WINDOWS Server 2012 is Microsoft’s most powerful, versatile, and
fully featured server operating system yet. If you’ve been using Windows
Server operating systems for a while, I think you’ll be impressed. Why?
For starters, Windows Server 2012 includes a significantly enhanced
operating system kernel, the NT
6.2 kernel. Because this kernel is also used by Windows 8, the two
operating systems share a common code base and many common features,
enabling you to readily apply what you know about Windows 8 to Windows
Server 2012.
In Windows Server 2012, Microsoft delivers a server operating system
that is something more than the sum of its parts. Windows Server 2012
isn’t just a server operating system or a network operating system. It
is a best-of-class operating system with the foundation technologies
necessary to provide networking, application, web, and cloud-based
services that can be used anywhere within your organization. From top to
bottom, Windows Server 2012 is dramatically different from earlier
releases of Windows Server operating systems—so much so that it has an
entirely new interface as well.
The way you approach Windows Server 2012 will depend on your
background and your implementation plans. If you are moving to Windows
Server 2012 from an early Windows server operating system or switching
from UNIX, you’ll find that Windows Server 2012 is a significant change
that requires a whole new way of thinking about the networking,
application services, and interoperations between clients and servers.
The learning curve will be steep, but you will find clear transition
paths to Windows Server 2012. You will also find that Windows Server
2012 has an extensive command-line interface that makes it easier to
manage servers, workstations, and, indeed, the entire network, using
both graphical and command-line administration tools.
If you are moving from Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2
to Windows Server 2012, you’ll find the changes are no less significant
but easier to understand. You are already familiar with the core
technologies and administration techniques. Your learning curve might
still be steep, but in only some areas, not all of them.
You can adopt Windows Server 2012 incrementally as well. For example,
you might add Windows Server 2012 Print And Document Services and
Windows Server 2012 File And Storage Services to allow the organization
to take advantage of the latest enhancements and capabilities without
having to implement a full transition of existing servers. In most, but
not all, cases, incremental adoption has little or no impact on the
network, while allowing the organization to test new technologies and
incrementally roll out features to users as part of a standard
continuance or upgrade process.
You will find
the detailed inside information you need to get up to speed quickly
with Windows Server 2012 changes and technologies, to make the right
setup and configuration choices the first time, and to work around the
rough edges, annoyances, and faults of this complex operating system. If
the default settings are less than optimal, I’ll show you how to fix
them so that things work the way you want them to work. If something
doesn’t function like it should, I’ll let you know and I’ll also show
you the fastest, surest way to work around the issue. You’ll find plenty
of hacks and secrets, too.
1. Getting to know Windows Server 2012
A primary purpose of Windows Server 2012 is to ensure that the
operating system can be optimized for use in small, medium, and large
enterprises. An edition of the server operating system is available to
meet your organization’s needs whether you want to deploy a basic server
for hosting applications, a network server for hosting domain services,
a robust enterprise server for hosting essential applications, or a
highly available data-center server for hosting critical business
solutions.
Windows Server 2012 is available for production use only on 64-bit
hardware. 64-bit computing has changed substantially since it was first
introduced for Windows operating systems. Not only do computers running
64-bit versions of Windows perform better and run faster than their 32-bit
counterparts, they are also more scalable because they can process more
data per clock cycle, address more memory, and perform numeric
calculations faster. The primary 64-bit architecture supported by Windows
Server 2012 is based on 64-bit extensions to the x86 instructions set,
which is implemented in AMD64 processors, Intel Xeon processors with
64-bit extension technology, and other processors. This architecture
offers native 32-bit processing and 64-bit extension processing,
allowing simultaneous 32-bit and 64-bit computing.
64-bit computing is designed for performing operations that are
memory-intensive and that require extensive numeric calculations. With 64-bit
processing, applications can load large data sets entirely into
physical memory (that is, RAM), which reduces the need to page to disk
and increases performance substantially.
Note
In this text, I typically refer to 32-bit systems designed for x86 architecture as 32-bit systems and 64-bit systems designed for x64 architecture as 64-bit systems. Support for Itanium 64-bit (IA-64) processors is no longer standard in Windows operating systems.
Running instances of Windows Server 2012 can either be in a physical
operating system environment or a virtual operating system environment.
To better support mixed environments, Microsoft introduced a new licensing
model, based on the number of processors, users, and virtual operating
system environments. Thus, the four main product editions can be used as
follows:
-
Windows Server 2012 Foundation
Has limited features
and is available only from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
This edition supports one physical processor, up to 15 users, and one
physical environment, but it does not support virtualized environments.
Although there is a specific user limit, a separate client access
license (CAL) is not required for every user or device accessing the
server.
-
Windows Server 2012 Essentials
Has limited
features. This edition supports up to two physical processors, up to 25
users, and one physical environment, but it does not support virtualized
environments. Although there is a specific user limit, a separate CAL
is not required for every user or device accessing the server.
-
Windows Server 2012 Standard
Has all the key
features. It supports up to 64 physical processors, one physical
environment, and up to two virtual instances. Two incremental virtual
instances and two incremental physical processors are added for each
Standard license. Thus, a server with four processors, one physical
environment, and four virtual instances would need two Standard
licenses, but the same server with eight virtual environments would need
four Standard licenses. CALs are required for every user or device
accessing the server.
-
Windows Server 2012 Datacenter
Has all the key
features. It supports up to 64 physical processors, one physical
environment, and unlimited virtual instances. Two incremental physical
processors are added for each Datacenter license. Thus, a server with
two processors, one physical environment, and 32 virtual instances would
need only one Datacenter license, but the same server with four
processors would need two Datacenter licenses. CALs are required for
every user or device accessing the server.
Note
Windows Server
2012 Datacenter is not available for retail purchase. If you want to use
the Datacenter edition, you need to purchase it through Volume Licensing, an OEM, or a Services Provider Licensing Agreement (SPLA).
You implement virtual operating system environments using Hyper-V.
Hyper-V is a virtual-machine technology that allows multiple guest
operating systems to run concurrently on one computer and provide
separate applications and services to client computers, as shown in Figure 1.
As part of the Hyper-V role, which can be installed on servers with
x64-based processors that implement hardware-assisted virtualization and
hardware data execution protection, the Windows hypervisor acts as the
virtual machine engine, providing the necessary layer of software for
installing guest operating systems. You can, for example, use this
technology to concurrently run Ubuntu, Linux, and Windows Server 2012 on the same computer.
Note
With Hyper-V
enabled, Windows Server 2012 Standard and Datacenter support up to 320
logical processors. Otherwise, these operating systems support up to 640
logical processors.
Hyper-V also is
included as a feature of Windows 8 Pro and Windows 8 Enterprise. The
number of virtual machines you can run on any individual computer
depends on the computer’s hardware configuration and workload. During
setup, you specify the amount of memory available to a virtual machine.
Although that memory allocation can be changed, the amount of memory
actively allocated to a virtual machine cannot be otherwise used. Virtualization can offer performance improvements, reduce the number of servers, and reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
2. Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012
Like Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 has several main editions. These editions include the following:
-
Windows 8 The entry-level operating system designed for home users
-
Windows 8 Pro
The basic operating system designed for use in Windows domains
-
Windows 8 Enterprise
The enhanced operating system designed for use in Windows domains with extended management features
Windows 8 Pro and Enterprise are the only editions intended for use
in Active Directory domains. You can manage servers running Windows
Server 2012 from a computer running Windows 8 Pro or Windows 8
Enterprise using the Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8.
Download the tools from the Microsoft Download Center (http://download.microsoft.com).
Windows 8 uses the NT 6.2 kernel, the same kernel that Windows Server 2012 uses. Sharing the same kernel means that Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 share the following components as well as others:
-
Automatic Updates
Responsible for performing automatic
updates to the operating system. This ensures that the operating system
is up to date and has the most recent security updates. If you update a
server from the standard Windows Update to Microsoft Update, you can
get updates for additional products. By default, automatic updates are
installed but not enabled on servers running Windows Server 2012. You
can configure automatic updates using the Windows Update utility in
Control Panel.
-
BitLocker Drive Encryption
Provides an extra
layer of security for a server’s hard disks. This protects the disks
from attackers who have physical access to the server. BitLocker
encryption can be used on servers with or without a Trusted Platform
Module (TPM). When you add this feature to a server using the Add Roles
And Features Wizard, you can manage it using the BitLocker Drive Encryption utility in Control Panel.
-
Remote Assistance
Provides an assistance feature that allows an administrator to send a remote
assistance invitation to a more senior administrator. The senior
administrator can then accept the invitation to view the user’s desktop
and temporarily take control of the computer to resolve a problem. When
you add this feature to a server using the Add Roles And Features
Wizard, you can manage it using options on the Remote tab of the System
Properties dialog box.
-
Remote Desktop
Provides a remote
connectivity feature that allows you to remotely connect to and manage a
server from another computer. By default, Remote
Desktop is installed but not enabled on servers running Windows Server
2012. You can manage the Remote Desktop configuration using options on
the Remote tab of the System Properties dialog box. You can establish
remote connections using the Remote Desktop Connection utility.
-
Task Scheduler
Allows you to schedule execution of one-time and recurring tasks, such as tasks used for performing routine maintenance. Like Windows
8, Windows Server 2012 makes extensive use of the scheduled task
facilities. You can view and work with scheduled tasks in Computer
Management.
-
Desktop Experience
Installs additional
Windows 8 desktop functionality on a server. You can use this feature
when you use Windows Server 2012 as your desktop operating system. When
you add this feature using the Add Roles And Features Wizard, the
server’s desktop functionality is enhanced and these programs are
installed as well: Windows Media Player, desktop themes, Video for
Windows (AVI support), Disk Cleanup, Sync Center, Sound Recorder,
Character Map, and Snipping Tool.
-
Windows Firewall
Helps protect a computer from attack by unauthorized users. Windows Server 2012 includes a basic firewall called Windows
Firewall and an advanced firewall called Windows Firewall With Advanced
Security. By default, the firewalls are not enabled on server
installations.
-
Windows Time
Synchronizes the
system time with world time to ensure that the system time is accurate.
You can configure computers to synchronize with a specific time server.
The way Windows
Time works depends on whether a computer is a member of a domain or a
workgroup. In a domain, domain controllers are used for time
synchronization and you can manage this feature through Group Policy. In
a workgroup, you use Internet time servers for time synchronization and
you can manage this feature through the Date And Time utility.
-
Wireless LAN Service
Installs the Wireless
LAN Service feature to enable wireless connections. Wireless networking
with Windows Server 2012 works the same as it does with Windows 8. If a
server has a wireless adapter, you can enable this feature using the
Add Roles And Features Wizard.
In most instances, you can configure and manage these core components in exactly the same way on both Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
