Preface

OK, let’s begin with the standard boilerplate text that a title like this is always supposed to open with. My editors demanded that I add this, so in deference to their absolute power over me, I obediently give you, Dear Reader, the following Preface…

What Is This Book About?

Introducing Windows Server 2008 is the first title from Microsoft Press to present Windows Server 2008 (formerly called Windows Server Code Name “Longhorn”), the latest version of the Windows Server operating system. This book provides a comprehensive overview of Windows Server 2008 at the Beta 3 milestone. Because Beta 3 is a pre-release version of the platform, some features will likely change before release to manufacturing (RTM) occurs. So the descriptions of these features in this book might not be completely accurate. However, please be assured that the author, working together with the Windows Server 2008 product team at Microsoft, has tried very hard to ensure that the information presented in this book will still be as accurate as possible even after RTM.