Windows Server 2012, codenamed "Windows Server 8", is the ninth version of the Windows Server operating system by Microsoft, as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. It is the server version of Windows based on Windows 8 and succeeds Windows Server 2008 R2, which is derived from the Windows 7 codebase, released nearly three years earlier. Two pre-release versions, a developer preview and a beta version, were released during development. The software was officially launched on September 4, 2012, which was the month before the release of Windows 8.[4] It was succeeded by Windows Server 2012 R2 in 2013. Mainstream support for Windows Server 2012 ended on October 9, 2018, and extended support ended on October 10, 2023. Windows Server 2012 is eligible for the paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, which offers continued security updates until October 13, 2026.

Windows Server 2012
Version of the Windows NT operating system
Screenshot of Windows Server 2012, showing the Server Manager application which is automatically opened when an administrator logs on, taskbar, and the blue color of Aero Lite
DeveloperMicrosoft
OS familyWindows Server
Working stateCurrent
Source model
Released to
manufacturing
August 1, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-08-01)
General
availability
September 4, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-09-04)[1]
Latest release6.2 (Build 9200) / August 1, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-08-01)[2]
Marketing targetBusiness
Update methodWindows Update, Windows Server Update Services, SCCM
Platformsx86-64
Kernel typeHybrid (Windows NT kernel)
Default
user interface
Windows shell (GUI)
LicenseCommercial proprietary software
Preceded byWindows Server 2008 R2 (2009)
Succeeded byWindows Server 2012 R2 (2013)
Official websiteWindows Server 2012 (archived at Wayback Machine))
Support status
  • Start date: October 30, 2012[3]
  • Mainstream support ended on October 9, 2018[3]
  • Extended support ended on October 10, 2023[3]
  • Paid support via the Extended Security Updates program until October 14, 2026, only for volume licensed editions.

Windows Server 2012 removed support for Itanium and processors without PAE, SSE2 and NX.[5] Four editions were released. 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.

Windows Server 2012 is the final version of Windows Server that supports processors without CMPXCHG16b, PrefetchW, LAHF and SAHF. Its successor, Windows Server 2012 R2, requires a processor with CMPXCHG16b, PrefetchW, LAHF and SAHF in any supported architecture.

As of April 2017, 35% of servers were running Windows Server 2012, surpassing usage share of Windows Server 2008.[6]

History

edit

Windows Server 2012, codenamed "Windows Server 8",[7] is the fifth release of Windows Server family of operating systems developed concurrently with Windows 8.[8][9]

Microsoft introduced Windows Server 2012 and its developer preview in the BUILD 2011 conference on September 9, 2011.[10] However, unlike Windows 8, the developer preview of Windows Server 2012 was only made available to MSDN subscribers.[11] It included a graphical user interface (GUI) based on Metro design language and a new Server Manager, a graphical application used for server management.[12] 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.[13]

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.[8] On April 17, 2012, Microsoft revealed "Windows Server 2012" as the final name for the operating system.[7] The release candidate of Windows Server 2012 was released on May 31, 2012, along with the Windows 8 Release Preview.[9]

The product was released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012 (along with Windows 8) and became generally available on September 4, that year.[4] 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[14] and was made generally available on November 1, 2012.[15] As of September 23, 2012, all students subscribed to DreamSpark program can download Windows Server 2012 Standard or Datacenter free of charge.[16]

Windows Server 2012 is based on Windows 8 and is the second version of Windows Server which runs only on 64-bit CPUs.[17] Coupled with fundamental changes in the structure of the client backups and the shared folders, there is no clear method for migrating from the previous version to Windows Server 2012.

Features

edit
 
Windows Server 2012 Start screen, with tools used in a server pinned on the Start screen by default

Installation options

edit

Unlike its predecessor, Windows Server 2012 users can switch between "Server Core" and "Server with a GUI" installation options without a full re-installation. 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.[12]

User interface

edit

Server Manager has been redesigned with an emphasis on easing management of multiple servers.[18] The operating system, like Windows 8, uses the Metro-based user interface unless installed in Server Core mode.[19] The Windows Store is available by installing the desktop experience feature from the server manager, but is not installed by default.[20] Windows PowerShell in this version has over 2300 commandlets, compared to around 200 in Windows Server 2008 R2.[21]

Task Manager

edit

Windows Server 2012 includes a new version of Windows Task Manager together with the old version.[22] 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.[23] 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.[24] 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,[25] however this tab does not exist in Windows Server 2012.[26] 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.[27]

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.[28] Multiple password policies can be set in the same domain.[29] 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".[30][31]

Hyper-V

edit

Windows Server 2012, along with Windows 8, includes a new version of Hyper-V,[32] as presented at the Microsoft BUILD event.[33] 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).[34][35] Up to 1024 virtual machines can be active per host, and up to 8000 can be active per failover cluster.[36] 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.[37]

ReFS

edit

Resilient File System (ReFS),[38] codenamed "Protogon",[39] 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:[40][41]

Improved reliability for on-disk structures
ReFS uses B+ trees[40] 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,[40] 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.[40] ReFS supports many existing Windows and NTFS features such as BitLocker encryption, Access Control Lists, USN Journal, change notifications,[42] symbolic links, junction points, mount points, reparse points, volume snapshots, file IDs, and oplock. ReFS seamlessly[40] integrates with Storage Spaces, a storage virtualization layer that allows data mirroring and striping, as well as sharing storage pools between machines.[43] 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.

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.[39][40] Sparse files are supported.[44][45] 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.[46] ReFS does not itself offer data deduplication.[40] 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.[46] 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,[47] centralized management of SSL certificates, WebSocket support and improved support for NUMA, but few other substantial changes were made.[48]

Remote Desktop Protocol 8.0

edit

Remote Desktop Protocol has new functions such as Adaptive Graphics (progressive rendering and related techniques), automatic selection of TCP or UDP as transport protocol, multi touch support, DirectX 11 support for vGPU, USB redirection supported independently of vGPU support, etc.[49] A "connection quality" button is displayed in the RDP client connection bar for RDP 8.0 connections; clicking on it provides further information about connection, including whether UDP is in use or not.[50]

Scalability

edit

Windows Server 2012 supports the following maximum hardware specifications.[35][51] Windows Server 2012 improves over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 R2:

Specification Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2008 R2
Physical processors[a] 64 64
Logical processors
when Hyper-V is disabled
640 256
Logical processors
when Hyper-V is enabled
320[b] 64
Memory 4 TB 2 TB
Failover cluster nodes (in any single cluster) 64 16

System requirements

edit
Minimum system requirements for Windows Server 2012[53]
Processor 1.4 GHz, x64
Memory 512 MB
Free disk space 32 GB (more if there is at least 16 GB of RAM)

Windows Server 2012 runs only on x86-64 processors. Unlike older versions, Windows Server 2012 does not support Itanium.[5]

Upgrades from Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are supported, although upgrades from prior releases are not.[53]

Editions

edit

Windows Server 2012 has four editions: Foundation, Essentials, Standard and Datacenter.[54][55][56][57][51]

Specifications Foundation[58] Essentials Standard Datacenter
Distribution OEM only Retail, volume licensing, OEM Volume licensing and OEM
Licensing model Per server Per CPU pair[c] + CAL[d]
Processor chip limit[51] 1 2 64[e]
Memory limit 32 GB 64 GB 4 TB
User limit 15 25 Unlimited Unlimited
File sharing limits 1 standalone DFS root 1 standalone DFS root Unlimited Unlimited
Network Policy and Access Services limits 50 RRAS connections and 10 IAS connections 250 RRAS connections, 50 IAS connections, and 2 IAS Server Groups Unlimited Unlimited
Remote Desktop Services limits 50 Remote Desktop Services connections Gateway only Unlimited Unlimited
Virtualization rights Either in 1 VM or 1 physical server, but not both at once 2 VMs[c] Unlimited
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services Yes Yes Yes Yes
Active Directory Federation Services Yes[59] Yes Yes Yes
Active Directory Rights Management Services Yes Yes Yes Yes
Application server role Yes Partial Yes Yes
DHCP role Yes Yes Yes Yes
DNS server role Yes Yes Yes Yes
Fax server role Yes Yes Yes Yes
Print and document services Yes Yes Yes Yes
Server Manager Yes Yes Yes Yes
UDDI services Yes Yes Yes Yes
Web services (Internet Information Services) Yes Yes Yes Yes
Windows Deployment Services Yes Yes Yes Yes
Windows Powershell Yes Yes Yes Yes
Active Directory Domain Services Must be root of forest and domain Yes Yes Yes
Active Directory Certificate Services Certificate Authorities only Certificate Authorities only Yes Yes
Hyper-V No R2 onwards Yes Yes
Server Core mode No No Yes Yes
Windows Server Update Services No No Yes Yes

Reception

edit

Reviews of Windows Server 2012 have been generally positive.[60][61][62] Simon Bisson of ZDNet described it as "ready for the datacenter, today,"[60] 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."[61]

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.[63] 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.[64]

Paul Ferrill wrote that "Windows Server 2012 Essentials provides all the pieces necessary to provide centralized file storage, client backups, and remote access,"[65] 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,[66] 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."[67]

Windows Server 2012 R2

edit

A second release, Windows Server 2012 R2, which is derived from the Windows 8.1 codebase, was released to manufacturing on August 27, 2013[68] and became generally available on October 18, 2013, by Microsoft.[69] An updated version, formally designated Windows Server 2012 R2 Update, was released in April 2014.[70][71]

Support lifecycle

edit

Microsoft originally planned to end mainstream support for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 on January 9, 2018, with extended support ending on January 10, 2023. In order to provide customers the standard transition lifecycle timeline, Microsoft extended Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 support in March 2017 by 9 months. Windows Server 2012 reached the end of mainstream support on October 9, 2018 and entered the extended support phase, which ended on October 10, 2023.[72][73][74]

Microsoft announced in July 2021 that they will distribute paid Extended Security Updates for volume licensed editions of Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 for up to 3 years after the end of extended support.[75] For Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2, these updates will last until October 13, 2026. This will mark the final end of all security updates for the Windows NT 6.2 product line after 14 years, 2 months and 12 days and will also mark the final end of all security updates for the Windows NT 6.3 product line after 13 years, 1 month and 16 days.

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.[52]
  3. ^ a b Each 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. ^ For 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. ^ If 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. ^ a b c "Microsoft Product Lifecycle". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. January 2012. Archived from the original on February 27, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Snover, Jeffrey (August 1, 2012). "Windows Server 2012 released to manufacturing!". Windows Server Blog. Microsoft. TechNet blogs. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Foley, Mary Jo (April 5, 2010). "Microsoft pulls the plug on future Itanium support". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 12, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  6. ^ "Windows Server 2012 approximately equal to Windows Server 2008". SmartProfile. August 25, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Foley, Mary Jo (April 17, 2012). "Windows Server "8" officially dubbed Windows Server 2012". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 19, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Savill, John (February 29, 2012). "Q: Where can I download and get more information on Windows Server "8" Beta and Windows 8 Consumer Preview?". Windows IT Pro. Penton Media. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  9. ^ a b Snover, Jeffrey (April 24, 2012). "Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate Timing". Windows Server Blog. Microsoft. TechNet blogs. Archived from the original on February 11, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  10. ^ Laing, Bill (September 9, 2011). "Windows Server 8: An Introduction". Server & Cloud Blog. Microsoft. TechNet blogs. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  11. ^ "Download Windows Server 8 Developer Preview via MSDN". Softpedia. SoftNews SRL. September 14, 2011. Archived from the original on May 8, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  12. ^ a b Bisson, Simon (September 14, 2011). "Windows 8 Server Developer Preview". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  13. ^ Arghire, Ionut (February 18, 2012). "Windows 8 Developer Preview Expiration Date Gets Postponed". Softpedia. SoftNews SRL. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  14. ^ Snover, Jeffrey. "Windows Server 2012 Essentials released to manufacturing, available for evaluation today!". Windows Server Blog!. Microsoft. TechNet blogs. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  15. ^ "Windows Server 2012 Essentials reaches general availability!". Windows Server Blog!. Microsoft. TechNet blogs. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  16. ^ "Windows Server 2012". Microsoft DreamSpark. Microsoft. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  17. ^ Joel Hruska (May 18, 2007). "Windows Server 2008 declared 32-bit's last hurrah". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  18. ^ Callaham, John (September 9, 2011). "Windows Server 8 Screenshot Leak Shows New UI". Neowin.net. Neowin LLC. Archived from the original on February 27, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  19. ^ Wilhelm, Alex (September 9, 2011). "Windows Server 8 Screenshot leaks". News. The Next Web. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  20. ^ "Managing Privacy: Windows Store and Resulting Internet Communication". TechNet. Microsoft. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  21. ^ Thurott, Paul (November 2, 2011). "Windows Server "8" Preview (Unedited, Complete Version)". Paul Thurott's Supersite for Windows. Penton Media. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  22. ^ Williams, Mike; Hanson, Matt (October 25, 2012). "Windows 8 tips: mastering the interface". Techradar. Future Publishing. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  23. ^ Haveson, Ryan (October 13, 2011). Sinofsky, Steven (ed.). "The Windows 8 Task Manager". Building Windows 8. Microsoft. MSDN blogs. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  24. ^ "Using Task Manager with 64+ logical processors". Building Windows 8. MSDN blogs. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  25. ^ "How to Get the Most out of New Windows 8 Task Manager?". October 24, 2011. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  26. ^ Hu, Aaron. "How to disable start-up items in windows server 2012". TechNet Forums. Microsoft. Archived from the original on February 27, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2012. The Startup tab is not present on Windows Server 2012. It is only on Windows 8.
  27. ^ "IP Address Management (IPAM) Overview". TechNet Library. Microsoft. February 29, 2012. Archived from the original on May 2, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  28. ^ Shields, Greg (July 3, 2012). "Quick Guide: What's New in Windows Server 2012 Active Directory". Redmond magazine. 1105 Redmond Media. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  29. ^ Sherif Mahmoud, Tamer (May 29, 2012). "Creating fine grained password policies through GUI Windows server (sic) 2012 "Server 8 beta"". Team blog of MCS @ Middle East and Africa. Microsoft. TechNet blogs. Archived from the original on March 7, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  30. ^ Bruzzese, J. Peter (October 26, 2011). "Windows Server 8: The 4 best new Active Directory features". InfoWorld. IDG. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  31. ^ Deuby, Sean (September 14, 2011). "What's New in Windows Server 2012 Active Directory". Windows IT Pro. Penton Media. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  32. ^ Herrmann, Max; Laing, Bill; Vecchiet, Manlio; Neil, Mike (September 14, 2011). "Day 2: Windows Server 8". Channel 9. Microsoft. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  33. ^ "BUILD2011: Windows Server 8". Channel 9. Anaheim, California: Microsoft. September 13–16, 2011. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  34. ^ "Server Virtualization Features". Microsoft. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  35. ^ a b Savill, John (October 28, 2011). "Q: What are Windows Server 8's Scalability Numbers?". Windows IT Pro. Penton Media. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  36. ^ Garg, Pankaj; Tan, See-Mong (September 14, 2011). "Day 2: A deep dive into Hyper-V Networking". Channel 9. Microsoft. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  37. ^ Savil, John (October 21, 2011). "Q: Will Windows Server 8 require the processor to support SLAT?". Windows IT Pro. Penton Media. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  38. ^ Lucas, Martin (January 1, 2013). "Windows Server 2012: Does ReFS replace NTFS? When should I use it?". Ask Premier Field Engineering (PFE) Platforms. Microsoft. TechNet blogs. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  39. ^ a b Foley, Mary Jo (January 16, 2012). "Microsoft goes public with plans for its new Windows 8 file system". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g Verma, Surendra (January 16, 2012). Sinofsky, Steven (ed.). "Building the next generation file system for Windows: ReFS". Building Windows 8. Microsoft. MSDN blogs. Archived from the original on May 26, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  41. ^ Meyer, David (January 17, 2012). "Microsoft takes wraps off new Windows file system". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  42. ^ "ReadDirectoryChangesW function". MSDN Library. Microsoft. November 8, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  43. ^ Nagar, Rajeev (January 5, 2012). Sinofsky, Steven (ed.). "Virtualizing storage for scale, resiliency, and efficiency". Building Windows 8. Microsoft. MSDN blogs. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  44. ^ "Windows Server 2012: Does ReFS replace NTFS? When should I use it?". January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  45. ^ "ReFS (Resilient File System) supports sparse files". Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  46. ^ a b "Resilient File System Overview". TechNet Library. Microsoft. February 29, 2012. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  47. ^ Mackie, Kurt. "Microsoft Touts IIS 8 Improvements". Redmond magazine. 1105 Redmond Media. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  48. ^ Anderson, Tim (September 4, 2012). "Windows Server 2012: inside Microsoft's Enterprise Server OS". Computer Weekly. TechTarget. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  49. ^ "Windows Server 2012 Remote Desktop Services (RDS) – Windows Server Blog – Site Home – TechNet Blogs". Blogs.technet.com. May 8, 2012. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  50. ^ "Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 8.0 update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2". Support.microsoft.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  51. ^ a b c Seldam, Matthijs ten (October 13, 2012). "Windows Server - Sockets, Logical Processors, Symmetric Multi Threading". Matthijs's blog. Microsoft. TechNet blogs. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  52. ^ "Logical Processor count changes after enabling Hyper-V role on Windows Server 2012". March 28, 2013. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  53. ^ a b "Installing Windows Server 2012". TechNet Library. Microsoft. System requirements. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  54. ^ Foley, Mary Jo (July 5, 2012). "Microsoft goes public with Windows Server 2012 versions, licensing". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  55. ^ "Purchasing Windows Server 2012". Microsoft. Archived from the original on December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  56. ^ "Windows Server 2012 Licensing and Pricing FAQ" (PDF). Microsoft. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  57. ^ "Windows Server 2012 Licensing Data Sheet" (PDF). Microsoft. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2012.
  58. ^ "Introduction to Windows Server 2012 Foundation". TechNet. Microsoft. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  59. ^ "Introduction to Windows Server 2012 Foundation". TechNet Library. Microsoft. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  60. ^ a b Bisson, Simon (September 13, 2012). "Windows Server 2012: RTM review". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  61. ^ a b Anderson, Tim (September 5, 2012). "Windows Server 2012: Smarter, stronger, frustrating". The Register. Situation Publishing. Archived from the original on December 26, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  62. ^ Ferrill, Paul (October 3, 2012). "Windows Server 2012 Review: The Bottom Line". ServerWatch. QuinStreet. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  63. ^ Rist, Oliver (June 27, 2012). "Review: Weighing Windows Server 2012". InfoWorld. IDG. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  64. ^ Otey, Michael (July 25, 2012). "Is Microsoft Trying to Kill Windows Server?". Windows IT Pro. Penton Media. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  65. ^ Ferrill, Paul (December 16, 2012). "A Hands-on Look at Windows Server 2012 Essentials". ServerWatch. QuinStreet. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  66. ^ Anderson, Tim (December 21, 2012). "Windows Server 2012 Essentials review". PC Pro. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  67. ^ Thurott, Paul (October 2, 2012). "Windows Server 2012: Foundation vs. Essentials". Windows IT Pro. Penton Media. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  68. ^ "Windows Server 2012 R2 Reaches the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) Milestone". Microsoft Docs. August 27, 2013. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  69. ^ "Save the date: Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows System Center 2012 R2 and Windows Intune update coming Oct. 18 - The Official Microsoft Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs". Microsoft Docs. August 14, 2013. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  70. ^ "August updates for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 | Blogging Windows". Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  71. ^ Resseler, Mike (August 27, 2013). "eBook - What's new in Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview". Veeam Software. Archived from the original on April 5, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  72. ^ "Windows Server 2012". Microsoft Docs. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  73. ^ "Microsoft Extends Windows Server 2012 Support -- Redmondmag.com". Redmondmag. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  74. ^ "Windows Server 2012 Nears End of life". February 3, 2020. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  75. ^ "Product Lifecycle FAQ - Extended Security Updates". docs.microsoft.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.

Further reading

edit
edit