Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation

[hoak]

Does anyone know anything about this edition of Server 2008 R2 first hand? On the surface of it, it appears that this could be the ideal, low cost, light weight (minimal feature bloat) version of Server 2008 R2 as Server 2003 Web was of the Server 2003 for a Workstation — but some of the information about Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation gives the impression it doesn’t run a desktop evironment…

Anyone ‘in the know‘?

❓

[halladayrules]

Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation is a scaled down version of Standard Edition targeted at small businesses (15 users or less). Foundation implements a lot of the features in Standard Edition, such as Desktop Experience, Wireless LAN and so forth while able to provide other key services such as file and print sharing, remote access, security, and even the ability to become a domain controller. But this comes at a cost. In standard edition you can create a full domain with trusts, while on foundation there can be no trusts. In standard edition you may have up to 250 Network Access Connections, on foundation only 50. Standard Edition supports up to 32GB, Foundation only 8GB. Standard supports up to 4 processor sockets, Foundation only 1. Also Foundation lacks virtualization support (Hyper-V) It’s targeted at entry-level servers with no need for a true AD infrastructure. In essence its a dumbed down Standard and you would by no means provide any performance gain by choosing Foundation over Standard edition.

[hoak]

Yes, I read the marketing blurb, it’s right in the link in my post…

🙄

What I don’t get is that my post has seen nearly 300 hits and no one can answer the quesion…

🙄

[halladayrules]

I think you should take a closer look at the upcoming Windows Home Server V2. It’s based off Windows Server 2008 R2 core and offers broader media coverage including streaming, remote access and data backup. Sounds like a potential winner.

[Arris]

@hoak wrote:

but some of the information about Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation gives the impression it doesn’t run a desktop evironment

I downloaded and installed it, and it has a desktop environment including all features mentioned in the “marketing bulb”.

This means it is fine to use as your operating system! 🙂

[halladayrules]

Nicely done Arris, but to reiterate my point, what does Foundation offer that Standard doesn’t? They are nearly identical. One would not see a performance gain of Foundation over Standard. Foundation has features stripped out from standard that makes it marketable to small businesses, but from a workstation standpoint I can forsee no advantage. Plus dreamspark students can get standard for free.

[hoak]

Arris as alway, you’re the go-to man, and you ROCK! This is great news for some that don’t want some of the feature bloat and/or have issues with Windows 7, or just need a Worstation that supports some of Microsoft’s server technology at a much lower price point.

Now I’ll definately be giving it a whirl as it looks like the real ‘spiritual successor‘ to Server 2003, which is still the watermark for performance on most benchmarks and stability. Foundation could potentially drive new interest in the ‘Server as Worstation‘ venue.with it’s low price.

😉

[mufunyo]

Only 1 socket support? Surely anyone who is serious about building a workstation will go for dual socket, right? Right?

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