Microsoft releases Windows Server 2022 with extended support for 10 years • The Register

Microsoft has released Windows Server 2022, an LTS edition that offers five years of general support and 10 years of extended support.

Windows Server 2022 is only available as an LTS release, as Microsoft has now moved away from the Semi-Annual Channel where releases were only supported for 18 months.

The operating system bills itself as version 21H2, which is the next feature update for Windows 10, rather than Windows 11 for which build numbers start with 22000.

Those installing the desktop experience (against official advice) will therefore find that it has the older Windows 10-style Start menu rather than a Windows 11 dock. The Chromium-based Edge browser replaces Internet Explorer.

New Windows Server features include secure DNS over HTTPS, strong encryption (up to AES-256-GCM and AES-256-CCM) for Server Message Block (SMB), used for Windows file shares and virtualization embedded on AMD processors. (previously only available for Intel processors).

Nested virtualization allows the Hyper-V platform, also used by the Windows Subsystem for Linux, to run inside a virtual machine. Container features have been revamped, in part to improve Windows Server for running Azure Kubernetes Service.

Windows Server 2022: the production version is now available

Some of the most exciting new features are reserved for Azure Special Editions of Windows Server 2022, or Azure Stack HCI, a subscription-based version of the operating system. Exclusive features include Hotpatch, which allows administrators to apply patches without rebooting, and SMB over QUIC, for secure access to files shared over the Internet.

You have the infra in a modern subscription plan and then the guest license in a traditional perpetual license…we’re looking at how to improve this to also offer guest licenses in a subscription model

In an online presentation, Microsoft identified Azure Stack HCI as “our strategic direction for all virtualization hosting innovations.” In June, Microsoft Senior Program Manager Elden Christensen said when asked if Windows Server would achieve feature parity with Azure Stack HCI: “We will not be removing any HCI features from Windows Server that exist today.

“However, Azure Stack HCI is our strategic direction for our HCI platform. Fundamental improvements (such as quality, diagnostic capability, supportability) accrue to both, but new feature innovations (such as Stretch Clustering) are exclusive to Azure Stack HCI.

It looks like Microsoft wants to drive even its on-premises customers to a subscription model. Responding to a customer complaint that Azure Stack HCI is more expensive than a perpetual license for Windows Server Datacenter Edition (which allows unlimited Windows Server VMs), Christensen offered no reassurance, stating “Today, unfortunately, the model isn’t quite there. Yet you have infra in a modern subscription offering and then guest licensing in a traditional perpetual license… we are looking to improve this to also offer guest licensing in a subscription model.”

The push to Azure is also evident in the Web Admin Center, which is the recommended user interface for Windows Server administration. The admin center includes menu items for Azure Hybrid Center, Azure Kubernetes Services, Azure Backup, Azure File Sync, Azure Monitor, and Azure Security Center.

That aside, Windows Server 2022 works pretty much as it did before, and Admin Center, first made available in April 2018, removes much of the pain of administering a desktop-less installation. . It’s now a smooth experience and includes a browser-based PowerShell console.

Browser-based admin center is great, but sometimes looks like a series of announcements for Azure services

Those who want to try Microsoft’s latest server operating system can find a trial version and other resources here. ®