Windows 8 isn’t the only new Microsoft OS this year. Windows Server 2012 officially launched today, adding both an updated interface and major changes to virtualisation, storage and management options.
While the most visible change in Windows Server 2012 is the adoption of the Windows 8 interface, many of the configuration options retain the classic Windows look and the major alterations are under the hood. Microsoft is describing Windows Server 2012 as a “Cloud OS”, able to combine internal server resources and external systems in a more flexible fashion.
As we’ve noted before, there are fewer versions of Windows Server 2012 than has been the case with earlier server releases for Windows. Anyone running a relatively small server environment will probably head straight to the Foundation version, which supports up to 25 users. However, the emphasis is clearly on the virtualisation and cloud options which feature in the Standard and Datacenter editions. The launch infographic below highlights that all the early adopters testing Windows Server 2012 are using virtualisation features.
You can download a 180-day trial edition of Windows Server 2012 at the link below (both the Standard and Datacenter editions are available). We’ll be covering the features of Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 in much more detail next week at TechEd Australia 2012.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.