Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems is a server operating system optimized for the Intel Itanium processor's native 64-bit processing and Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC) architecture. In its sole roles of Application Server and Web Services, it provides a foundation for computationally intensive business analytics and enterprise applications.

The server's licensing allows an unlimited number of virtual instances with third-party virtualization technology.

Service Pack 1 enhances Hyper-V to use physical memory more efficiently, improves the visual capabilities of remote desktop clients, and adds support for more addresses when using DirectAccess to securely access enterprise shares.

Here are some notable features of this product:

•    The integrated Server Manager console provides the means to add, remove, and configure server roles, role services, and features.
•    Failover clustering supports clusters of up to eight nodes to increase server availability. A single node can stand by for failover while the others run applications.
•    Dynamic hardware partitioning allows both processors and memory to be added or replaced without restarting the server.
•    Application Server is a new server role in Windows Server 2008. Application Server provides an integrated environment for deploying and running custom business applications that are built with Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5.

Acquiring the Installation Media: To activate this product, you might need a volume licence key or setup code

Features:

• Under the Software Assurance programme, customers acquire the right to install any new release of products covered in the agreement during the term of their coverage.

Requirements:

Hardware:
• 1.4-GHz (or higher) Itanium 2 processor; 64 processors maximum
• 512 MB or more RAM; 2 TB maximum
• 32 GB available hard-disk space (computers with more than 16 GB RAM require more disk space for paging, hibernation, and dump files)
• DVD drive

Actual requirements depend on system configuration and the applications and features that are installed. Additional hard-disk space might be required for installation over a network. For more information, see Windows Server 2008 System Requirements.

Price: £91.00 + VAT