PHIL ALDRICH
Microsoft practice director at Dimension Data Americas
There's a number of features in Windows Server 2008 that represent keys to the future of the Windows Server platform:
Server Core: This core service-only version of the operating system has finally ditched the graphical user interface. This will remove overhead and lower the security risks. Active Directory, DNS, DHCP and other core services will now run safely and more efficiently.
Read Only Domain Controllers (RODC): This domain controller role for non-secure locations is a significant improvement for those domain controllers exposed to limited security. The configuration cannot be hacked or changed. It is a one-time copy. And as the name implies, it is read-only.
Windows Power Shell: Command line scripting and management comes to Microsoft's server line. This will be fundamental to managing Server Core.
Windows Deployment Services: The ability to quickly script server builds for recovery and standardization is a major improvement for the server platform.
