Windows Storage Server 2008 rolled out to OEMs

The much-anticipated Windows Storage Server 2008 has been rolled out to Microsoft's OEM partners.

In a blog post, Jason Buffington, senior product manager in Windows Storage, excitedly announced the release claiming: "This is the culmination of my first 3.5 years at Microsoft..."

He added: "It always struck me that not enough people knew what a powerful a Windows Storage Server is. And now, being the Senior Technical Product Manager' for Storage Solutions, I have the honor of announcing its release."

But it is not just Buffington that stands to gain from the release. He goes on to explain the benefits of the server for enterprise customers: "Think of it like a Ford Mustang engine. Sure, the one from Detroit that comes in the car is nice. The GT is better than the base package. Think of WSS08 like a Saleen!!. It is really tweaked for one purpose file IO, not SQL or Exchange or webserving, but storage and file services," he explains.

Windows Storage Server offers storage regulars including file de-duplication and an iSCSI software target for unified file- and block-based storage out of the box. Partners - the OEMs in question - are then expected to develop and release software components for Microsoft-powered storage appliances. Taken together, this is expected to create a storage server landscape which is both cost effective and high performing.

Buffington added: "File Serving is one of the most popular uses for Windows Server, so why not get it as tricked out as possible from the same hardware and software vendors that you already trust for the rest of your server infrastructure (instead of a proprietary NAS filer)".