What's next for Windows Server

With Microsoft having just released to manufacturing SQL Server 2008 -- the last unshipped piece of its updated application platform -- it's time to look ahead as to what's next for Windows Server.

In the very near term, Windows Essential Business Server (Centro) and Windows Small Business Server 2008 (Cougar) are due to ship this fall. Microsoft has said both products will be available by November 12. Both families are based on the Windows Server 2008 code base, and given that SQL Server 2008 finally hit RTM, are likely to include the latest version of Microsoft's database, rather than SQL Server 2005 (which was the contingency plan if the SQL Server team didn't manage to RTM soon enough).

Next up is Windows Server 2008 Release 2 (R2), a minor Windows Server update. (The Windows Server team has been delivering a new release of Windows Server just about every two years, alternating between major and more minor, R2, releases.)

WS2008 R2 is expected to ship in 2009 -- or is it 2010? -- last Microsoft said officially. I've asked Microsoft if there's any new information on when to expect R2. So far, no word back. I'm wondering if 2010 was given as the new date because, at that point in time, Microsoft officials were saying Windows 7 client would hit in 2010. More recently, Microsoft execs have said Windows 7 client is slated for a late 2009 delivery date.

At TechEd EMEA, slated for early November in Barcelona, Microsoft is expected to offer a number of sessions outlining WS2008 R2 features. According to the show site, among the possible R2 sessions on tap are ones on cluster share volume support; streamlined management and "work anywhere" support.

The next major Windows Server release is Windows 7 Server, a screen shot of which circulated on a number of blogs in late July. Microsoft also apparently showed off Windows 7 Server to its employees attending the company's TechReady conference in Seattle recently. From a blog posting from Nick MacKechnie Senior Technical Account Manager at Microsoft New Zealand, it seems like PowerShell, Microsoft's Unix-like scripting language, will be a key part of the next major server release:

"I’m currently sitting in a Windows 7 presentation (next version of Windows Server) watching some great demos, detailing how powershell enables easier and more efficient management of Active Directory. There’s some massive power in this object orientated scripting language – IT Professional are going to love it. We offer a 5 day Powershell Workshop for Premier customers in New Zealand, and to date, the buy in from our customers hasn’t been as high as we would have liked or expected. Exchange 2007 was our first application that leveraged Powershell, and there’s a heap more coming! Customers need to get on board and embrace this technology as this is the way of the future for IT Pros. It will enable  and encourage standardization, automation and married with appropriate process, will enable more efficient and effective provision and management of services and solutions in the enterprise."

If Windows Server 2008 R2 hits in late 2009 or early 2010 (so that it syncs up with Windows 7 client), it's fair to guess that Windows 7 Server will likely debut in late 2011 or early 2012. Given that much can and will change in the next three to four years, it's tough to start wagering on likely new features for Windows 7 Server. However, there does seem to be something called "business scanning" in the pipeline (whatever that is). And based on a session on tap at the Professional Developers Conference later this year, it looks as if Windows 7 Server Core is likely to get .Netified. (As Windows Server 2008 Core users know, the .Net Framework isn't supported for now in the minimal Server Core installation.)

Here's the abstract of the PDC session on "the next release of Windows Server":

Developing with Microsoft .NET and ASP.NET for Server Core

In the next release of Windows Server, the Server Core installation option will support a subset of .NET and ASP.NET allowing your managed applications and web servers to take advantage of the reduced management and maintenance that Server Core provides. Learn about writing new code for-and how to ensure existing code works within-the subset of .NET and ASP.NET that are in Server Core. In addition, this session covers how to use the existing toolset, a command line environment, to troubleshoot and debug on Server Core.

Anyone out there testing Windows Server 2008 R2 or very early builds of Windows 7 Server got more to share on what's coming?

Update No. 1: There's no Windows Server 2008 R2, after all. Update No. 2: This posting was wrong, based on misinformation I received from Microsoft's PR department. Read this for an update: Scratch that. Windows Server 2008 R2 still lives.