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32 Bit Support To Be Optional in Windows Server 2008

Josh Kampschmidt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:27:35 -0600

It is finally happening! Microsoft is now changing over to a 64-bit operating system by default instead of 32 bit. Windows Server 2008 R2 will be the first operating system to feature 32 bit optional. This means that all the applications included with Windows Server 2008 R2 will be native 64 bit. It appears Microsoft is now ready to embrace the 21st century and begin shipping their new server operating systems as 64 bit only.

For the system administrators that still want to run 32-bit applications inside of Windows Server 2008 R2 they will have to install WoW64. This application support layer is not included by default with the operating system.
Hit the jump for more information and what this means to regular home users.

The Windows NT series of operating systems were the first to be released with native 32-bit support. Ever since, Microsoft has natively supported 32-bit applications with 64-bit applications being optional.

For most people this change means nothing. However, if Microsoft continues down this path, we may be looking at a 64-bit only operating system when Windows 8 appears on stores shelves 3-5 years after Windows 7. It also means that the 4GB memory limitation that is present with all 32-bit operating systems may become outdated.

If you are a system administrator and intend to work with 32 bit applications you do have one option. You must install the WoW64 application support layer to enable 32-bit support. To do this, just type the following into the command line:

start /w ocsetup ServerCore-WOW64

So what do you think this means for the future of Windows operating systems? Is this marking the end of 32-bit applications?

Windows 7's Server Counterpart Takes a Bow at PDC

Mark Edward Soper — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:32:18 -0500

ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley once again lives up to her blog's "All About Microsoft" title, delivering the news that attendees at this week's Professional Developers' Conference (PDC) will also take home a pre-beta of Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2. Here's what's new in what's being characterized as a "minor" update:

Windows Server 2008 R2 represents the end of 32-bit support in the Windows Server family; it's 64-bit only
Windows Server 2008 R2 features version 2 of Hyper-V "bare metal" virtualization, which will include a new Live Migration feature for fault-tolerant failover
PowerShell Version 2.0, which includes a more graphical interface than its predecessor
.NET incorporated in Server Core
Remote Desktop Services replaces Terminal Services

Is Windows Server 2008 R2 in your company's future? Microsoft hopes so. According to Foley, Microsoft is calling the pairing of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 "Better Together," with features such as BitLocker support for removable drives, BranchCache (hosted server caching) and others working better when both operating systems are in use.

Microsoft Says Windows Server 2008 R2 is Alive

Pulkit Chandna — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:52:37 -0500

A ZDNet blogger, Mary Jo Foley, had erroneously reported that Microsoft was skipping Windows Server 2008 Revision 2 and moving directly to server version of Windows 7. However, she has now corrected the error after Microsoft clarified that the Windows Server 2008 R2 is alive and will only be a minor update. It is speculated that Windows 7 Server will follow a year or two later after the minor revision. Let us wait for Microsoft to lucidly spell out its release plans.