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Are we in for a Windows-Vista-like experience, where even some of Microsoft’s own applications didn’t work with its new operating system for weeks, if not months?

There is going to be a delay between Windows Server 2008’s availability and the time when some of Microsoft’s key enterprise apps will fully support Windows Server 2008, Microsoft officials acknowledged.



In part, this is because Microsoft’s various product divisions — just like third-party software vendors — need to wait for the final Windows Server 2008 bits to do real tests and tweaks for compatibility, the Softies said. But because the Windows Server sales cycle is longer, and the total number of server-based applications are fewer than client-based ones, the lag is likely to take less of a toll on customers, Microsoft execs claimed.

All Microsoft server applications have been required by Microsoft itself to meet the “Certified For Windows Server 2008? technical bar since last year. And going forward, all Microsoft server applications also are going to have to “go the extra mile” and obtain the “Certified For Windows Server 2008? logo, officials said.

Microsoft’s first priority is to make sure back-up, security, amangement and storage apps (from both Microsoft and third-party vendors) are Windows-Server-compatible, officials said.

A number of Microsoft back-end apps already run on Windows Server 2008, Microsoft officials noted, including Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack (SP) 1; Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 SP 1; SQL Server 2005 with SP2; and System Center Operations Manager 2007, among others.

But there also are a couple of older Microsoft server apps that won’t ever be updated to run on Windows Server 2008 — specifically Systems Management Server 2003, System Center Reporting Manager, ISA Server 2004 and ISA Server 2006.

A number of Microsoft server apps that won’t support Windows Server 2008 until the latter half of 2008, when service packs providing Server 2008 compatibility are released. Apps that fall into this category include Commerce Server 2007 (via Service Pack 2); Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 (via SP1); System Center Virtual Machine Manager (via version “Next,” or 2.0); and, of course, SQL Server 2008, which isn’t due to go to manufacturing now until the third quarter of 2008.