Analysis: Notable changes surface in Windows Server 2008 RC1

GPP is also "light-touch." You can create GPOs that contain preference information right out of the box. On the client, you'll need to install via a separate download a client-side extension (CSE); this will need to be deployed to any computer that is a target of your preference settings. The CSE will support Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 and later. If you install Windows Server 2008, you already get the CSE.

Windows Genuine Advantage changes

Also different in Windows Server 2008 RC1, and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 for that matter, is the behavior of Windows when its activation threshold is exceeded and the machine goes "out of tolerance," in Microsoft parlance. Previously, if Windows detected that you were not running with genuine software, it would go into what Microsoft called a "reduced functionality mode" that grayed out the desktop, removed access to most applications and allowed you to copy but not open personal files. The system would remain in this state until the "genuine" state of the product was restored.

Microsoft is now backing down from that stance and is doing away with the reduced functionality mode. Instead, if a system is deemed by Microsoft's utility to be not genuine, it will pester and nag the currently logged on user about that state, but Windows Server will not otherwise inhibit the user from accessing programs or files.

How is this a good thing for administrators? For one, there is less of a chance that production servers (or systems, for machines running Windows Vista Service Pack 1) will be knocked offline by a problem with WGA detection and notification. This situation has happened more than once over the past couple of years. Privacy and software rights advocates are also pleased with the decision not to cripple systems.

In short, Windows Server 2008 RC1 continues to tighten and polish areas of the operating system before its general release next year. The addition of the Group Policy Preferences feature is a welcome inclusion for administrators who want to further achieve consistency in configuration across their organization, and the removal of the "cripple" mode for machines deemed to be "non-genuine" can only be a positive move.

Jonathan Hassell is an author, consultant and speaker on a variety of IT topics. His published works include RADIUS, Hardening Windows, Using Windows Small Business Server 2003 and Learning Windows Server 2003. His work appears regularly in such periodicals as Windows IT Pro magazine, PC Pro and TechNet Magazine. He also speaks worldwide on topics ranging from networking and security to Windows administration. He is currently an editor for Apress, Inc., a publishing company specializing in books for programmers and IT professionals.

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