Demystifying Windows 8 unknown server features

        For small businesses or small workgroups, the enterprise server features in Windows Server 2012 are a bit too far off. At this time, you can consider using the server features in Windows 8. Free technology writer Eric GeIEr has taken inventory of unknown server features in Windows 8, such as file and print sharing, Web servers, Hyper-V, and more. Let us take a look.

Hyper-V

Unlike previous versions, Windows 8 includes Hyper-V functionality, similar to the virtualization features in Windows Server. Hyper-V for Windows 8 offers more advanced features than Hyper-V in Windows Virtual PC or Windows XP mode, for example, support for 64-bit virtual OS, better support for wireless networking and sleep/hibernate mode. Windows 8 also supports importing or exporting virtual machines (VMs) between Windows servers and even handling live migrations.

File and Print Sharing

As with previous versions of Windows, you can easily share folders and printers. This is very important in an office without network attached storage (NAS). Each PC can be shared on the network or a single PC can be set up as a central storage.

If all PCs on your network are running Windows 7 or later, you can use the Family Group feature via the Network and Sharing Center to make sharing easier. You can create a home group and enter a randomly generated password to join other Windows 7 PCs.

If your PC is running Windows Vista or earlier (or Mac and Linux), use traditional file and print sharing features instead of the new Homegroup feature. Simply right-click on the folder or printer you want to share and open the sharing properties.

VPN Server

Windows 8, like the previous version, supports VPN and allows users to access files remotely. Although each PC can be configured as a VPN connection, it is best to identify a PC to simplify routing configuration.

Web Server

As with previous versions of Windows, you can start a web server on Windows 8 Internet Information Services (IIS). The sample use case will set up a server to support local intranet or public internet sites, or set up to run other services such as WebDAV or FTP.

Storage Spaces

Storage Spaces is a new feature in Windows that is a data protection solution that is easier to set up and maintain than RAID, requiring only a regular external hard drive. You can use Storage Spaces to secure each PC or launch Storage Spaces on a designated central storage PC.

Like other Windows hard drives, once enabled, all files stored in Storage Spaces are propagated to the storage pool. If one of the hard drives in the pool fails, you will not lose data.

File History

Another new data protection feature in Windows 8 is the file history, which you can enable on each PC and set it as a central storage location on one of the PCs. The file history is similar to Previous Versions in earlier versions of Windows, but requires an external hard drive to be inserted on the host PC.

Once enabled, file history automatically captures changes in the file every hour, and can be restored to a snapshot if needed later. By default, file history automatically protects all files in the library, and if you add them to the library, it also protects Storage Space