Final answer:
Windows Server 2008 (2K8) and Windows Server 2008 R2 (2K8 R2) both support up to 16 nodes in a failover cluster. The knowledge of node capacity is crucial for designing scalable and highly available server infrastructures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is regarding the maximum number of nodes supported by two Microsoft Windows Server operating systems: Windows Server 2008 (2K8) and Windows Server 2008 R2 (2K8 R2). Both these server operating systems have clustering features, and the number of nodes they support in a cluster configuration is an important factor for scalability and high availability.
Windows Server 2008 supports a maximum of 16 nodes in a failover cluster. On the other hand, Windows Server 2008 R2 increased this capacity and supports up to 16 nodes as well. Although these two versions have the same maximum node support for clustering, it's essential to note that they may differ in other features and capabilities.
It is important for IT professionals and systems administrators to be aware of these limitations when designing and implementing server clusters to ensure they can meet the needs of their organization's computing infrastructure.