At TechEd?s keynote session, Bob Muglia announced that IIS 7.0 has now been included into the Server Core of Windows Server 2008.
Server Core is an install of Windows Server 2008 with minimal server functionality for select roles ? including DHCP, DNS, file server, virtualization, domain controller and now IIS7 ? without any non-essential services and applications. By only including what is required for the designated roles, a Server Core installation will generally require less maintenance and fewer updates since there are fewer features to manage. And, since there are fewer programs and features installed and running on the server, there are fewer attack vectors exposed to the network, resulting in a reduced attack surface. Server Core is already a great option for IT professionals, so when you add IIS7 into the mix, it becomes even more compelling.
For more about the announcement on Server Core & IIS read the press release.