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Microsoft Storage Server 2012 R2

  1. Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2012 R2
  2. Microsoft Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials Vs Standard

Windows Storage Server 2012, built using Windows Server 2012 technologies, is a platform for Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliances. The storage team is working with our hardware partners to bring new storage solutions to market based on Windows Storage Server 2012. Storage appliance manufacturers integrate the platform with their customized hardware and software solutions to create new NAS appliances that are complete end-to-end solutions.

The Microsoft storage team has been very busy the last few years delivering innovative changes for Windows Server 2012. We are very excited about the evolution of Windows storage during the Windows Server 2012 development cycle. This release delivers a whole new level of enterprise grade storage that will be easier to use than ever before.

Like Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Standard and Workgroup editions, Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials is based on Windows Server 2012 R2. In fact, when it comes to functionality, you get key some features that aren’t included in these first two editions. An interesting point to note is that there are no specific features that distinguish Windows Server 2012 and Windows Storage Server 2012. In other words, both are same in terms of storage features. However, Windows Storage Server 2012 is sold exclusively through Microsoft’s hardware partners while Windows server is available directly for.

Customers can now take advantage of the latest Windows storage innovations in highly available configurations, at significantly lower costs. I recommend keeping Windows Storage Server-based appliances in mind for your storage requirements, they offer great value. While Windows Storage Server is only available to our hardware partners, you can download evaluation versions from the download center and the full OEM versions and product keys are available on TechNet, MSDN, and MAPS.

OEM Partners: Find out more about Specialized Server Solutions and learn how to become an OEM Partner.
OEM Deployment Guide: See the Windows Storage Server 2012 OEM guide on TechNet.
Download Evaluation Editions: Now available on the download center, these editions will automatically activate and allow a 6 month evaluation.

Windows Storage Server 2012, built using Windows Server 2012 technologies, is a platform for Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliances. The storage team is working with our hardware partners to bring new storage solutions to market based on Windows Storage Server 2012.

NAS appliances are becoming a hugely popular way to buy storage and the NAS market continues to experience double digit growth. From my perspective, it makes a lot of sense, IT departments want to:

  • Simplify deployments with turnkey solutions that are ready to power-up.
  • Seamlessly perform network storage (via iSCSI, SMB & NFS) while maintaining continuous availability.
  • Cleanly integrate and operate the NAS within their existing infrastructure.

NAS appliances built on Windows Storage Server 2012 will be ideal solutions for unified storage. The nice thing about a pre-configured appliance is that you can plug in the power and network and get up and running in just a few minutes.

New Storage Innovations in Windows Server 2012

Windows Server 2012 brings a smorgasbord of new storage features to enjoy. The Windows Storage Server editions leverage the same storage infrastructure found in Windows Server 2012. The Single Instance Storage (SIS) filter is included so you can still read and write to SIS volumes created in previous versions of Windows Storage Server. There is a new deduplication feature to replace SIS that works at a sub-file level. The iSCSI Target and configuration OOBE from Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 have also been included in the Windows Server 2012 family.

Our goals for storage were to deliver innovations in four areas:

  • Reducing the cost of storage
  • Storage management efficiency
  • Performance and capabilities
  • Reliability and continuous availability

New capabilities:


Reducing storage costs and increasing cost effectiveness

Increasing storage management efficiency

  • Storage Spaces
  • ReFS
  • CSV v2
  • Thin Provisioning
  • Data Deduplicatìon
  • NFSv2, NFSv3, and NFSv4.1 support
  • Comprehensive Storage Management
  • New Windows PowerShell cmdlets
  • SMI-S and SMP support
  • Remote Storage Management
  • All from a single interface

Improving performance and capabilities

Maximizing reliability and availability

  • SMB Direct
  • SMB Multichannel
  • SMB Scale Out
  • SQL Server over SMB
  • Hyper-V over SMB
  • Offloaded Data Transfer
  • Live Storage Migration
  • Virtual Fibre Channel
  • Continuous Availability for SMB, iSCSI and NFS
  • Online scanning and repair in NTFS and ReFS
  • Faster CHKDSK in NTFS
  • Storage Spaces with ReFS
  • SMB Transparent Failover
  • Cluster-Aware Updating

To learn more about all of these features checkout these resources:

Cluster-able storage options:

There are three main options for creating cluster-able storage in Windows Storage Server 2012; external hardware RAID, internal hardware RAID, or Storage Spaces.

  1. External RAID Systems: The RAID smarts and dedicated processor are in the external storage array. An additional Host Bus Adapter (HBA) is required to connect it to Windows. This might include a relatively expensive Fiber Channel (FC) adapter or an inexpensive network adapter connecting to an iSCSI storage array over an IP network. External RAID can offer performance benefits, advanced RAID levels and array-based replication features. Configuring RAID levels and carving up LUNs usually requires entering a BIOS configuration utility, a specific storage-management application or a Web UI to do storage provisioning tasks. However, RAID array vendors can include an SMI-S or SMP-based storage provider to allow Windows storage management operations to get to the array. After installing a SMI-S/SMP based provider, users can do all of the storage provisioning, pooling, virtual disks and volume creation using PowerShell, Server Manager or calling the storage provisioning wizards directly from the OEM Appliance Out-of-Box-Experience (OOBE).
  2. (New!) Internal Clustered PCI RAID: One example of a PCI RAID adapter is the LSI “HA DAS”. In this configuration the RAID smarts are in the PCI cards inside each system, and the write-cache is kept synchronized using a SAS cable from one node to the other. After a failover event, the cache on the other node is identical and the hardware continues to operate with no downtime.
  3. (New!) Storage Spaces: This new software virtualization feature allows for spanned or mirrored volumes in a cluster and it supports persistent reservations, so it can failover between multiple nodes. Storage Spaces allows you to use different size drives and bus types to create reliable pools of storage. Then, you can use Server Manager to create pools, virtual disks and volumes. With an inexpensive JBOD and a SAS switch you could create some high-performing shared storage using SAS drives.

These new options will enable a lot of cool storage choices and I can’t wait to see some very cost-effective solutions hitting the market this year. We continue to leverage the strong support for external storage arrays and I am sure that Windows Storage Server 2012 will be a backbone for many high availability solutions at both small companies and large enterprises.

Top 15 features in Windows Storage Server 2012

Here are my personal top-15 new features that are going to help change the storage landscape:

1. SMB 3.0: Support for RDMA network adapters, SMB multichannel, and SMB scale-out file servers allow for manageable and scalable active/active file shares. New SMB 3.0 innovations will enable many new scenarios; my favorite is taking an existing Fibre Channel SAN and sharing out the storage over SMB 3.0. This configuration is known as “a gateway to a SAN” and it is a great way to extend your storage investments to other application servers without running Fibre.

2. NFSv2, NFSv3, and NFSv4.1: Fantastic NFS support with performance and resiliency gains. In addition to bringing Continuous Availability for NFSv3, the new NFS 4.1 Server support provides a state-full connection with more security, less network chatter, and it is very WAN friendly.

3. Continuous Availability for SMB 3.0, NFSv3 and iSCSI Software Target when running in a failover cluster. Client users and application servers never notice that a node has failed and their session handles have automatically reconnected in the event of a server malfunction.

4. Data Deduplication: Massively reduce primary storage footprint requirements on NTFS data volumes. 2:1 savings are common for a general file share and up to 20:1 for VHD libraries. You will save so much disk space that you will have to think about what to do with it all.

5. Storage Spaces: Create reliable storage pools using just a bunch of standard SAS or SATA disks and no hardware RAID controller. Storage Spaces in Windows Server 2012 enables cost-effective, optimally used, highly available, scalable, and flexible storage solutions for business-critical (virtual or physical) deployments.

6. Thin Provisioning: Allows storage pools to pretend they are big and grow as you need them. Windows Server 2012 now supports just-in-time allocations (also known as thin provisioning) and the ability to reclaim storage that is no longer needed (also known as trim).

7.FastDisk Error Recovery (ChkDsk): Scanning drives can be done online now, making CHKDSK run in seconds instead of hours. This reduces potential risks associated with deploying high-capacity volumes.

8. PowerShell Cmdlets: There are a ton of new scripts and cmdlets to enable you to automate storage provisioning and you can do it all from the beach on a remote connection. J

9. Server Manager: Server Manager now provides new ways to manage your storage environment including a single ‘pane of glass’ experience for storage and file services on standalone and clustered servers. Create storage pools and easily allocate capacity with appropriate resiliency and performance. This brings a consistent storage management experience when configuring Windows Storage Spaces or hardware RAID subsystems.

10. iSCSI Software Target: Now available in Server Manager, quickly create and share iSCSI LUNs over the network to heterogeneous application servers that run an iSCSI Initiator.

11. Cluster-Aware Updating (CAU): Enables secure, coordinated patching for all nodes of a cluster. CAU automates the software updating process on clustered servers while maintaining availability.

You can also record your own voice directly through the app to add into an existing recording. Bottom LineAudacity is a versatile and comprehensive audio editing program. ConsAdditional downloads: You can import and export files in multiple formats through this app. But in order to access the full range of file format options, you have to download and install several additional programs. Audacity sound editor free download. It includes items like Amplify, Auto Duck, Compressor, Hard Limiter, Leveler, and many more.

12. Central Access Policies: Imagine setting a file-access policy that mirrored your exact intent, such as 'allow access by the finance team, if document contains Confidential then only allow access by full-time employees.'

13. Network adapter teaming: Team network adapters together to increase network performance and availability, regardless of which vendor or make the adapters are and do so independent of any third-party driver requirement.

14. Online Backup: With just a few clicks, Administrators can enable online backups to Windows Azure or other cloud providers that have registered an agent in the Windows Server Backup.

15. OEM-Appliance OOBE: This new feature can be customized by OEMs or Enterprise IT to help deploy 2-node clusters in less than 20 minutes.

Why use Windows for NAS?

Customers buying NAS devices quickly discover that it takes more than a drive and a network interface to satisfy the demands of IT. They often find out later that some features they needed were missing. Usually the simple ones make the biggest difference, like the ability to join a domain, use Active Directory features or run anti-virus software. Windows Storage Servers have everything you need in the box and all the protocols and in-box services you need for a NAS can be easily loaded in Server Manager.

Here are my key reasons for loving Windows NAS devices built on Windows Storage Server:

Low Cost Hardware:

  • Industry standard hardware now has all the capabilities required to deliver high-performance, reliable storage infrastructure.
  • OEMs make it quick and easy to deploy the servers by delivering an optimized hardware and software package.
  • No Client Access Licenses (CALs) required: Can be deployed into any environment
  • Run security, anti-virus and storage management apps right on the server. Frameworks and application compatibility on Windows makes it easy to install and use storage-related applications.
  • Use Storage Spaces to build resilient storage pools using inexpensive SAS or SATA hard disk drives

File storage for Virtualization & Apps:

  • High-speed, resilient storage for applications. You can now offer the same resilience and performance of a Fibre Channel SAN using file-based storage over SMB3.0.
  • Use existing Fibre Channel SAN storage and re-serve it up using the SMB 3.0 protocol to application servers running SQL Server or just about any workload that needs high-performance storage.
  • Manage storage for Virtualization (Hyper-V), Databases (SQL Server) and Web Servers (IIS) in the same manner as you manage storage for traditional file serving.

Loads of applications, hardware devices and services are supported:

  • Thousands of storage management applications, HSM apps can be loaded.
  • New storage devices and acceleration hardware can be plugged right in.
  • Domain Join, Active Directory, Group Policy, System Center are all supported.
Microsoft download server 2012 r2 iso

Superior technical support:

  • OEMs offer a range of support options, including on-call pager support for failed drives.
  • Microsoft consulting services are available around the world, including the Microsoft OEM Engineering Services team, which will help storage partners bring embedded solutions to market and support them throughout the product lifecycle.
  • 24x 7 Windows Update for critical patches and worldwide security monitoring centers.

Familiar Windows UI and integrated storage provisioning experiences:

  • These devices offer simple deployment and integrate into existing IT.
  • The new Server Manager makes it easy to do all your management tasks in one place. IT generalists can run our task wizards and immediately understand how it works. Instrumentation and usability studies make things consistent and easier to use.
  • Using PowerShell for storage management makes it even easier and repeatable. I like this Laminate-worthy PowerShell cheat-sheet.

OEM Value and Cluster-in-a-box

In addition to the great features you get in the box, our OEM partners can add additional value to the solutions by including hardware acceleration, customized deployment applications, anti-virus, replication, hierarchical storage management and advanced hardware RAID capabilities.

One example of OEM value is the new “Cluster-in-a-box” (CiB) server design, which is a self-contained failover cluster appliance that comes in one chassis and is pre-configured and tuned. Delivering high availability requires the right hardware. Microsoft has been working with the server industry to enable our partners to create a new generation of simpler, lower-cost high-availability systems. These systems fill a gap in the market that exists today between single-node servers and enterprise-level scale-out servers. These systems combine multiple server nodes and storage in a pre-packaged, pre-connected chassis that can use the OEM Appliance OOBE to deliver an appliance experience for customers. They are designed to survive a failure and repair of most single components with minimal downtime. Small to medium organizations need these kinds of solutions that deliver high-availability within their limited budget and IT expertise. Attaching a CiB to your network and deploying it into your domain in about 20 minutes is pretty sweet and there are no storage PHDs required. Here are some examples of the new CiB designs that were highlighted during TechEd 2012 and the new Quanta and HP datasheets highlight their support for Windows Storage Server 2012.

I’m jazzed about Windows Storage Server 2012 and I can’t wait to see all the solutions coming to market. I have a good feeling about this release and I’d love to hear your feedback on the bottom of this blog.

Cheers!
Scott M. Johnson
Program Manager II
Windows Storage Server

Windows Server 2012
A version of the Windows NT operating system
DeveloperMicrosoft
OS familyMicrosoft Windows
Working stateCurrent
Source model
  • Source-available (through Shared Source Initiative)
Released to
manufacturing		August 1, 2012; 7 years ago
General
availability		September 4, 2012; 7 years ago[1]
Latest release6.2 (Build 9200) / August 1, 2012; 7 years ago[2]
Marketing targetBusiness
Update methodWindows Update, Windows Server Update Services, SCCM
Platformsx86-64
Kernel typeHybrid (Windows NT kernel)
Default user interfaceWindows shell (GUI)
License
Preceded byWindows Server 2008 R2 (2009)
Succeeded byWindows Server 2012 R2 (2013)
Official websitewww.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/windows-server/default.aspx
Support status
  • Start date: October 30, 2012[3]
  • Mainstream support: Ended October 9, 2018[3]
  • Extended support: Until October 10, 2023[3]

Windows Server 2012, codenamed 'Windows Server 8',[4] is the fifth release of Windows Server. It is the server version of Windows 8 and succeeds Windows Server 2008 R2. Two pre-release versions, a developer preview and a beta version, were released during development. The software was generally available to customers starting on September 4, 2012.[5]

Unlike its predecessor, Windows Server 2012 has no support for Itanium-based computers,[6] and has four editions. Various features were added or improved over Windows Server 2008 R2 (with many placing an emphasis on cloud computing), such as an updated version of Hyper-V, an IP address management role, a new version of Windows Task Manager, and ReFS, a new file system. Windows Server 2012 received generally good reviews in spite of having included the same controversial Metro-based user interface seen in Windows 8, which includes the 'Charms Bar' for quick access to settings in the desktop environment.

  • 2Features

History[edit]

Windows Server 2012, codenamed 'Windows Server 8',[4] is the fifth release of Windows Server family of operating systems developed concurrently with Windows 8.[7][8] It was not until April 17, 2012 that the company announced that the final product name would be 'Windows Server 2012'.[4]

Microsoft introduced Windows Server 2012 and its developer preview in the BUILD 2011 conference on September 9, 2011.[9] However, unlike Windows 8, the developer preview of Windows Server 2012 was only made available to MSDN subscribers.[10] It included a graphical user interface (GUI) based on Metro design language and a new Server Manager, a graphical application used for server management.[11] On February 16, 2012, Microsoft released an update for developer preview build that extended its expiry date from April 8, 2012 to January 15, 2013.[12]

Before Windows Server 2012 was finalized, two test builds were made public. A public beta version of Windows Server 2012 was released along with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview on February 29, 2012.[7] The release candidate of Windows Server 2012 was released on May 31, 2012, along with the Windows 8 Release Preview.[8]

The product was released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012 and became generally available on September 4, 2012.[5] However, not all editions of Windows Server 2012 were released at the same time. Windows Server 2012 Essentials was released to manufacturing on October 9, 2012[13] and was made generally available on November 1, 2012.[14] As of September 23, 2012, all students subscribed to DreamSpark program can download Windows Server 2012 Standard or Datacenter free of charge.[15]

Features[edit]

Installation options[edit]

Unlike its predecessor, Windows Server 2012 can switch between 'Server Core' and 'Server with a GUI' installation options without a full reinstallation. Server Core – an option with a command-line interface only – is now the recommended configuration. There is also a third installation option that allows some GUI elements such as MMC and Server Manager to run, but without the normal desktop, shell or default programs like File Explorer.[11]

User interface[edit]

Server Manager has been redesigned with an emphasis on easing management of multiple servers.[16] The operating system, like Windows 8, uses the Metro-based user interface unless installed in Server Core mode.[17]Windows Store is available in this version of Windows but is not installed by default.[18]Windows PowerShell in this version has over 2300 commandlets, compared to around 200 in Windows Server 2008 R2.[19]

Task Manager[edit]

Windows Server 2012 includes a new version of Windows Task Manager together with the old version.[20] In the new version the tabs are hidden by default, showing applications only. In the new Processes tab, the processes are displayed in varying shades of yellow, with darker shades representing heavier resource use.[21] Information found in the older versions are now moved to the new Details tab. The Performance tab shows 'CPU', 'Memory', 'Disk', 'Wi-Fi' and 'Ethernet' graphs. Unlike the Windows 8 version of Task Manager (which looks similar), the 'Disk' activity graph is not enabled by default. The CPU tab no longer displays individual graphs for every logical processor on the system by default, although that remains an option. Additionally, it can display data for each non-uniform memory access (NUMA) node. When displaying data for each logical processor for machines with more than 64 logical processors, the CPU tab now displays simple utilization percentages on heat-mapping tiles.[22] The color used for these heat maps is blue, with darker shades again indicating heavier utilization. Hovering the cursor over any logical processor's data now shows the NUMA node of that processor and its ID, if applicable. Additionally, a new Startup tab has been added that lists startup applications,[23] however this tab does not exist in Windows Server 2012.[24] The new task manager recognizes when a Windows Store app has the 'Suspended' status.

IP address management (IPAM)[edit]

Windows Server 2012 has an IP address management role for discovering, monitoring, auditing, and managing the IP address space used on a corporate network. The IPAM is used for the management and monitoring of Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers. Both IPv4 and IPv6 are fully supported.[25]

Active Directory[edit]

Windows Server 2012 has a number of changes to Active Directory from the version shipped with Windows Server 2008 R2. The Active Directory Domain Services installation wizard has been replaced by a new section in Server Manager, and a GUI has been added to the Active Directory Recycle Bin.[26] Multiple password policies can be set in the same domain.[27] Active Directory in Windows Server 2012 is now aware of any changes resulting from virtualization, and virtualized domain controllers can be safely cloned. Upgrades of the domain functional level to Windows Server 2012 are simplified; it can be performed entirely in Server Manager. Active Directory Federation Services is no longer required to be downloaded when installed as a role, and claims which can be used by the Active Directory Federation Services have been introduced into the Kerberos token. Windows Powershell commands used by Active Directory Administrative Center can be viewed in a 'Powershell History Viewer'.[28][29]

Hyper-V[edit]

Windows Server 2012, along with Windows 8, includes a new version of Hyper-V,[30] as presented at the Microsoft BUILD event.[31] Many new features have been added to Hyper-V, including network virtualization, multi-tenancy, storage resource pools, cross-premises connectivity, and cloud backup. Additionally, many of the former restrictions on resource consumption have been greatly lifted. Each virtual machine in this version of Hyper-V can access up to 64 virtual processors, up to 1 terabyte of memory, and up to 64 terabytes of virtual disk space per virtual hard disk (using a new .vhdx format).[32][33] Up to 1024 virtual machines can be active per host, and up to 8000 can be active per failover cluster.[34]SLAT is a required processor feature for Hyper-V on Windows 8, while for Windows Server 2012 it is only required for the supplementary RemoteFX role.[35]

ReFS[edit]

Resilient File System (ReFS),[36] codenamed 'Protogon',[37] is a new file system in Windows Server 2012 initially intended for file servers that improves on NTFS in some respects. Major new features of ReFS include:[38][39]

Improved reliability for on-disk structures
ReFS uses B+ trees[38] for all on-disk structures including metadata and file data. Metadata and file data are organized into tables similar to a relational database. The file size, number of files in a folder, total volume size and number of folders in a volume are limited by 64-bit numbers; as a result ReFS supports a maximum file size of 16 exabytes, a maximum of 18.4 × 1018 folders and a maximum volume size of 1 yottabyte (with 64 KB clusters) which allows large scalability with no practical limits on file and folder size (hardware restrictions still apply). Free space is counted by a hierarchical allocator which includes three separate tables for large, medium, and small chunks. File names and file paths are each limited to a 32 KB Unicode text string.
Built-in resilience
ReFS employs an allocation-on-write update strategy for metadata,[38] which allocates new chunks for every update transaction and uses large IO batches. All ReFS metadata has built-in 64-bit checksums which are stored independently. The file data can have an optional checksum in a separate 'integrity stream', in which case the file update strategy also implements allocation-on-write; this is controlled by a new 'integrity' attribute applicable to both files and directories. If nevertheless file data or metadata becomes corrupt, the file can be deleted without taking the whole volume offline. As a result of built-in resiliency, administrators do not need to periodically run error-checking tools such as CHKDSK when using ReFS.
Compatibility with existing APIs and technologies
ReFS does not require new system APIs and most file system filters continue to work with ReFS volumes.[38] ReFS supports many existing Windows and NTFS features such as BitLocker encryption, Access Control Lists, USN Journal, change notifications,[40]symbolic links, junction points, mount points, reparse points, volume snapshots, file IDs, and oplock. ReFS seamlessly[38] integrates with Storage Spaces, a storage virtualization layer that allows data mirroring and striping, as well as sharing storage pools between machines.[41] ReFS resiliency features enhance the mirroring feature provided by Storage Spaces and can detect whether any mirrored copies of files become corrupt using background data scrubbing process, which periodically reads all mirror copies and verifies their checksums then replaces bad copies with good ones.

Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2012 R2

Some NTFS features are not supported in ReFS, including object IDs, short names, file compression, file level encryption (EFS), user data transactions, hard links, extended attributes, and disk quotas.[37][38]Sparse files are supported.[42][43] Support for named streams is not implemented in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, though it was later added in Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.[44] ReFS does not itself offer data deduplication.[38] Dynamic disks with mirrored or striped volumes are replaced with mirrored or striped storage pools provided by Storage Spaces. In Windows Server 2012, automated error-correction with integrity streams is only supported on mirrored spaces; automatic recovery on parity spaces was added in Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.[44] Booting from ReFS is not supported either.

IIS 8.0[edit]

Windows Server 2012 includes version 8.0 of Internet Information Services (IIS). The new version contains new features such as SNI, CPU usage caps for particular websites,[45] centralized management of SSL certificates, WebSocket support and improved support for NUMA, but few other substantial changes were made.[46]

Scalability[edit]

Windows Server 2012 supports the following maximum hardware specifications.[33][47] Windows Server 2012 improves over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 R2:

SpecificationWindows Server 2012Windows Server 2008 R2
Physical processors[a]6464
Logical processors
when Hyper-V is disabled		640256
Logical processors
when Hyper-V is enabled		320[b]64
Memory4 TB2 TB
Failover cluster nodes (in any single cluster)6416

System requirements[edit]

Minimum system requirements for Windows Server 2012[49]
Processor1.4 GHz, x64
Memory512 MB
Free disk space32 GB (more if there is at least 16 GB of RAM)

Windows Server 2012 runs only on x64 processors. Unlike its predecessor, Windows Server 2012 does not support Itanium.[6]

Upgrades from Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are supported, although upgrades from prior releases are not.[49]

Editions[edit]

Windows Server 2012 has four editions: Foundation, Essentials, Standard and Datacenter.[50][51][52][53][47]

SpecificationsFoundation[54]EssentialsStandardDatacenter
DistributionOEM onlyRetail, volume licensing, OEMRetail, volume licensing, OEMVolume licensing and OEM
Licensing modelPer serverPer serverPer CPU pair[c] + CAL[d]Per CPU pair[c] + CAL[d]
Processor chip limit[47]1264[e]64[e]
Memory limit32 GB64 GB4 TB4 TB
User limit1525UnlimitedUnlimited
File sharing limits1 standalone DFS root1 standalone DFS rootUnlimitedUnlimited
Network Policy and Access Services limits50 RRAS connections and 10 IAS connections250 RRAS connections, 50 IAS connections, and 2 IAS Server GroupsUnlimitedUnlimited
Remote Desktop Services limits50 Remote Desktop Services connectionsGateway onlyUnlimitedUnlimited
Virtualization rightsN/AEither in 1 VM or 1 physical server, but not both at once2 VMs[c]Unlimited
Active Directory Lightweight Directory ServicesYesYesYesYes
Active Directory Federation ServicesYes[55]YesYesYes
Active Directory Rights Management ServicesYesYesYesYes
Application server roleYesPartialYesYes
DHCP roleYesYesYesYes
DNS server roleYesYesYesYes
Fax server roleYesYesYesYes
Print and document servicesYesYesYesYes
Server ManagerYesYesYesYes
UDDI servicesYesYesYesYes
Web services (Internet Information Services)YesYesYesYes
Windows Deployment ServicesYesYesYesYes
Windows PowershellYesYesYesYes
Active Directory Domain ServicesMust be root of forest and domainYesYesYes
Active Directory Certificate ServicesCertificate Authorities onlyCertificate Authorities onlyYesYes
Hyper-VNoR2 onwardsYesYes
Server Core modeNoNoYesYes
Windows Server Update ServicesNoNoYesYes

Reception[edit]

Reviews of Windows Server 2012 have been generally positive.[56][57][58] Simon Bisson of ZDNet described it as 'ready for the datacenter, today,'[56] while Tim Anderson of The Register said that 'The move towards greater modularity, stronger automation and improved virtualisation makes perfect sense in a world of public and private clouds' but remarked that 'That said, the capability of Windows to deliver obscure and time-consuming errors is unchanged' and concluded that 'Nevertheless, this is a strong upgrade overall.'[57]

InfoWorld noted that Server 2012's use of Windows 8's panned 'Metro' user interface was countered by Microsoft's increasing emphasis on the Server Core mode, which had been 'fleshed out with new depth and ease-of-use features' and increased use of the 'practically mandatory' PowerShell.[59] However, Michael Otey of Windows IT Pro expressed dislike with the new Metro interface and the lack of ability to use the older desktop interface alone, saying that most users of Windows Server manage their servers using the graphical user interface rather than PowerShell.[60] The Australian construction company Kennards found the OS stable.[61]

Paul Ferrill wrote that 'Windows Server 2012 Essentials provides all the pieces necessary to provide centralized file storage, client backups, and remote access,'[62] but Tim Anderson contended that 'Many businesses that are using SBS2011 and earlier will want to stick with what they have', citing the absence of Exchange, the lack of ability to synchronize with Active Directory Federation Services and the 25-user limit,[63] while Paul Thurott wrote 'you should choose Foundation only if you have at least some in-company IT staff and/or are comfortable outsourcing management to a Microsoft partner or solution provider' and 'Essentials is, in my mind, ideal for any modern startup of just a few people.'[64]

Windows Server 2012 R2[edit]

The successor to Windows Server 2012, called Windows Server 2012 R2, was released along with Windows 8.1 in October 2013. A service pack, formally designated Windows Server 2012 R2 Update, was released in April 2014.[65][66]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Applies to Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2012 Datacenter and Windows Server 2012 Standard only. Other editions support less.
  2. ^Each virtualized partition, including the host itself, can use up to 64 processors.[48]
  3. ^ abcEach license of Windows Server 2012 Standard or Datacenter allows up to two processor chips. Each license of Windows Server 2012 Standard allows up to two virtual instances of Windows Server 2012 Standard on that physical server. If more virtual instances of Windows Server 2012 Standard are needed, each additional license of Windows Server 2012 allows up to two more virtual instances of Windows Server 2012 Standard, even though the physical server itself may have sufficient licenses for its processor chip count. Because Windows Server 2012 Datacenter has no limit on the number of virtual instances per licensed server, only enough licenses for the physical server are needed for any number of virtual instances of Windows Server 2012 Datacenter. If the number of processor chips or virtual instances is an odd number, the number of licenses required is the same as the next even number. For example, a single-processor-chip server would still require 1 license, the same as if the server were two-processor-chip and a five-processor-chip server would require 3 licenses, the same as if the server were six-processor-chip, and if 15 virtual instances of Windows Server 2012 Standard are needed on one server, 8 licenses of Windows Server 2012, which can cover up to 16 virtual instances, are needed (assuming, in this example, that the processor chip count does not exceed 16).
  4. ^ abFor the Standard and Datacenter editions, each user or device accessing the software must have a client access license (CAL) assigned (either per-user or per-device), so there may be no more simultaneous users than the number of client-access licenses, except up to 2 simultaneous users purely to administer the server software, or for running virtualization or web workloads. Remote Desktop Services requires an additional CAL separate from the aforementioned CAL.
  5. ^ abIf the number of physical processors in a particular server is under 64, the limit is determined by the quantity of licenses assigned to that server. In that case, the number of physical processors cannot exceed twice the number of licenses assigned to the server.

References[edit]

  1. ^http://blogs.technet.com/b/windowsserver/archive/2012/08/01/windows-server-2012-released-to-manufacturing.aspx
  2. ^http://blogs.technet.com/b/windowsserver/archive/2012/08/01/windows-server-2012-released-to-manufacturing.aspx
  3. ^ abc'Microsoft Product Lifecycle'. Microsoft Support. Microsoft. January 2012. Archived from the original on February 27, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
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Further reading[edit]

  • Stanek, William (2013). Windows Server 2012 Inside Out. Microsoft Press. ISBN978-0-7356-6631-3.
  • Stanek, William (2014). Windows Server 2012 R2 Inside Out Volume 1: Configuration, Storage, & Essentials. Microsoft Press. ISBN978-0-7356-8267-2.
  • Stanek, William (2014). Windows Server 2012 R2 Inside Out Volume 2: Services, Security, & Infrastructure. Microsoft Press. ISBN978-0-7356-8255-9.

Microsoft Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials Vs Standard

External links[edit]

Wikiversity has learning resources about Windows Server
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012 on TechNet
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 on MSDN
  • Windows Server 2012 on MSDN
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Windows_Server_2012&oldid=914253141'