Windows Server®“8” Beta includes a lot of new functionality for the File and Storage Services role. Some of the new or improved capabilities include the following (for more details, see File and Storage Services):

  • Virtualize storage by grouping industry-standard disks into storage pools, and then create storage spaces from the available capacity in the storage pools
  • Create SMB or NFS file shares  with dynamic access controls
  • Provide block storage to other servers and applications on the network by using the Internet SCSI (iSCSI) standard
  • Save disk space by storing a single copy of identical data on a volume Deploy any of the File and Storage Services role services on a failover cluster

The majority of this functionality can be managed on multiple servers directly from within Server Manager. However, you can also use Windows PowerShell to perform these tasks. This is especially effective when you need to automate frequent tasks such as provisioning storage, creating shares, monitoring system health, or creating reports.

To help you get started using Windows PowerShell to administer File and Storage Services in Windows Server “8” Beta, we’ve created the attached reference sheet – a cheat sheet really – that contains some of the new or improved cmdlets you’ll use most often.
For a complete listing of new cmdlets, see Windows PowerShell Support for Windows Server “8” Beta.

We hope that you print yourself a copy and keep it handy as you work with Windows Server “8” Beta.

Thanks,

File and Storage Services Role UX and Management Team.