New Features: Windows Server 2012

With only a few months before the official launching of the anticipated Windows 8, Microsoft released the server version of this OS: Windows Server 2012. With a new licensing simplicity, Windows Server 2012 has four editions, each with capabilities and pricing based on your organization’s virtualization and cloud computing needs.

Windows Server 2012: The 4 New Versions

The most basic and economical version is Foundation Windows Server 2012. This version is Microsoft’s general-purpose server, offering basic server functionality with no virtualization. It has a 15 user limit and is OEM only.

The next edition is Essentials. Created for small businesses, it comes pre-configured to provide cloud connectivity, but offers no virtualization rights. This is the perfect version for small enterprises and home networks.

Next is Windows Server 2012 Standard edition, created for largely non-virtualized IT environments, it provides only 2 virtual instances, but has completely robust server capabilities comparable to the Datacenter edition.

Datacenter edition of Windows Server 2012 has full server capabilities and is the right choice for highly virtualized cloud environments.

With the new Server 2012, it is a lot easier to control multiple servers, and to create virtualized environments. The main interface is Metro, and the Task Manager has a new working mode, with a more useful design for troubleshooting. If you want to run this operating system, it is necessary to have a processor of 1.4 GHz, on 64 bits, with at least 32 GB on HDD.

Windows Server 2012 can manage 640 cores of CPU, 4TB RAM memory, and 64 connection nodes. IT departments are invited to evaluate WS 2012 for 90 days, with the Azure platform.

CAL is mandatory for any user or device that accesses the server directly and indirectly. For details, you must read the Product Use Rights. For pricing, you will have to find a Microsoft reseller in your area.

Updates from the 2008 version

Compared with WS 2008, which comes with 12 versions, WS 2012 has been simplified to 4 versions to make choosing the right server edition much easier for users. One of the editions that was eliminated from production is Small Business Server. The current version Small Business Server 2011 Premium Add-on will be the last offer of this type. Moreover, the Windows Home Business Server is being replaced with the Essentials version. Here are the most interesting updates compared with the last version of Windows Server:

1. Hyper V was improved, so it now supports up to 64 processors and 1 TB of memory for hosted computers. The protocol of the communication network is called SMB, it is now able to process a high data transfer volume, and the Server Manager was also updated to manage many servers at the same time.

2. IPAM in WS 2012 is a new incorporated frame, which is used for discovering, monitoring, auditing and managing space and the IP address used in a corporative network. The IPAM module ensures the administration and monitoring of servers that run on DHCP and DNS.

3. Windows Server 2012 also includes the version 8.0 of IIS, and the new version comes with new characteristics such as usage CPU for special websites. The ease of use, the reduced number of packages and the solid support makes this version a lot more user friendly than the previous ones.

The retail version of MS 2012 was launched on September 4, 2012. Users of previous versions have the possibility of upgrading their current systems. The new ReFS files system replaces the NTFS. ReFS accept high volumes and dimensions, and files up to 16 exabytes.

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