Q. Is Windows Server 2008 R2 built on Server 2008's kernel in the same way that Windows Server 2003 R2 was built on Server 2003's kernel?

A. No. Server 2008 R2 uses a different model from Server 2003 R2. Server 2003 R2 was Server 2003 with SP1 and some new features—it was essentially the same OS. Server 2008 R2 is a separate kernel from Server 2008 and shares its code base with Windows 7. This change in strategy was required to address challenges that 2008 R2 faced, such as hardware platforms with many processor cores and new power saving features that couldn't be addressed by keeping the same kernel as Server 2008.

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