Windows server 2008 (codenamed Longhorn) is coming to the market very soon and with it anticipation for a great product! I did some reading on what it would take for a product to get certified on Windows server 2008. I was particularly interested in knowing what , if any, special requirement is for products which have kernel components, because our company is involved in one such product.
I found out that the kernel drivers need to be signed in the 64 bit version of the operating system. On the 32 bit system an unsigned driver can be installed but only by the administrator who just gets a warning message. So for 32 bit system there seems to be a workaround for companies which are not ready with their kernel drivers. They have some time before they are forced to get a publishers certificate.

Getting this publishers certificate is probably not that expensive, I once read around $500 does it. Getting a publishers certificate just identifies the owner of the kernel driver and makes no statement about functionality or quality of the driver. The product has to sign up for windows logo program to get any technical certification. More information about signing-self signing, authenticode signed, WHQL signed can be found here.

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Windows server 2008 (codenamed Longhorn) is coming to the market very soon and with it anticipation for a great product! I did some reading on what it would take for a product to get certified on Windows server 2008. I was particularly interested in knowing what , if any, special requirement is for products which have kernel components, because our company is involved in one such product.
I found out that the kernel drivers need to be signed in the 64 bit version of the operating system. On the 32 bit system an unsigned driver can be installed but only by the administrator who just gets a warning message. So for 32 bit system there seems to be a workaround for companies which are not ready with their kernel drivers. They have some time before they are forced to get a publishers certificate.

Getting this publishers certificate is probably not that expensive, I once read around $500 does it. Getting a publishers certificate just identifies the owner of the kernel driver and makes no statement about functionality or quality of the driver. The product has to sign up for windows logo program to get any technical certification. More information about signing-self signing, authenticode signed, WHQL signed can be found here.