designation is also available as servers and instances can be grouped according to task, location, purpose, deployment or any other logical approach. A one-click server failover is possible, with non-identical server types often targeted for flexibility, and cloud deployment is readily supported.
While Windows Server 8 will not be available until sometime in 2012, you can still benefit by learning about its enhanced functionalities via consultation with DataSource Solutions. We’ll also guide you through a broad range of powerful new applications that may be beneficial to any given corporate network. To learn more, contact DataSource Solutions today to schedule your consultation.
Tags: hyperv-v, hypervisor, server 8, vmware, windows server 8