Windows Server 8 Preview

Other features in Server 8 include a new approach to access control, alongside the existing security groups in Active Directory. Claims-based access uses Active Directory properties matched to tags on files, so that you can use rules like “The user must be in the same department as the document.” This has the potential to reduce the number of groups needed. NIC teaming, where two network cards are combined for resiliency and performance, is now supported in the operating system, whereas this was a vendor-specific feature before. There is a new tool for IP address management, with the potential to reduce dependence on error-prone spreadsheets for IP management. Many features of the DHCP manager are also now available in the new IP address management tool.