As reported by numerous sites, Microsoft quietly released a new build of Longhorn Server to private beta testers over the weekend. Although there were some initial reports of a build number 5560, Mary Jo Foley set the record straight in an article today (its 5600, just like Vista). I just finished installing this build inside Virtual PC and will share my thoughts, as well as a few screen shots, in this post.
Installation:
I normally use VMware Workstation 5.5 for beta testing and client demos; however, I couldn't get Longhorn 5600 to finish the DVD-boot process. At first I thought it might be a corrupt download, so I grabbed a fresh copy from Connect (thank God for 5Mbps RoadRunner). Unfortunately this download produced the same results - so I figured I'd give Virtual PC 2004 SP1 a shot. Sure enough, VPC booted Longhorn 5600 from the DVD ISO image and I was on my way. Kind of a bummer... but I'll get over it.
One thing I found interesting in this build (and honestly, I haven't loaded a Longhorn build in a while, so this might be old news) is the fact that I was prompted with a "Server vs. Server Core" install choice. Here's a screen shot of this option:
For those of you who don't know about the new Longhorn Core product, it's essentially a stripped-down, command-line version of Longhorn Server... designed for infrastructure tasks like Active Directory and DNS. I'm really excited about Core - especially the reduced attack surface, and the ability to combine it with the read-only Domain Controller role. The later will make branch office environments much more "DC-friendly" from a security perspective.
I didn't time installation since this is running on my Compaq nc8000 laptop, but I'd guess the install took about an hour.
First Boot Experience:
A pleasant logon screen greets new administrators. I wonder how long it will take most people to change back to the old CTRL + ALT + DEL logon screen?
I'm also going to have to get used to the various OOBE configuration wizards and role-based MMC snap-ins.
I understand how helpful these might be for IT generalists, or for those whose primary job isn't deploying Windows Server - but in my mind they just get in the way. I'm glad there's an easy way to dismiss them and manage the server in my own way.
Rant:
One thing I absolutely CANNOT STAND is how the Longhorn team has adopted some of Vista's task-based UI elements. This is one of those simple things that shouldn't bother me... but still makes my blood boil (kind of like the mandatory Vista startup sound). Let's conduct a little exercise and try to adjust our Display Properties, shall we?!?! Normally we would right-click on the desktop and select properties. Here's what we see in Windows Server 2003 - a nice tabbed interface with all the necessary buttons and knobs.
And now let's take a look at the Display Properties UI nightmare known as "Personalization"
So... you want to change the monitor resolution? OK, click Display Settings. Here's what you see:
That's right, you see a similar window to what you're used to in Windows Server 2003... but this time with only 1 tab. Want to change the screen saver? OK, close this window... go back to "Personalization" and click Screen Saver:
Rinse and repeat! Microsoft, if you're listening... give us back our tabs and no one gets hurt.
I spoke w/ someone on the Vista product team about this same issue, and their answer was something to the effect of "Well, we wanted personalization to be easy enough that your grandmother could use it". I've got some news for you, Grandma isn't running Longhorn ;)
Active Directory Install:
I also captured some screen shots of the new Active Directory Role install wizard ('dcpromo' to the rest of us) and this is actually a wizard I can get on board with. It has some nice improvements over the 'dcpromo' wizard included in Windows 2000/2003. I'll write some more about my AD and Longhorn experiences soon... but for now you can enjoy the 'dcpromo' screen shots in the Photo Gallery.