Why Buy Windows Server 2016?
Windows Server, part of Microsoft’s Windows NT family, is a server operating system. This Operating system offers enterprise level management and provides the same features of a normal OS, alongside side several management features. Windows Server 2016 is the latest and greatest in the long line of server operating systems.
New Features in Windows Server 2016
As it is expected with a new release of windows, Windows Server 2016 arrives bundled with a huge array of new features. The fully baked version of Windows Server illustrates a strong emphasis on security and cloud services. From Nano-Servers to networking improvements, all the new features work together to form a well-balanced and extremely useful enterprise level Operating System. Some of the top new features of Windows Server are:
Nano Server:
Nano Server is a stripped-down version of Windows Server that’s designed specifically for cloud environments. Nano Server offers headless installation (No local UI and no local console). The overall footprint of Nano Server is 92% less than Windows Server Core GUI (Graphical User Interface). Nano Server comes with a minimal UI called Nano Recovery Console that can be used to perform initial configuration tasks. Some advantages of using Nano Severs are:
- Nano can easily be ported across Servers and data centers.
- Few reboots are necessary as less updates are required.
- Nano can host the common Windows Server workloads like Hyper-V host.
Docker-based Containers:
Container provide the users with a way to isolate the application and services in an easy to administrator way. Such Containers were only a part of Linux/Unix based OS but now Microsoft in collaboration with Docker is bringing Docker-based containers to Windows Server 2016. Microsoft’s new approach is of open-source technologies. This feature comes with two different types of controllers:
- Hyper-V Container which offers a super-isolated containerized instance of Windows Server that is completely isolated from the host server and other containers. Such Containers are preferred for high-priority workload.
- Windows Server Container is usually preferred for low-trust workloads. Such Containers are isolated from one another but use some common resources.
Resilient File System (ReFS)
Windows Server 2016 comes with a stable version of the Resilient file system which is intended as a high-performance file system to be used with Hyper-V workloads and Storage Spaces Direct.
Nested Virtualization
This feature allows a virtual machine to host virtual machines itself. This feature was previously not available with Windows Server Hyper-V, but with version 2016 this feature is available to users.
Advanced Remote Desktop Configuration
Depending on what kind of setup you have, you can configure the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) solution for two types of virtualization. Session-based virtualization and VDI.
- Session-based virtualization: Utilize the processing power of the compute power of Windows Server to provide a cost-effective multi-session environment to drive your users’ everyday workloads
- VDI: Leverage Windows client to provide the high performance, app compatibility, and familiarity that your users have come to expect of their Windows desktop experience.
Linux Secure Boot
Secure Boot is a UEFI standard which protects the machine against the boot-time malware or rootkits injection. Windows Server 2016 now allows users to deploy Linux VMs under Hyper-V without the need of disabling this Secure Boot Feature.
Hyper-V HOT-Add Virtual Hardware
Lastly, Hyper-V Server allowed users to add virtual hardware and allocate resources to a virtual machine with a catch of first powering down the machine. Users can now add virtual hardware to a running machine without the need of turning it off in the latest version.
The aforementioned features are just some examples of the new and innovative features in Windows Server 2016.
For more information, or to speak to a licensing expert, contact us today.