Search results matching tag 'Windows 8'

[News] - Windows 8 serait plus orienté vdi …

david.lachari — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:47:00 GMT

Bonjour à tous …

Voici une information qui pourrait être très intéressante pour les administrateurs désirant déployer Windows 7 :

“ Lors de la session virtualisation menée par Quest la semaine dernière, un DSI a énoncé le fait que Windows 8 laisserait une large place au VDI. “

En effet, cette nouvelle version devrait s'appuyer sur un micro-noyau, socle sur lequel plusieurs sandbox tourneraient avec différentes applications.

L'idée, serait d'offrir sous une seule licence, tout type de virtualisation du poste de travail (applis, streaming d'OS, VDI), à la manière d'un Citrix XenDesktop 4.

David LACHARI - Le savoir ne vaut que s'il est partagé …

http://danstoncloud.com/blogs/david_lachari/

Windows 8 Server Will Support Exclusively 64-Bit (x64) CPUs

Laurent — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:37:44 GMT

The next major iteration of Windows Server would support exclusively 64-bit (x64) processors, Microsoft revealed, opening up a little bit on the successor of Windows Server 2008 R2. Windows 8 Server, or Windows Server 8, whichever you prefer, will not play nice with 32-bit (x86) CPUs, just as its predecessor, but will also not feature support for the Intel Itanium architecture. Dan Reger, senior technical product manager Windows Server, revealed that Microsoft had already built the last version of Windows Server designed to work with Itanium CPUs.
“Windows Server 2008 R2 will be the last version of Windows Server to support the Intel Itanium architecture. SQL Server 2008 R2 and Visual Studio 2010 are also the last versions to support Itanium,” Reger stated. In all fairness, Reger did not mention Windows 8 Server, or even deliver a hint, but it’s easy to see what the Redmond company is saying, even without whispering the Win8 moniker.
With Windows Server 2008 R2, the last to support the Intel Itanium architecture, customers looking to upgrade to future versions of Windows Server should plan ahead, and steer clear of Itanium CPUs, despite the fact that Intel indicates that it continues to be committed to the processor, at least for the next four years. Reger gave customers guarantees that it would work to smooth the transition as much as possible, which can only be good news, considering that Intel plans to offer at least two more generations of Itanium CPUs, but ultimately the Redmond company is saying that multi-core is the future.
“Current support for Itanium remains unchanged. Each of these products represent the state of the art of their respective product lines. Each fully support Itanium, support the recently-released Itanium 9300 (‘Tukwila’) processor, and Microsoft’s support for these products will continue – following the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy. Mainstream support for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems (and R2) will end, in accordance with that policy, on July 9, 2013, while extended support will continue until July 10, 2018. That’s 8 more years of support,” Reger added.
With the advent of Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft dropped support for 32-bit (x86) CPUs. In fact, at this point in time, the best choice for customers running servers with x86 processors, as far as Windows Server is concerned, is to run the plain vanilla version of Windows Server 2008. Reger argued that it was only natural for Windows Server vNext to move on from Itanium, just as Windows Server 2008 R2 moved on from 32-bit processors.
“The natural evolution of the x86 64-bit (“x64”) architecture has led to the creation of processors and servers which deliver the scalability and reliability needed for today’s ‘mission-critical’ workloads. Just this week, both Intel and AMD have released new high core-count processors, and servers with 8 or more x64 processors have now been announced by a full dozen server manufacturers. Such servers contain 64 to 96 processor cores, with more on the horizon,” he stated.
There hasn’t been a similar announcement related to the Windows 8 client. While speculation indicates that the successor of Windows 7 will be the first operating system from Microsoft to embrace x64 architectures exclusively, the software giant has yet to reveal any plans in this regard for Windows 8.

Source : softpedia.com

Microsoft announces SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Laurent — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:52:05 GMT

Until now, Microsoft has remained pretty tight-lipped on Windows 7 SP1, and the only information we have thus far on it is the leaked info from an array of sources, primarily Russian enthusiast site WZOR. However, today, amongst a flurry of virtualization-related chatter, Microsoft said a little something about SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

On the Windows 7 front, nothing much was said asides from the fact that Windows 7 will simply include a wide array of “minor updates”. However, there’s some new features slated for Server 2008 R2. While not too much was said, Microsoft did announce that SP1 for Server 2008 R2 will bring 2 new virtualization-related technologies: RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory.

RemoteFX is a set of RDP technologies that allows people working remotely to have the rich, immersive visual user experience as that of people working on a local desktop machine. Essentially, it is a set of graphics virtualization technologies that support Silverlight, 3D graphics, highly-synchronized audio, Windows Aero, and all media types without impacting performance, so you get the rich eye-candy of a local desktop machine without sacrificing performance. To find out more, check out the TechNet blog post. RemoteFX is the result of technologies Microsoft got their hands on upon acquiring Calista Technologies that they have built up on and improved.

Microsoft has also announced a partnership with Citrix, which will allow Citrix to integrate Microsoft’s RemoteFX technology in its XenDesktop virtualization suite while also extending the capabilities of RemoteFX with HDX RichGraphics from Citrix, which optimizes the performance of graphics-intensive 2D/3D applications in virtualized environments.

“By joining forces in desktop virtualization, Citrix and Microsoft can provide customers of all sizes with groundbreaking solutions that are profoundly simpler, richer and more cost-effective,” said Gordon Payne, senior vice president and general manager, Desktop Division, at Citrix Systems. “Today’s announcements mark a historic milestone in our 20-year relationship that will dramatically simplify desktop computing for years to come.”

On the other hand we have Dynamic Memory, which is essentially improved memory management for Hyper-V which allows people to get increased consolidation/VM density ratios. It allows administrators to “pool” available physical memory and distribute it to virtual machines on that host as necessary. It will dynamically do this depending on the need, so there’s scalability and efficiency right there with now the memory is handled. To learn more about this, check out the blog post outlining this upcoming technology.

As you can see, Microsoft has quite a bit in store for us when it comes to virtualization. Brad Anderson, corporate vice president of the Management and Services Division at Microsoft has written a lengthy blog post regarding Microsoft’s approach to virtualization technology, which you can check out here. While Microsoft hasn’t officially disclosed any roadmaps or timeframes for SP1 development, people whisper to us that SP1 is slated for RTM sometime around the end of 2010.

Source : geeksmack.net

Windows 8 : Microsoft recrute déjà !

Laurent — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:27:00 GMT

Microsoft is looking for new talent to help develop the next version of Windows--version 8: "Are you a talented SDE/T Lead looking for the next technical challenge on a key operating system component? Are you passionate about distributed systems, networking, file systems and want to be the leader of a cutting edge project? Are you looking for a team with abundant opportunities to grow? If so, we have the position for you!"

Although the Silicon Valley Insider notes that the name "Windows 8" may be a "typo", it is certainly good news for Windows fans that Microsoft is thinking well beyond Windows 7, due to drop this year.

The job posting notes that "mong the other things mentioned in the job posting include the following: "For the upcoming version of Windows, new critical features are being worked on including cluster support and support for one way replication. The core engine is also being reworked to provide dramatic performance improvements. We will also soon be starting major improvements for Windows 8 where we will be including innovative features which will revolutionize file access in branch offices. We are looking for a strong lead who has the right blend of technical passion, leadership skills and testing experience. From a technical standpoint, we are looking for a candidate having an understanding of and a passion for large scale distributed systems."

Is there anyone here at Neowin who fits the bill? If so, "[t]his is a great opportunity to work in a fun and fast paced group where we value innovation, creativity, technical excellence and career growth in the test discipline."

Source : neowin