Microsoft reveals more Longhorn secrets

Microsoft is continuing to drip-feed information about its forthcoming Longhorn Server and has implied that beta one code will be made available to testers by August.

According to a report on Microsoft Watch, it appears that the administrators will be able to configure the next version of the vendor’s server operating system (OS) from a palette of 20 different roles ranging from print to web server.

But the offering will also include a new error-logging function, code-named Crimson, which will monitor, manage and report on system health. This means it will continually evaluate the system to establish not only whether it is healthy, unhealthy or when and where things start to go wrong, but also the transition points in between the different states.

Other additions include services to enable the virtualisation of OS sessions. This will comprise two components that will be released as an upgrade after Longhorn Server ships in 2007 but before Longhorn Server R2, which is due to ship in 2009.

The virtualisation components, which will be embedded in Longhorn Server and replace the existing Virtual Server 2005 add-on module, consist of underlying hypervisor software and a full virtualisation software stack that sits on top of this.

Longhorn Server R2, meanwhile, will include management functionality in the shape of Monad, a new scripting and monitoring shell that automates command line administration and provides an improved management interface.