Windows 8 for the IT Pro: The New Plumbing

Hi folks, Ned coming to you from the secret underground redoubt, where the cable is out, the wife is at grad school, and the dogs are napping as autumn finally reaches North Carolina.

I’m not a fan of blog posts that only aggregate links and don’t offer original thought. Today I make an exception, as the first official bits of Windows 8 have hit the street. Like all Windows pre-releases, you notice two immediate problems:

1. The consumer content overwhelms the IT Professional content.
2. The Internet is a public toilet of misunderstanding, opinions masquerading as facts, and general ignorance.

Nothing wrong with the first point; we’re outnumbered at least a thousand to one, so it’s natural for advertising to target the majority. The second point I can’t abide by; I despise misinformation.

Nothing has changed with my NDA - I cannot discuss Windows 8 in detail, speak of the future, or otherwise get myself fired. Nevertheless, I can point you to accurate content that’s useful to an IT Professional craving more than just the new touchscreen shell for tablets. My links talk a little Windows Server and show features that Mom won’t be using.

So, in vague order and with no regard to the features being Directory Services or not, here are the goods. Some are movies and PowerPoint slides, some are text. Some are Microsoft and some are not. Many are buried in the //Build site. I added some exposition to each link so I don’t feel so dirty.

Enjoy, it’s going to be a busy decade.

Intro (good for basic familiarity)

• Windows Server 8 //Build Keynote
  Presented by Bill Laing, VP of Server and Cloud.
• Windows Server 8: Highlights of the upcoming server OS
  ITWorld hits the high points.
• Windows Server 8: The Ultimate Cloud OS?
  ZDNet’s take on what they’ve seen so far.

Security & Active Directory

• Using claims-based access control for compliance and information governance
  The first real file security access control change in Windows in 20 years. Huge.
• Building hardware-based security with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
  Talks about the new UEFI secure boot, anti-malware boot protections, TPM extensions, etc.
• Building security auditing solutions for compliance and forensic analysis
  All the auditing changes that went into claims-based access control.
• Using classification for access control and compliance
  More CBAC mixed with file servers.

Interestingly, no mainstream websites have discovered many of the AD changes visible in the server preview build, or at least, not written about them. Aha! Here they come, thanks for the tip Sean:

• What’s New in Windows Server 8 Active Directory
  Touches on some of the new AD features.
• Mark Minasi's September Newsletter
  An excellent take from the longtime Windows technology writer (this fits as both intro and AD details, but I recommend it especially if you're a DS geek - especially if you virtualize DCs)

Virtualization, Networking, & High Availability

• Network acceleration and other NIC technologies for the data center
  A complete list of all new network performance technologies, such as NIC teaming, datacenter bridging, RDMA, and IPSEC task offload.
• Windows networking with PowerShell: A foundation for data center management
  Hey, you got TCP/IP in my script language! No wait, that’s peanut butter.
• Using Windows Server 8 for building private and public IaaS clouds
  More about Hyper-V in Windows 8 Server than cloud (the title is a awfully "marketing", but Jeff Woolsey is a great presenter and he designs MS virtualization).
• A deep dive into Hyper-V networking
  Like the name says. And there is a lot…
• Building continuously available systems with Hyper-V
  All the new ways to move your virtualized eggs to a few baskets.
• Designing systems for continuous availability - multi-node with remote file storage
  SMB 2.2 and truly insane new remote file storage solutions
• Remote desktop experience in Windows 8
  Hydra! Dang, I’m getting old. Lots on version 2.0 of RemoteFX.
• Accessing data in ISO and VHD files
  Windows 8 now easily supports mounting VHD and ISO files, without add-ons or using the command-line
• Running Windows 8 Developer Preview in a virtual environment
  The working and non-working virtualization platforms for Win8 Developer Preview.
• Bringing Hyper-V to “Windows 8”
  Virtualization in the Windows 8 client (not server).
• Easiest way to setup a new virtual machine with Windows 8 Developer Preview 64 bit
  A good lifestyle idea too. Don’t run Win8 developer preview anywhere important. Yet.

Deployment & Performance

• Windows Server performance improvements and optimizations
  All the reasons you can’t trust Windows 8 Server with your daughter. He’s a fast mover. There was a ton of performance-related info at //Build, we are really coming down on OEMs like a ton of bricks for their past transgressions.
• Understanding Push Button Reset
  Like system restore points and USMT had a beautiful baby, with the setup DVD as godfather.
• Building high quality Windows PCs using the assessment and deployment kit
  WAIK is replaced with WADK (we rule at naming). This covers making your custom images not stink. Related: introductions to Windows Performance Assessments – so much here.
• Enabling Safe Mode in Windows 8 Developer Preview
  Or just remember that it’s now SHIFT+F8.

Remember, everything is subject to change and refers only to the Developer Preview release from the //Build conference; Windows 8 isn’t even in beta yet. Grab the client or server and see for yourself.

And no matter what link you click, I don’t recommend reading the comments. See point 2.

Where do you want me to put this Internet?

Ned “bowl o’ links” Pyle

Comments

• Anonymous
  September 17, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 17, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 17, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 17, 2011
  When is the NDA lifted?

• Anonymous
  September 17, 2011
  That's good stuff Sean, not sure why Bing and Google failed me when I was groveling for articles to vet. Those are good too Mike. Keep looking, it's not quite Core. <yoda voice>  there is another </yoda voice> Dunno Rich.

• Anonymous
  September 18, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 18, 2011
  And since server is now released (to MSDN subscribers and I think TechNet, sympathetically - at least, I can access the download through the MSDN site even though I have only a TechNet subscription) and I am seeing some chatter where people have noticed this publically: Open a PowerShell console and run: Add-WindowsFeature AD-Domain-Services get-command -module addsdeployment You'll see one of the biggest changes. Server Manager+ isn't just a new GUI, it's a front-end to something new for the first time in 12 years.

• Anonymous
  September 19, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 19, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 19, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 19, 2011
  On the client end I wonder if you can finally extend (or have 2...) the taskbar onto a second monitor.  I've got 4, and the icons fill the tray fast.  I wonder if the 'start up' folder in the start menu will be coming back in a real way...I know I'm dropping 'Explorer' in there!

• Anonymous
  September 19, 2011
  Voila! static.arstechnica.com/.../MultiMonitor.png arstechnica.com/.../hands-on-with-windows-8-a-tablet-operating-system-for-the-pc-age.ars "Only in fact, it works a bit better, at least for users of multimonitor systems. The inability to span the taskbar across multiple monitors has long been a source of frustration for multimonitor users. In Windows 8, 16 years after the taskbar first hit our computers, we'll finally be able to span the taskbar across multiple screens, without needing third party applications or special drivers.

• Anonymous
  September 19, 2011
  Secure Data Access and Compliance anyone?  :) channel9.msdn.com/.../SAC-973F     (starting at 56:30 in video) Can't wait for more AD and general server stuff to come out...

• Anonymous
  September 19, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 19, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 19, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 20, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 20, 2011
  No sweat gallwapa. Thanks, Santhosh. :)

• Anonymous
  September 21, 2011
  Ok, it's been a few days... has the NDA been lifted yet?   No? ...ok, how about now?   :D

• Anonymous
  September 21, 2011
  You'll know when it is. :) I am fixin' to bust with all the new things I want to talk about, but can't.