After more than a year of hype, rumor and heightened expectations, Microsoft finally has put out a version of Windows Server 2003 R2 for us to look at, take a test drive with or rush into production because we need its features now. If any of you believe you need to rush this public beta onto your production servers, the line at the unemployment office is forming to the right.

This is a beta release. A mostly "feature complete" beta release, but still beta. If you want to see what the hoopla is about, run it up on a test server. Compare the new features with those available from both Microsoft and third parties. Start thinking about what you might want to accomplish with this "refreshed" operating system, but be sure not to plan to roll it out anytime this year - it won't be ready.

Just as I wrote about Apple's rollout of the new Macintosh operating system, there's nothing in R2 that's not already available to you. R2 might make the features and technologies easier to use, to integrate or to acquire (fewer vendor sources to juggle) but there's really nothing new. For example, Microsoft is touting R2 as being available in x64 versions, but x64 versions of Windows server 2003 have been around for a while. The company also is crowing that R2 is "built on Windows Server 2003 SP1 for enhanced security." In other words, if you have Win 2003 with SP1, then you're not getting any additional security with R2.

There are some features that are desirable, notably in the areas of Identity and Access Management (IAM) such as federation services across Active Directory security boundaries, single sign-on for both Windows and Unix clients, better use of Web services standards for both enterprise and Web-based applications, and a minimal set of provisioning services.

Other useful features include better management facilities for branch offices, remote users and storage management. But again, these are evolutionary consolidations of features and technologies available today, provided you exert a little effort to locate, install and integrate them.

R2 does offer benefits to the overworked Windows network manager. It should enable you to lower the total cost of ownership for your networks. But there's no need to rush its implementation in a misguided attempt to save time or money. That could actually increase your costs, and hasten your exit.

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