Microsoft will not support a semi-annual release channel in the upcoming Windows Server 2022, and users requiring frequent updates will be directed to Azure Stack HCI (Hyperconverged Infrastructure).
In the old Windows Server world, users could choose between Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) and Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) for installs, with LTSC essentially being the traditional model of one large release every two or three years, and SAC being more the “as-a-service” model with frequent feature updates to get the latest technology.
Companies installing Windows Server for general purposes would normally use LTSC, which has five years of general support and five years of extended support. The purpose of SAC is for container workloads (host or container image) or scenarios where a VM is short-lived and easily replaced. SAC’s limitations include only 18 months of support per release, a Software Assurance requirement (a more expensive subscription license), and no desktop experience options.
However, earlier this week, Microsoft updated its release information to state, “Starting with Windows Server 2022, there is one main release channel available, the Long-Term Servicing Channel…the Semi- annual in previous container-focused versions of Windows Server. and microservices, and this innovation will continue with Azure Stack HCI. »
Windows Server 2022 looks a lot like Windows 10; all the interesting changes relate to basic plumbing functionality
Azure Stack HCI is a hybrid virtualization platform where the customer purchases validated hardware (although there is an option to install on any compatible hardware) from an approved vendor, connects it to Azure, and pays $10 per physical core per month for running it. This does not include license fees for guest operating systems or other applications. Azure Stack HCI is a cluster that requires at least two servers.
Despite its name, Azure Stack HCI is not so similar to Azure Stack Hub, where users purchase Azure services to run on pre-approved hardware in their own data center. Azure Stack HCI is more like a special configuration of Windows Server and Hyper-V, where the host operating system is purchased on subscription and updated by Microsoft. Azure Stack HCI has no desktop experience and is managed through the browser-based Windows Admin Center or through the Azure portal – although this built-in management is for the host OS and not for guests or any what’s running on it, which can include Exchange, SharePoint Guests, SQL Server, Linux, etc.
There is a special case for Azure Stack HCI when AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service) is installed. In this case, users pay $1.33 per vCPU of worker nodes running per day. In preview, it is possible to run Azure services such as App Service, Azure Functions, and Azure Logic Apps on AKS, which in the context of Azure Stack HCI makes this even more deeply tied to Azure.
What will be the impact of removing the SAC option for Windows Server? General purpose users will not be affected as they were unlikely to use it. But there is some confusion as to what is happening with Windows Server container images, which typically use SAC.
“We have realized with growing concern that there does not appear to be any skin or hair in a Windows Server SAC 21H1 build, and neither 21H1 nor 10.0.19043.985 are listed in the tags on [Docker Hub]”, said a user of the Windows Containers GitHub repository. The Microsoft program manager for Windows Server Containers, Weijuan Shi Davis, confirmed a few days ago that “the next version of Windows Server is Windows Server 2022, an LTSC. There is no planned Windows Server 21H1 release or container image of that release.”
Another user questioned Microsoft’s plans regarding Azure HCI, stating that “despite the SAC announcement pointing to Azure Stack HCI for containers, the Azure Stack HCI docs do not appear to discuss containers except in the context of AKS-on-HCI, which Azure Stack HCI 21H2 public preview does not yet recognize.”
At a high level, it looks like Microsoft is investing in Azure and AKS, and on-premises Windows Server users are in some ways being left behind. It should be noted, for example, that the functional level of Active Directory has not changed since Windows Server 2016, and this remains the case in Server 2022.
In a recent online presentation on Windows Server 2022, Microsoft said, “Azure Stack HCI is our strategic direction for any virtualization host innovation.
Fix without reboot: only on Azure or Azure Stack HCI
Microsoft demonstrates how Hotpatch enables patching without interrupting running processes
Another facet of this trend is the existence of Azure editions of Windows Server 2019 and now Windows Server 2022, which have exclusive features. One of them is huge – Hotpatch, or the ability to apply security patches without rebooting. It works by fixing the processes running in memory and keeping the change after the next reboot.
During the presentation above, Microsoft program manager Nick Washburn demonstrated how security updates could be applied without restarting and without interrupting an ongoing process, in this case a file copy operation. Hotpatch was several times faster than the traditional approach, almost approaching Linux-style patches in this regard.
“Hotpatch is one of many new features coming to Automanage for Windows Server…it is important to note that this edition is available exclusively on Azure. We will first make Windows Server Azure Edition available on the Azure public cloud , then HCI 21H2 in the coming months,” Washburn said. Hotpatch still requires a reboot every quarter. Automanage is a new, preview Azure service for VM OS maintenance.
SMB over QUIC, which promises secure access to Windows file shares from anywhere, is another key feature that will only be available in Windows Server Azure Edition.
Differentiation between Windows Server and Azure Special Edition may not be suitable for on-premises users or other clouds
While it makes sense for Microsoft to optimize Windows Server for its subscription-based Azure Cloud and Azure Stack HCI, the lack of support in Windows Server generally available for important new features will not please on-premises users. nor perhaps to competitors. clouds running Windows Server.
How long do we have to wait for Windows Server 2022? Not long at all. The code has been released for manufacturing, Microsoft said during the aforementioned presentation, and general availability will follow soon. ®
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