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Microsoft Gives Top 10 Reasons To Upgrade To Longhorn

Posted by
June 14, 2006

Tags: IIS 7.0, Internet Information Server 7.0, Longhorn, Microsoft's Windows Server Division, Nuo Yan, Paula Rooney, Tech Ed 2006, Ward Ralston, Windows, Windows Server, Microsoft, Server Software, Servers & Storage, Windows

Channel: Servers & Storage

The next-generation Windows server, code-named Longhorn, is more than a year away from shipping. But at Tech Ed 2006, that didn't stop Microsoft from citing the top 10 reasons customers should upgrade.

In a briefing at the Boston conference Wednesday, Microsoft listed 10 new features and enhancements in the upcoming Windows server that will most benefit end users and the solution providers that serve them. They are the following:

1. Enhanced security through improved Group Policy and BitLocker

2. Network Access Protection
3. New Terminal Services capabilities
4. A new networking stack
5. Enhancements to Directory Services
6. New Server Core feature
7. Expanded Unix/Linux support

8. Enhanced performance monitoring
9. An enhanced Internet Information Server (IIS), version 7.0
10. Enhanced management features and new Server Manager tool

Many of the features are in Longhorn Beta 2, which was made available to developers and IT professionals last month, but the code is not yet feature-complete, according to Ward Ralston, senior technology product manager of Microsoft's Windows Server Division. Longhorn Beta 3--the first public beta, also called a Community Technology Preview, is scheduled for release in early 2007, with broad availability slated for the second half of 2007.

During the briefing, Microsoft highlighted the key benefits of the 10 new and enhanced features in Longhorn.

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