The beast known as Longhorn began its slow migration from concept to reality in 2003. Back then, the whispered details of a new Windows file system, protocol stack, and presentation layer bred endless speculation and excitement. As the years wore... The beast known as Longhorn began its slow migration from concept to reality in 2003. Back then, the whispered details of a new Windows file system, protocol stack, and presentation layer bred endless speculation and excitement. As the years wore on, the new file system fell away, the buzz died, and the client became a brand — Vista — while the server lumbered on with the Longhorn name.This week, Longhorn — that is, Windows Server 2008 — gets its final push out of the Microsoft corral. With every feature already public, why make a big deal about Longhorn’s official launch?Because, says InfoWorld chief technologist Tom Yager, “You really have to get your hands on the shipping version to appreciate it.” You who have followed Tom’s somewhat tepid Longhorn coverage may be shocked to discover that his in-depth review of Windows Server 2008 holds the new OS in high esteem. What’s so great about Longhorn? Tom notes the strength of the security features, especially the ease with which administrators can lock down clients on and off the network. Next in line are the improved terminal services. But the real surprise, he says, is in the scalability of Windows Server 2008.“There’s never been a smaller Windows Server,” says Tom. The new OS can actually be scaled down to 512MB of RAM and a mere 1GB of disk space, which hits Linux where it lives. In conjunction with Microsoft’s new Hyper-V virtualization technology, administrators can run unlimited instances of the OS on a single server with a single license.So how will all this lovely new Longhorn stuff affect IT? InfoWorld contributing editor and Database Underground blogger Sean McCown shows how you can take advantage of such additions as NTFS enhancements, restartable Active Directory Domain Services, failover clustering, and more — and points out a few gotchas along the way. Read Sean’s story along with Tom’s review and get a full plate of Longhorn. If Microsoft is lucky, positive coverage of Windows Server 2008 may take some of the sting out of last week’s Vista SP1 debacle. (Recalling a Service Pack for Microsoft’s most embattled desktop OS ever? Can you imagine the embarrassment, the bellowing, the chair-throwing?) Another worthwhile distraction: Microsoft’s announcement last week that it would play nice with Linux and, more importantly, release 30,000 pages of documentation on the APIs and protocols for its flagship server and desktop products. Get your daily dose of InfoWorld Microsoft machinations alone keep the industry popping at a furious pace. So if you need a daily fix to keep on top of InfoWorld’s news, blog entries, and developing stories, be sure to check out our new and improved InfoWorld Daily newsletter. We pull together the most recent articles and make it easy to see what’s happening every day. Technology Industry