Stay ahead of the curve and learn about the latest innovations and best practices in the world of Windows Server. Session recordings from the Windows Server Summit 2024 virtual event sponsored by Intel^® are available on-demand.

Designed for experienced IT professionals and IT leaders, the event will help deepen knowledge and skills of Windows Server and managing Windows Server workloads in hybrid cloud environments. The event includes talks by Microsoft product engineers, Intel® experts, and Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) sharing insights and tips to get the most out of Windows Server. You won’t want to miss the sneak peek of exciting features and enhancements coming in Windows Server 2025, the next major release of Microsoft’s server operating system!

Windows Server Summit

Recorded presentations available on-demand

View sessions today

Windows Server Summit has been an annual virtual event for the past three years. This year we responded to feedback on this popular event by including more demos and deeper technical content. All sessions are presented by Microsoft engineering teams and technical leaders from Intel® as well as our highly skilled Microsoft MVPs. Here are some examples of our expert content:

Windows Server 2025 preview

Did you catch the Microsoft Ignite 2023 session with Jeff Woolsey and Elden Christensen in matching purple shirts? That was still early days—there is more to share! In his Windows Server Summit session, Elden will provide an overview of all the new features and improvements to expect in Windows Server 2025 when released in late 2024.

Did you know that while you are playing Xbox at home, the team supporting the backend services uses Hotpatch? Find out how they do it in our session with Vishal Baja and Viraj Desai from Windows engineering and Tim Dreyling from Xbox networking teams.

Is software defined networking (SDN) your thing? You won’t want to miss Cindy Wan, Anirban Paul, Kyle Bisnett, and Samuel Liu of the SDN team for their demo bash session—including how to use upcoming Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS) and network security enhancements.

Are you looking for ways to prepare for AI? Afia Boakye and Nicole Bourain from the core operating system (OS) virtualization team will dive into new features in the Windows Server and Azure Stack HCI covering GPU failover clustering and new GPU partitioning (GPU-P) for GPU virtualization.

Security and hardening Windows Server

What are your thoughts on NTLM? Join Ned Pyle as he walks you through the evolution of Windows Authentication with Windows Server 2025 updates to NTLM and Kerberos improvement.

Eric Woodruff, Security MVP, is sharing his expertise with sessions on taking steps to secure Windows Server Active Directory with the Security Compliance Toolkit and Center for Internet Security (CIS) Benchmarks as well as a session specific to protecting your server from management plane attacks.

Microsoft understands not every server is running the latest version of Windows Server. Still, keeping your servers secure is vital. Join Principal Product Managers Poornima Priyadarshini and Jason Leznek to learn how Azure Arc extends the Azure control plane to on-premises servers and take advantage of Extended Security Updates (ESUs) on a flexible monthly billing model with keyless activation.

Windows Server hybrid and cloud

Are you running Windows Server on-premises or at the edge? Learn how you can leverage Azure automation, PowerShell, run command, and many other Azure management solutions for your on-premises Windows Servers. Thomas Maurer, Senior Program Manager and Chief Evangelist Azure Hybrid, and Ryan Willis, Product Manager for Azure Arc, will share how to automate your on-premises Windows Server from the cloud using Azure Arc.

Upgrades and migrations

Want to understand the details of Windows Server upgrade and update processes? We have the core team responsible front and center to walk you through the “how” and “when” of updates—including the upgrade path from Windows Server 2018 to Windows Server 2025.

Gregor Reimling is a rare, dual category MVP in Azure and Security. He will share his best practices for a successful Azure migration starting with the Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) and look at the Azure Migrate and Modernize program.

Windows Server best practices

Fady Azmy, Program Manager for Windows Server will share practical strategies and best practices for using containers to boost efficiency and simplify deployment while maximizing resource utilization for Windows Server applications.

Interested in host networking on the edge? Join Basel Kablawi, Product Manager for network data plane, and Anirban Paul, Principal Product Manager, as they share what’s new and exciting in networking for Windows Server, highlighting Network ATC, Network HUD, and Accelerated Networking.

Be sure to watch these and other great sessions from our expert speakers!

The post Check out Microsoft Windows Server Summit 2024 appeared first on Microsoft Windows Server Blog.

Azure Hybrid Benefit expansion

As customers are increasing cloud adoption to run virtual machine (VM)–based and containerized applications, they also need to keep some workloads on-premises. At Microsoft, we are committed to meeting customers where they are. Azure Hybrid Benefit is a program that enables customers to reduce the costs of running workloads in the cloud. At Microsoft Ignite, we’re introducing new additions to Azure Hybrid Benefit to bring the value of Azure to where customers are.

As part of our updates, customers with Windows Server Software Assurance or a Cloud Solution Provider subscription will be able to use Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) on Windows Server and Azure Stack HCI in their own datacenters or edge infrastructure at no additional cost. This will enable customers to containerize their applications and deploy them on Azure or on-premises consistently by maximizing business value with a managed Kubernetes service in their own environments.

For customers looking to modernize their environment, we are also introducing a new benefit for Windows Server Datacenter Software Assurance customers to use Azure Stack HCI at no additional cost.¹ With this, customers can modernize their existing datacenter and edge infrastructure to run their VM and container-based workloads on modern infrastructure with industry-leading price performance and built-in connectivity to Azure. Learn more about Azure Hybrid Benefit for AKS and Azure Stack HCI.

More flexibility to run Windows Server

On October 1, 2022, we implemented several updates to outsourcing and hosting terms for customers and partners globally. Among these is the Flexible Virtualization Benefit, which allows customers with Software Assurance or subscription licenses to run their own licensed software, including Windows Server, on other cloud providers’ infrastructure—dedicated or multitenant.² Additionally, customers can also license Windows Server on a VM basis.

Windows Server customers have been increasingly leveraging Windows containers to modernize their applications. However, we heard from a few of our customers and application vendors that needed the ability to distribute a complete containerized application directly to their end users. Starting today, customers will be able to redistribute Windows Container base images beyond their organization in accordance with the updated End-User Agreement License. Now, customers and application vendors across segments like medical, financial, manufacturing, or other air-gapped environments can more easily use Windows containers to modernize their applications. Learn more about the upcoming changes in our tech community blog.

Modernize for end of support

With all the added benefits and flexibility mentioned above, there is no better time to modernize than now. This is especially true if you are running Windows Server 2012/R2, which is reaching end of support next year on October 10, 2023. We have several options to keep your Windows Server 2012/R2 workloads protected:

• Migrate to Azure and run securely with up to three years of free Extended Security Updates. This includes all Azure destinations such as Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Dedicated Host, Azure VMware Solution, and the Azure Stack portfolio.
• Upgrade to Windows Server 2022 to get the latest innovation in security and application modernization.
• Deploy extended security updates on-premises. Customers that cannot meet the end of support deadline and have Software Assurance or subscription licenses under an enterprise agreement enrollment, and cannot migrate their Windows Server to Azure, will have the option to buy Extended Security Updates.

Start migrating and modernizing your Windows Server workloads

No matter where you are in your migration and modernization journey, we are committed to supporting you at every step. Here are some resources to get started today:  

• Learn more about the unique capabilities and cost-savings available when running Windows Server on Azure.
• Learn more about your options for Windows Server and SQL Server 2012/R2 end of support.
• Migrate and modernize with confidence through the Azure Migration and Modernization Program.

¹_{Currently only available for Windows Server Datacenter licenses with Software Assurance purchased through Enterprise Agreements. Customers can only use Windows Server or Azure Stack HCI. Customers will have 180 days of concurrent use rights to move to Azure Stack HCI.}

²_{Note that these changes exclude what we term Listed Providers: Alibaba, Amazon Web Services, Google, and Microsoft. Customers that want to use a Listed Provider for outsourcing can acquire licenses directly from the Listed Provider.}

³_{Note: In alignment with the servicing model for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 (link to blog), the Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 ESU program will only include Monthly Rollup packages; Security Only update packages will not be provided.}

The post Maximize your Windows Server investments with new benefits and more flexibility appeared first on Microsoft Windows Server Blog.

Take advantage of this opportunity to get your questions answered during live Q&A by engaging with product managers that represent Windows Server and all these Azure services.

A closer look at session details

Session and speaker	Description
Windows Server Summit Kickoff Bernardo Caldas Vice President of Program Management, Azure Core OS, and Edge Infrastructure	Tune in for a kickoff with Bernardo Caldas (Vice President of Program Management, Azure Core OS, and Edge Infrastructure) and Arpan Shah (General Manager, Azure) who will talk about the latest innovation for Windows Server and share some exciting announcements.
What’s new with Windows Server 2022 Jeff Woolsey Principal Program Manager, Windows Server	Join Jeff Woolsey and deep dive into the latest capabilities of what makes Windows Server 2022 an exciting platform for IT pros and developers. Learn how you can apply these capabilities to your applications and data in the cloud, on-premises, and at the edge.
Windows Server 2022 and Hybrid Cloud with Azure Arc Ryan Willis Senior Program Manager, Azure Arc	Azure is the world’s computer. It’s built with enterprise-scale in mind and all the services you need to manage updates, collect and analyze logs, audit and enforce policy, and secure your servers. For workloads not moving to Azure, learn how to bring Azure innovation to your on-premises and multicloud servers with Azure Arc.
Windows Server 2022 and Hybrid Cloud with Azure Stack HCI Cosmos Darwin Principal PM Manager	Azure Stack HCI is a new hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) operating system delivered as an Azure service that provides the latest security, performance, and feature updates. Learn how to deploy and run Windows Server 2022 on Azure Stack HCI to modernize your datacenter while using your existing tools, processes, and skillsets.
Simplify IT management with Azure innovation for Windows Server 2022 Meagan McCrory Senior Program Manager	Azure Automanage can help you save time and resources for your Windows Server workloads. Discover how different services can help manage servers and see how Azure Automanage helps you easily discover and utilize premier Windows Server 2022 capabilities.
Increase developer velocity with Windows containers and Kubernetes Olaseni Adeniji Program Manager	Companies are rapidly modernizing their applications with containers and microservices. Learn about tools and platform capabilities that can help modernize your traditional Windows Server applications and implement a differentiated container solution for your Windows host.
Modernize server management with System Center and Windows Admin Center Srividya Varanasi Senior Program Manager Prasidh Arora Program Manager, Windows Server	Microsoft is evolving server management with System Center and Windows Admin Center. Learn how you can use System Center to manage datacenters at scale and how you can use Windows Admin Center to perform granular and optimized server management. We will share new and future capabilities that enable you to achieve a singular management plane across your on-premises estate.

We look forward to having you join us at the Windows Server Summit on September 16, 2021!

The post Get a first look at Windows Server 2022—register for the free Windows Server Summit appeared first on Microsoft Windows Server Blog.

With Windows Server 2022, customers can continue to securely run their workloads, enable new hybrid cloud scenarios, and modernize their applications to meet evolving business requirements. Let’s dive into the new technical capabilities of Windows Server 2022 and how customers can take advantage of these to modernize their server environment.

Why upgrade to Windows Server 2022

Advanced multi-layered security

Security has always been a cornerstone of Windows Server. With security top of mind for our customers, we are introducing numerous security enhancements in Windows Server 2022. In this release, customers can take advantage of multi-layer security with Secured-core server and secured connectivity. Secured-core server means our hardware partners have provided hardware, firmware, and drivers to help customers harden the security of their critical systems. It allows IT and SecOps teams to apply comprehensive security broadly in their environment with Secured-core server’s advanced protection and preventive defense across hardware, firmware, and virtualization layers.

Secured connectivity in Windows Server 2022 adds another layer to security during transport. The new release adds faster and more secure encrypted hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) and industry-standard AES-256 encryption with support for server message block (SMB) protocol.

Hybrid capabilities with Azure

Customers are choosing a hybrid and multicloud approach to digitally transform their businesses. They can now take advantage of cloud services with on-premises Windows Server 2022 by connecting with Azure Arc.

Additionally, in Windows Server 2022 customers can take advantage of the File Server enhancements such as SMB Compression. SMB Compression improves application file transfer by compressing data while in transit over a network. Finally, Windows Admin Center, a tool loved by admins, brings modern server management experience such as with a new event viewer and gateway proxy support for Azure connected scenarios.

Flexible application platform

Customers who upgrade to Windows Server 2022 can take advantage of scalability improvements such as support for 48TB of memory and 2,048 logical cores running on 64 physical sockets for those demanding Tier1 applications. In this release, customers can also take advantage of advancements to Windows containers. For example, Windows Server 2022 improves application compatibility of Windows containers, includes HostProcess containers for node configuration, supports IPv6 and dual-stack, and enables consistent network policy implementation with Calico. Furthermore, we are continuing to work with the Kubernetes community to enable Windows Server 2022 container support and bring the new capabilities to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and AKS on Azure Stack HCI.

For deeper details on Windows Server 2022 preview features, please refer to the Windows Server preview blog and our tech documentation.

Get more from Windows Server 

In the last year, we have not only introduced Windows Server 2022 but also introduced Azure services and service enhancements for Windows Server. Let’s look at the two common scenarios and capabilities that customers can take advantage of.

On Azure: Azure Automanage (in preview) enables IT pros to not only automate cloud best practices but also put into practice our enterprise expertise with the Microsoft cloud adoption framework. With Azure Automanage for Windows Server, customers can migrate to Azure easily without any changes to network IP, securely do file transfer to Azure using SMB over QUIC, and implement hotpatch for new Windows Server Azure Virtual Machines.

To modernize existing applications, customers have many options in Azure depending on their application architectural needs. For example, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) with native .NET support enables customers to modernize applications with Kubernetes, the container orchestrator of choice for many.

Lastly, when customers move their workloads to Azure, they can take advantage of benefits such as Azure Hybrid Benefit and free Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2008 and 2012—only on Azure.

Hybrid and on-premises: Many customers need to run applications and services on-premises. Through Azure Arc and Azure Stack HCI, customers can modernize the management and virtualization layers, respectively. Similarly, customers who want to modernize their Windows Server applications on-premises can use AKS on Azure Stack HCI.

While we will continue to introduce new capabilities in Window Server Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC), we will also enable new scenarios in Azure that make it simple for customers to modernize their Windows Server IT environment.

Starting your journey with Windows Server 2022

Windows Server 2022 includes a broad set of capabilities—here are top ways to get started:

• Windows Server Evaluation Center offers options to try Windows Server in Azure or to download.
• Windows Server on Azure Marketplace for running Virtual Machines on Azure.
• Volume Licensing Service Center, where Volume License customers can download Windows Server 2022.
• Refer to the pricing page for Windows Server 2022 editions and pricing details.

Windows Server Summit is here

We’ll dive into Windows Server 2022 and more during the Windows Server Summit on September 16, 2021. Join us at this complimentary digital event.

The post Windows Server 2022 now generally available—delivers innovation in security, hybrid, and containers appeared first on Microsoft Windows Server Blog.

As we introduce many innovations for Windows Server, support for older versions along with security updates released while the version is supported will come to an end. Windows Server 2012, and 2012 R2 End of Extended support is approaching per the Lifecycle Policy: Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 Extended Support will end on October 10, 2023.

Customers are upgrading to the latest release of Windows Server and applying the latest innovation to modernize their IT environment. However, we understand that Windows Server run many business-critical applications and it may take more time for customers to modernize. We are glad to share that we have great options and benefits for our customers to protect their workloads while they transform with Azure and the latest release of Windows Server.

Today, we are announcing Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 Extended Security Updates.

Customers can migrate their workloads to Azure and get free Extended Security Updates for three more years, only in Azure. Customers running these releases of Windows Server on-premises will have the option to purchase Extended Security Updates.

Furthermore, we are also announcing, one additional year of extended security update for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 only on Azure.

To get started with planning Windows Server 2012 and 2012 end of support, please read our end-of-support blog for additional guidance, refer to Extended Security Updates Frequently Asked Questions, and learn about the latest in Azure Migration and Modernization Program.

The post Plan your Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 End of Support appeared first on Microsoft Windows Server Blog.

Update September 1, 2021: Windows Server 2022 is now generally available, click below to find out more.

Today we are announcing that Windows Server 2022 is now in preview, the next release in our Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC), which will be generally available later this calendar year. It builds on Windows Server 2019, our fastest-adopted Windows Server ever. This release includes advanced multi-layer security, hybrid capabilities with Azure, and a flexible platform to modernize applications with containers.

Windows Server 2022

Learn more about the latest version of Windows Server

Learn more

Over the years, companies like Forever 21 and Sentara Healthcare have relied on Windows Server to run their business-critical workloads. A big thank you to all the members of the Windows Server community and our customers and partners for your support and feedback that inspired the innovation we built into this new release.

Advanced multi-layer security

With a growing number of cyber-security threats and the impact of incidents escalating quickly, security is a top priority for our customers. Windows Server 2022 includes new security capabilities like secured-core server and secure connectivity.

Secured-core server brings powerful threat protection together to provide multi-layer security across hardware, firmware, and the operating system. It uses the Trusted Platform Module 2.0 and System Guard to boot up Windows Server securely and minimize risk from firmware vulnerabilities. Secured-core server also includes virtualization-based security (VBS) features like Credential Guard and Hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI). Credential Guard provides preventative defense for sensitive assets like credentials, and HVCI applies hardware—rooted security to prevent advanced malware from tampering with the system.

Secured connectivity adds an additional layer of security during transport for advanced protection. Windows Server 2022 improves connection security with faster and more secure encrypted hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) and transport layer security (TLS) 1.3 enabled by default. Customers can also further secure server communications with industry-standard AES-256 encryption, which now supports server message block (SMB) protocol and better controls.

Hybrid capabilities with Azure

We are bringing new capabilities that enable customers to take advantage of cloud innovation with their on-premises investments. Azure Arc and Storage Migration Service are two key hybrid capabilities that work best with Windows Server 2022.

Azure Arc enables customers to manage, secure, and govern Windows Server on-premises, at the edge, or in multi-cloud environments from a single control plane in Azure. Through Azure Arc, customers can easily employ Azure management capabilities such as Azure Policy, Azure Monitor, and Azure Defender for those servers. What’s more, a few simple clicks in Windows Admin Center can enable connectivity to Azure Arc. Further, we have enhanced Windows Admin Center v2103 with significantly improved virtual machine management, a simpler event viewer, and many more updates. Windows Admin Center is also available in the Azure portal.

Windows Server 2022 enhances the seamless connectivity of file servers on-premises to file servers on Azure. Updates to Storage Migration Service allow customers to migrate file servers from certain network access storage (NAS) and Windows File Servers to Windows Servers on Azure. Using Storage Migration Service to migrate data to servers allows customers to maintain low latency while reducing their on-premises storage footprint.

Flexible application platform

Customers use Windows Server to run large-scale and distributed applications. Consequently, we have placed relentless focus on bringing platform capabilities and tools that improve developer velocity and support for business-critical workloads like SQL Server.

In this release, we are adding several platform improvements for Windows Containers, including application compatibility and the Windows Container experience with Kubernetes. A major improvement includes reducing the Windows Container image size, which leads to faster download time and better performance. In addition, you can now run applications that depend on Azure Active Directory with group Managed Services Accounts (gMSA) without domain joining the container host. Furthermore, there are several other enhancements that simplify the Windows Container experience with Kubernetes. These enhancements include support for host-process containers for node configuration, IPv6, and consistent network policy implementation with Calico.

In addition to platform improvements, we have an updated Windows Admin Center tool that makes it easy to containerize .NET applications. Once the application is in a container, you can host it on Azure Container Registry to then deploy it to other Azure services, including Azure Kubernetes Service.

Windows Server 2022 supports business-critical and large-scale applications like SQL Server that require 48TB of memory and 2,048 logical cores running on 64 physical sockets.

Try out the new Windows Server 2022 preview

Thank you for being a valuable Windows Server customer and, through your passion and feedback, helping us shape this new release. Watch our Microsoft Ignite session for more details about the release of Windows Server 2022.

Don’t forget to:

• Learn more about Windows Server Software Assurance benefits
  • Software Assurance customers can take advantage of New Version Rights and will be able to upgrade to Windows Server 2022
• Try Windows Server 2022 LTSC in preview:
  • Try Windows Server 2022 on Azure
• Download Windows Admin Center

The post Announcing Windows Server 2022—now in preview appeared first on Microsoft Windows Server Blog.

Many of our customers are building new microservice inspired applications using the latest design patterns, yet often their core business functions run on applications developed before Kubernetes was even a project. The past months have presented new challenges and opportunities for many of us, some customers are experiencing unprecedented demand on their services while others are looking for ways to consolidate workloads and reduce costs in order to save jobs. We have partnered with customers to help them address both challenges using Windows Server containers in our Azure Kubernetes Service. Often customers can consolidate multiple workloads onto the same node improving density while also increasing uptime and availability. When demand increases, it’s easy to scale up the services and nodes to meet the real-time needs of the business.

Woolworths (Woolies) is a leading innovator in the Australian supermarket and grocery industry that has experienced these benefits firsthand during the global health pandemic as Nick Eshkenazi, Chief Digital Technology Officer, says:

“As demand for our eCommerce services has soared in the wake of the global health crisis, we’ve had to scale our online capability incredibly fast. Traffic to our website has doubled and our app use is up more than 320 percent. 

With Azure Kubernetes Service we have been able to remove some of the manual steps previously required in our releases – speeding the process up and increasing the reliability of our delivery.

Together with Microsoft, we’ve been able to keep our site and app readily available for our customers at a critical time, and avoided the digital queuing many other retailers have had to implement.“

In the last five years, we have made significant progress with Azure Kubernetes. Today we are up to version 1.18 and since then over 70,000 changes have been merged into the project. We also had to work through key customer workflows in AKS, enabling multiple node pools and different patching and update models, and we continue to make improvements within the community and the service to make running applications based on Linux or Windows easier and more reliable. For example, in Kubernetes version 1.17, runtime class support supplants the need to use complex and often error-prone taints and tolerations to ensure Windows Server containers land only on Windows Server hosts. In Kubernetes version 1.19, we intend to expand this feature to improve version compatibility and isolation using Hyper-V isolated containers.

We know many of you have been waiting for Windows Server containers in AKS to become generally available so you can move into production—we’re very excited to hear your success stories in the coming days and weeks, and for customers still evaluating your path to containers, this is a great time to get started. In either case, please leave us your feedback here.

To learn more about recent advancements in Kubernetes version 1.18, specifically for AKS, read this blog post. Lastly, we would like to take the moment to thank every contributor and customer, without whom, today’s announcement wouldn’t be possible. We’re proud to be part of the broader and vibrant Kubernetes community.

The post Windows Server container support in Azure Kubernetes Service is now generally available appeared first on Microsoft Windows Server Blog.

Now, if you’re reading this today, you probably still have some workloads that won’t upgrade before the deadline. The good news is that we have options to keep you protected and putting you on a path to modernize your infrastructure and apps.

Let’s look at these options.

Extended Security Updates keys are available from Azure portal

For apps and services that need to run on-premises on Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, Extended Security Updates can be purchased under eligible programs. Please visit our site for the most up to date information including our frequently asked questions.

We recently published this Tech Community blog on the steps to purchase, install, and activate Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 extended security updates keys. If you’re unsure whether your servers are ready to receive extended security updates and like to test, refer to KB4528069 for Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, and KB4528081 for Windows Server 2008 SP2.

Additionally today, we are sharing that you can now join a preview of extended security updates (in the Azure portal), which will allow you to obtain eligible unlock keys from the Azure portal. To get started, go to extended security updates for Windows Server in the Azure portal. Please visit tech docs for detailed documentation. 

Migrate to Azure and upgrade when you are ready

Azure offers one of the most effective ways that gives you more time to modernize. Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 Virtual Machines (VMs) on Azure get 3 years of free Extended Security Updates, giving you the opportunity to invest more time towards modernizing your app stack while staying secured.

With the Azure hybrid benefit you can save 40 percent off the total cost of a virtual machine. Combining the Azure Hybrid Benefit with Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances, you can realize up to 80 percent savings on the total cost of a VM. Azure hybrid benefit works for both Azure Virtual Machines and Azure Dedicated Host.

To get started and assess your app dependencies such as on domain controllers use Azure Migrate. It is a free and agentless tool to discover on-premises servers, assess dependencies, and migrate apps to Azure.

It’s critical to choose the right path for the right Server Role. We’ve laid out the options for you here, and for more detailed reading, check out the Windows Server migration guide.

Secondly, evaluate your migration options based on your business requirements. Azure offers several lift and shift options. Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 apps can be migrated to any of the following options and then, upgrade to Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2016.

• Migrate to Azure Virtual Machines
• Run Windows Server hosted on VMware natively in Azure using Azure VMWare Solutions
• For those of you who require dedicated compute due to compliance requirements, take advantage of Azure Dedicated Host

Now, most of our customers are running lift-and-shift Windows Server 2008/R2 migrations and app modernization efforts in parallel. Apps and services that lend themselves to quick modernization can take advantage of services such as App Service and Azure Kubernetes Service, which supports Windows Server containers. Please note Windows containers are available in versions Windows Server 2016 onwards. App Service works great for web apps written in .NET Framework and .NET Core as well as other frameworks such as Node.js, Java, PHP, Ruby, and Python. For modernizing with containers, Azure Kubernetes Service can help to easily deploy and manage those apps.

And finally, to help you with this transition to the cloud, we launched the Azure Migration Program, which offers step-by-step guidance for migration. This program was created in collaboration with well-known and trusted partners and service providers, each of whom has a deep understanding of Windows Server.

Now, let’s look at the scenario where you need to run Windows Server apps and services on-premises.

Upgrade on-premises

Over the past year, we launched the most innovative version of Windows Server yet, with Windows Server 2019. For workloads that you know will stay on-premises Windows Server 2019 offers the latest advances in security such as Advanced Thread Protection to detect attacks and zero-day exploits and Defender Exploit Guard to help combat ransomware attacks. Windows Server 2019 with several built-in hybrid features such as Storage Migration Service and Azure Network Adapter. This ensures that your apps, services, and data are all secured and ready for a move to Azure whenever you’re ready.

For modern apps, Windows Server 2019 offers improved app compatibility for containers and support for Kubernetes. Learn more about Windows container in our documentation.

On-premises, you can also take advantage of Windows Admin Center, a modern server management tool to manage Windows Server environments. Windows Admin Center offers connections to Azure services for Backup, and Disaster Recovery. Check out the Windows Admin Center tech docs to get started today.

And finally, for those of you using Azure already, the newly announced Azure Arc can centrally manage servers on Azure and on-premises.

More resources

Here are some learning path presentations to help you get started:

• Migrating to Windows Server 2019
• Top 5 new features in Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server Hybrid – Azure Arc
• Migrating Windows Server to Azure IaaS – Network and Storage
• Using Existing Windows Server licenses on Azure using Azure Hybrid Benefit

Finally, join us in the Windows Server Tech Community to keep up to date with experts around the world, and stay tuned for the next Windows Server Summit to learn more about the latest innovations. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

The post Protect workloads still running on Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 appeared first on Microsoft Windows Server Blog.

Windows Server, version 1903 brings innovation to areas that that matter to you, such as Containers, Edge Computing and Hybrid. You can see these capabilities enabled across our suite of server products.

Windows Server containers

We’ve introduced several new capabilities of Windows Server containers, most notably, the support of Windows Server containers in Kubernetes. Not only that, we are also bringing that support in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Check out the preview for more details.

Other enhancements include GPU Acceleration in Windows containers, and scalability improvements in the latest release of Flannel and Kubernetes v1.14.

Windows Admin Center

The latest Windows Admin Center release continues to build on hybrid cloud capabilities that make it easier than ever to leverage the benefits of the cloud from your Windows Servers. For example, you can seamlessly migrate Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 file shares to Azure, using Storage Migration Service and Azure File Sync integration in Windows Admin Center.

Check out the Windows Admin Center blog for other new capabilities.

Application Compatibility in Server Core

Server Core is the recommended Server OS for production. Server Core App Compatibility Feature on Demand (FOD) augments for improved application compatibility. The two additions to FOD this release are Task Scheduler and Hyper-V Manager.

Learn more

Refer to what’s new in Windows Server version 1903 in Windows Server docs.

Tune in to Windows Server Summit on May 22^nd at 9AM Pacific Time and also check out the on-demand sessions.

What to expect from Windows Server Summit? Windows Server experts will dive deep into

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) with Windows Server containers
• Latest in Windows Admin Center
• Storage Migration Service
• Application Compatibility Feature-on-demand (FOD)
• And, many more Windows Server sessions

Get started

Get Windows Server version 1903:

• Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC): Volume-licensed customers with Software Assurance can obtain the release by going to the Volume Licensing Service Center and clicking Sign In. Then click Downloads and Keys and search for this release.
• Visual Studio Subscriptions: Visual Studio Subscribers can obtain Windows Server, version 1903 by downloading it from the Visual Studio Subscriber download page. Releases obtained through Visual Studio Subscriptions are for development and testing only.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Are there new HCI and SDDC features in the Semi-Annual Channel 1903 release?

A: No, software-defined datacenter features like Storage Spaces Direct, software-defined networking, and shielded virtual machines aren’t included in Semi-Annual Channel releases. As described in Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel update, the Semi-Annual Channel of Windows Server is focused on containers and application scenarios that benefit from faster innovation.

If you need infrastructure roles, use a Long-Term Servicing Channel release such as Windows Server 2019, or a Windows Server Insider Preview Build if you want to test the latest innovations.

Q: Does Windows Admin Center ship in Windows Server, version 1903?

A: Windows Admin Center is available as a separate download.

Q: Where can I find Windows Server container images?

A: You can start with this landing page on Docker Hub. For more details on how to use Windows Server containers, check out the documentation site.

The post Windows Server version 1903 now generally available appeared first on Microsoft Windows Server Blog.

Containers have become synonymous with application modernization, and Kubernetes has become the leading solution for orchestrating containerized applications. With Windows Server version 1709, Windows now has parity with Linux for Kubernetes networking from a platform perspective. At the same time, we are looking to expand the Kubernetes ecosystem so that Windows worker nodes and services running .NET, ASP.NET, IIS, and other Windows apps can be orchestrated by Kubernetes.

Today, I’m excited to announce our partnership with Tigera to contribute towards Project Calico for Kubernetes. Calico is a community based, free and open source solution, maintained by Tigera, that is designed to simplify, scale and secure networks and services managed by Kubernetes. It solves a major pain point for developers and DevOps teams by enabling them to manage the complexity of defining, configuring and securing networking topologies for applications and mapping those policies to the underlying fabric. Microsoft is extending Calico’s functionality to support Windows Server version 1709 by contributing code for the Calico data plane driver (Felix) so that it can manage network policy on Windows Server worker nodes.

The Felix data plane driver runs on every K8s node and is responsible for programming ACLs, and routes, to provide the desired connectivity and security to container endpoints and services. An orchestrator plugin for Kubernetes enables users to specify their policy using Kubernetes network policy syntax with Calico, completed through the Felix data plane driver. A richer set of policy is available through Calico directly.

On Windows, the Felix data plane driver interfaces with the Windows Host Networking Service (HNS) and takes the network policy received from Calico/Kubernetes and invokes the HNS APIs to add them as ACL policies. HNS then programs the Virtual Filtering Platform (VFP) Hyper-V switch extension, roughly analogous to iptables in Linux, which enforces these policies in the Windows data path.

The result of this work is that users running mixed OS (Linux and Windows) Kubernetes clusters can now define and manage network policy in a consistent manner to secure their containerized applications and microservices. Previously, network policy enforcement for container endpoints could not be managed on Windows nodes even though the platform itself (VFP) included this capability. DevOps and admins can now associate security policies with specific endpoints and services on these mixed clusters.

Support for Calico network policy on Windows is currently at ‘beta’ level, and Microsoft and Tigera are working with a limited number of joint customers to conduct trials over the coming months, with the goal of reaching general availability in the first half of 2018.

Calico for Windows will work for both on-premises and cloud-based deployments including Microsoft’s Azure Container Service through ACS-Engine. It will also enable interoperability of Windows nodes with Tigera’s commercial secure application connectivity solution, CNX, with the limitation that hierarchical policies will not be supported by this initial release of Calico for Windows.

At this time, the Felix data plane driver on Windows is used for network policy (ACL) enforcement and not interface management or route programming. However, these features are on our product roadmap as many customers find that static route configuration or overlay-based networks are difficult to configure correctly and have performance limitations. To provide a networking solution which works for both Linux and Windows K8s cluster nodes, Microsoft has brought support for Flannel to Windows and created two CNI plugins for host-gateway and overlay networking modes, and is working with the community to upstream these contributions.

Special thanks to Nick Wood from Microsoft for writing the code for the Calico/Felix data plane driver on Windows, and Shaun Crampton from Tigera for providing consulting and assistance.

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