Windows Server Explained

Windows Server
Developer:Microsoft
Preview Version:vNext (10.0.26252)
Preview Date:[1]
License:Trialware, SaaS, or volume licensing

Windows Server (formerly Windows NT Server) is a group of server operating systems (OS) that has been developed by Microsoft since 1993. The first OS that was released for this platform is Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server, an edition of Windows NT 3.1. With the release of Windows Server 2003, Microsoft started releasing new versions under the name Windows Server. The latest release of Windows Server is Windows Server 2022, which was released in 2021.

Microsoft's history of developing operating systems for servers goes back to Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server. Windows 2000 Server is the first OS to include Active Directory, DNS Server, DHCP Server, and Group Policy.

History

Windows NT Server 3.x

See main article: article and Windows NT 3.1. Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was released on July 27, 1993 as an edition of Windows NT 3.1, an operating system aimed towards business and server use. As with its Workstation counterpart, Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was a 32 bit rewrite of the Windows kernel that retained a similar use interface to Windows 3.1. Unlike the latter, however, Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was a complete operating system that did not need to be run from DOS. Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server, like its Workstation counterpart, featured new features such as multiuser support and preemptive multitasking.[2] In 1994, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 3.5. It introduced TCP/IP and Winsock support integrated into the operating system, alongside the ability to use FTP. It also supported VFAT. In 1995, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 3.51, an update to Windows NT Server 3.5, which added NTFS compression and support for the PowerPC architecture.

Windows NT Server 4.0

See main article: article and Windows NT 4.0. In 1996, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 4.0. It added the new user interface introduced in Windows 95 the previous year. In addition, it dropped support for the PowerPC, Alpha, and MIPS architectures. Microsoft updated Winsock to version 2 and IIS 2.0 and FrontPage are included.

Windows 2000 Server

See main article: article and Windows 2000.

Windows Server 200x

See main article: article, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Windows Server 201x

See main article: article, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019.

Windows Server 202x

See main article: article and Windows Server 2022.

On 2021, Microsoft has released Windows Server 2022. It is included the Windows 10 version 21H2 counterpart.

Windows Server 2025 was annouced at January 26, 2024.[3]

Members

Main releases

Main releases include:

Traditionally, Microsoft supports Windows Server for 10 years, with five years of mainstream support and an additional five years of extended support. These releases also offer a complete desktop experience. Starting with Windows Server 2008, Server Core and Nano Server configurations were made available to reduce the OS footprint.[14] [15] Between 2015 and 2021, Microsoft referred to these releases as "long-term support" releases to set them apart from semi-annual releases (see below.)

For sixteen years, Microsoft released a major version of Windows Server every four years, with one minor version released two years after a major release. The minor versions had an "R2" suffix in their names. In October 2018, Microsoft broke this tradition with the release of Windows Server 2019, which should have been "Windows Server 2016 R2". Windows Server 2022 is also a minor upgrade over its predecessor.[16] [17]

Branded releases

Certain editions of Windows Server have a customized name:

Semi-Annual releases (discontinued)

Following the release of Windows Server 2016, Microsoft attempted to mirror the lifecycle of Windows 10 in the Windows Server family, releasing new versions twice a year which were supported for 18 months. These semi-annual versions were only available as part of Microsoft subscription services, including Software Assurance, Azure Marketplace, and Visual Studio subscriptions, until their discontinuation in July 2021.[27]

The semi-annual releases do not include any desktop environments. Instead, they are restricted to the Nano Server configuration installed in a Docker container,[15] and the Server Core configuration, licensed only to serve as a container host.[15] [28]

Semi-Annual releases include:[29]

Annual releases

The Annual Channel was first announced on July 2023, with the first version being released on September the same year. Unlike the Semi-Annual releases, each Annual Channel release would receive six months of extended support in addition to the 18 months of regular support. Annual releases are made available every twelve months, hence the name. Datacenter is the only edition available.

Annual releases include:[34]

Upcoming releases

Upcoming releases include:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Announcing Windows Server Preview Build 26252. July 11, 2024. July 14, 2024. Microsoft Tech Community. when reporting issues please refer to "VNext" rather than Windows Server 2025 which is currently in market..
  2. Web site: 30 years of Windows Server . 2024-02-27 . TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM . en.
  3. Web site: Woolsey . Jeff . Introducing Windows Server 2025! - Microsoft Tech Community . January 26, 2024.
  4. Web site: Windows Server 2003 – Microsoft Lifecycle. Microsoft. March 8, 2008. August 19, 2021.
  5. Web site: Windows Server 2003 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle. Microsoft. March 8, 2008. August 19, 2021.
  6. Web site: Windows Server 2008 – Microsoft Lifecycle. Microsoft. September 25, 2012.
  7. Web site: Windows Server 2008 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle. Microsoft. September 25, 2012.
  8. Web site: Windows Server 2012 – Microsoft Lifecycle. Microsoft Support. Microsoft. January 2012. October 10, 2012.
  9. Web site: Windows Server 2012 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle. Microsoft.com. December 27, 2018.
  10. Web site: Windows Server 2016 – Microsoft Lifecycle. Microsoft Support. Microsoft. December 7, 2016.
  11. Web site: Windows Server 2019 – Microsoft Lifecycle. Microsoft Support. Microsoft. August 19, 2021.
  12. Web site: Windows Server 2022 – Microsoft Lifecycle. Microsoft Support. Microsoft. August 19, 2021.
  13. Web site: Introducing Windows Server 2025. Jeff. Woolsey. Microsoft Tech Community Hub. January 26, 2024.
  14. News: What is Microsoft Windows Server LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel)? – Definition from WhatIs.com. SearchWindowsServer. March 22, 2018. en-US.
  15. News: Windows Server – Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) vs Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) – Thomas Maurer. November 19, 2017. Thomas Maurer. March 22, 2018. en-US.
  16. Web site: Sommergut. Wolfgang. Windows Server 2022 released: Overview of new features. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824222556/https://4sysops.com/archives/windows-server-2022-released-overview-of-new-features. August 24, 2021. August 24, 2021. live. 4sysops.
  17. Web site: Foley. Mary Jo. Mary Jo Foley. August 20, 2021. Microsoft's Windows Server 2022 is rolling out to mainstream users. https://web.archive.org/web/20210822023622/https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsofts-windows-server-2022-is-rolling-out-to-mainstream-users. August 22, 2021. live. ZDNet. CBS Interactive.
  18. Web site: Windows Storage Server Lifecycle (EOL). EndOfLife.Software.
  19. Web site: Windows Server IoT 2019 for Storage. Microsoft.com. August 10, 2022.
  20. Web site: Windows Server IoT 2022. Microsoft.com. August 10, 2022.
  21. Web site: Elden. Christensen. Hyper-V in the 2022 Wave. Microsoft Tech Community. Self-published. March 25, 2022.
  22. Web site: Hyper-V Server. September 2, 2021. Search Product and Services Lifecycle Information. Microsoft.
  23. Web site: Windows Small Business Server 2008 Technical FAQ. Windows Server Essentials documentations. Microsoft. December 14, 2010. Microsoft Docs.
  24. Web site: Thurrott. Paul. Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials. Supersite for Windows. Penton Media. September 26, 2011. September 3, 2011. September 27, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110927055035/http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-server/windows-small-business-server-2011-essentials-140451. dead.
  25. Web site: Windows Essential Business Server. TechNet Archive. Microsoft. February 7, 2012. Microsoft Docs.
  26. Web site: Deploy the Azure Stack HCI operating system. Azure Docs. Microsoft. October 22, 2021.
  27. Web site: July 28, 2021. Microsoft to retire semi-annual Windows Server updates, will move entirely to LTSC releases. Neowin.
  28. Web site: July 5, 2022. Windows Server servicing channels. https://web.archive.org/web/20220713163859/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/servicing-channels-comparison. July 13, 2022. live. Windows Server Library. Microsoft.
  29. Web site: Windows Server. Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel. Microsoft. February 19, 2022.
  30. Web site: Windows message center: Windows Server, version 20H2 has reached end of servicing. August 9, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810205455/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/windows-message-center#321. August 10, 2022.
  31. Web site: Windows Server release information. https://web.archive.org/web/20220809222910/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/windows-server-release-info. August 9, 2022. August 10, 2022. live. docs.microsoft.com.
  32. Web site: Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows Server, version 20H2. https://web.archive.org/web/20220809234814/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-10-20h2. August 9, 2022. August 10, 2022. live. docs.microsoft.com.
  33. News: Microsoft Retires Windows Server Version 20H2. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810203442/https://news.softpedia.com/news/microsoft-retires-windows-server-version-20h2-535913.shtml. August 10, 2022. August 10, 2022. live. news.softpedia.com. Bogdan. Popa.
  34. Web site: Windows Server. Windows Server Annual Channel. Microsoft. January 9, 2024.
  35. Web site: Microsoft confirms Windows Server 2025 is on the way . Richard . Speed . January 29, 2024 . The Register.
  36. Web site: Microsoft releases first Windows Server 2025 preview build . Sergiu . Gatlan . January 26, 2024. Bleeping Computer.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Windows Server".

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