Beta tests of the next version of Windows Server include a stripped-down version, called Windows Longhorn Server Core, that loses the Windows GUI and includes only the most common server functions.

In addition to the initial beta test of the next version of Windows Server, Microsoft has also released a test version of a stripped-down Windows Server that removes the graphical user interface and uses far less resources than the full version of the server software. The new version, using the unwieldy moniker Microsoft Windows Server Code Name "Longhorn" Server Core (which still, for now, retains the Longhorn code name that was removed from the renamed next-generation operating system Windows Vista last week), runs from a command prompt and aims to let server administrators concentrate on a few specific server management tasks, cutting the time and management requirements for those functions. Longhorn Server Core allows management of some of the most common server configurations -- specifically, DHCP servers, file servers, DNS servers and Active Directory, according to the user instructions for the package.