Core flavors of Windows Server 2008

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Server Core is an installation option for Microsofts upcoming Windows Server 2008 release, but it's not available for all versions. Furthermore not all versions of Server Core will offer the same features. The featureset depends on the edition and the architecture (x86 or x64).

 

Server Core-enabled editions

These are the versions of Windows Server 2008 that will offer the Server Core installation option:

  1. Windows Web Server 2008 x86
  2. Windows Web Server 2008 x64
  3. Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition x86
  4. Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition x64
  5. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition x86
  6. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition x64
  7. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition x86
  8. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition x64
  9. Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition without Hyper-V x86
  10. Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition without Hyper-V x64
  11. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition without Hyper-V x86
  12. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition without Hyper-V x64
  13. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition without Hyper-V x86
  14. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition without Hyper-V x64

 

No IA64 for Server Core

What this basically means is Server Core won't be available for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium Systems (IA64), which is the Windows Server flavor that can be installed on Intel Itanium rigs only.

It might seem odd not to make Server Core available for the IA64 architecture. Especially when you look at x64 editions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP, you might expect the IA64 version of Windows Server to have a higher programming priority or clearer market appeal.

I guess a lot can happen in terms of hardware… Where IA64 was top-notch technology only five years ago it now seems to be fading away already…

 

Hyper-V enabled Server Core editions

Server Core as Hyper-V Hosts

Hyper-V, Microsofts virtualization solution, can be used with 64bit versions of Server Core which are Hyper-V enabled. This means you can use the following Windows Server 2008 editions as Server Core virtual hosts:

  • Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition x64
  • Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition x64
  • Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition x64

Of course the system hardware should also meet the requirements for Hyper-V.

Server Core as Hyper-V Guests

You can use any Server Core enabled Windows Server Core edition as a virtual guest within Hyper-V. Hyper-V supports both x86 and x64 guests.

 

Licensing

Licensing for Server Core is no different than licensing for the Full Installation of Windows Server 2008. Installing Server Core instead of a Full Installation does not require a different license.

 

Further reading

Overview of Windows Server 2008 Editions
Compare New Features in Windows Server 2008
Compare Server Roles in Windows Server 2008
Differentiated Windows Server 2008 Features
Compare Server Core Installation Options
Compare Technical Features and Specifications in Windows Server 2008
Compare Windows Server 2008 Editions without Hyper-V
Windows Server 2008 OEM Part Numbers
Hyper-V by Microsoft
Applied Innovations: Windows Server 2008 Is Released!
Windows Server 2008 Editions
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Edition Summaries
8 Windows Server 2008 SKU's
Virtualization rights in Windows Server 2008 Standard

* Datacenter Edition is licensed per physical processor.

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