Overview of Editions
Windows Server 2008 will be available in multiple editions to support the varying server needs of organizations of all sizes. Windows Server 2008 will be available in five primary editions, and three of these editions will also be available without Windows Server Hyper-V, bringing the total number of editions to eight.
Review the edition summaries below, and then explore the version comparison tool for a more detailed view of key differences by server role and features:
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Windows Server 2008 Standard is the most robust Windows Server operating system to date. With built-in, enhanced Web and virtualization capabilities, it is designed to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure while helping save time and reduce costs. Powerful tools give you greater control over your servers, and streamline configuration and management tasks. Plus, enhanced security features work to harden the operating system to help protect your data and network and provide a solid, highly dependable foundation for your business. |
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Windows Server 2008 Enterprise delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications. Help improve availability with clustering and hot-add processor capabilities. Help improve security with consolidated identity management features. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating applications with virtualization licensing rights. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise provides the foundation for a highly dynamic, scalable IT infrastructure. |
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Windows Server 2008 Datacenter delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications and large-scale virtualization on small and large servers. Improve availability with clustering and dynamic hardware partitioning capabilities. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating applications with unlimited virtualization licensing rights. Scale from 2 to 64 processors. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter provides a foundation on which to build enterprise-class virtualization and scale-up solutions. |
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Designed to be used specifically as a single-purpose Web server, Windows Web Server 2008 delivers on a rock-solid foundation of Web infrastructure capabilities in the next-generation Windows Server 2008. Integrated with the newly re-architected IIS 7.0, ASP.NET, and the Microsoft .NET Framework, Windows Web Server 2008 enables any organization to rapidly deploy Web pages, Web sites, Web applications, and Web services. |
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Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems is optimized for large databases, line of business, and custom applications providing high availability and scalability for up to 64 processors to meet the needs of demanding and mission-critical solutions. |
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Windows HPC Server 2008, the next generation of high-performance computing (HPC), provides enterprise-class tools for a highly productive HPC environment. Built on Windows Server 2008, 64-bit technology, Windows HPC Server 2008 can efficiently scale to thousands of processing cores and includes management consoles that help you to proactively monitor and maintain system health and stability. Job scheduling interoperability and flexibility enables integration between Windows and Linux based HPC platforms, and supports batch and service oriented application (SOA) workloads. Enhanced productivity, scalable performance, and ease of use are some of the features that make Windows HPC Server 2008 best-of-breed for Windows environments. |
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Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V. |
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Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V. |
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Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V. |
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