Picture a breathtaking alpine setting, a small village nestled among the Pacific coastal mountains. Two chairs run from the base of the mountains—one to Blackcomb, one to Whistler—both offering some of the best skiing in Western Canada and a lonesome pub located at the base of both mountains, the Longhorn Saloon. Here, skiers come to rest after a full day’s run and here is the setting where the software you are preparing to deploy, Windows Server 2008, formerly code-named “Longhorn” Server, first came into being. Microsoft has parlayed its Windows operating system (OS) into the most popular operating system on the planet, despite the best efforts of its competitors. This applies as much to the desktop as to the server operating system. Now, with the release of a new version of its flagship server OS, Windows Server 2008 (WS08), Microsoft hopes to introduce a new benchmark in ease of use, integrated management capabilities, complete security, and simplicity of deployment, as well as interaction with other operating systems such as UNIX and Linux. Make no mistake. Microsoft has invested heavily in WS08 and has delivered a rock-solid foundation for any network. WS08 builds on Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 (WS03), and Windows Server 2003 R2 to provide a complete set of functions and functionalities for both wired and wireless networks of all sizes. Most of you should already be using a version of one of the aforementioned operating systems, so many of the concepts in this book—concepts such as Active Directory, Group Policy, Microsoft Management Console (MMC), and other management technologies of modern Windows server operating systems—will be familiar to you. If, for some unknown reason, you are still working with Windows NT, you will still find this book highly useful, as it includes several chapters reviewing critical information such as Active Directory design and the usefulness of Group Policy. Since WS08 is a server operating system, this book is structured around the strategy you would use to build a network from the ground up, relying on the latest and greatest features offered by the new OS. As such, it is divided into seven parts, each focused on one aspect of the implementation of a new server OS. They include:

• Part I: Tour Windows Server 2008, which covers the new feature set of Windows Server 2008 as well as the interface changes built into the OS.

• Part II: Plan and Prepare, which helps you plan your network migration and begin the server preparation process through a description of the new imaging and staging capabilities in WS08.