Server Storage I/O Insight into Microsoft Windows Server 2016

In case you had not heard, Microsoft announced the general availability (GA, also known as Release To Manufacturing (RTM) ) of the newest version of its Windows server operating system aka Windows Server 2016 along with System Center 2016. Note that as well as being released to traditional manufacturing distribution mediums as well as MSDN, the Windows Server 2016 bits are also available on Azure.

For some this might be new news, or a refresh of what Microsoft announced a few weeks ago (e.g. the formal announcement). Likewise, some of you may not be aware that Microsoft is celebrating WIndows Server 20th Birthday (read more here).

Yet for others who have participated in the public beta aka public technical previews (TP) over the past year or two or simply after the information coming out of Microsoft and other venues, there should not be a lot of surprises.

Besides a new user interface including visual GUI and Powershell among others, there are many new feature functionalities summarized below:

• Enhanced time-server with 1ms accuracy
• Nano and Windows Containers (Linux via Hyper-V)
• Hyper-V enhanced Linux services including shielded VMs
• Simplified management (on-premises and cloud)
• Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) and Storage Replica (SR)
• Resilient File System aka ReFS (now default file system) storage tiering (cache)
• Hot-swap virtual networking device support
• Reliable Change Tracking (RCT) for faster Hyper-V backups
• RCT improves resiliency vs. VSS change tracking
• PowerShell and other management enhancements
• Including subordinated / delegated management roles
• Compliment Azure AD with on premise AD
• Resilient/HA RDS using Azure SQL DB for connection broker
• Encrypted VMs (at rest and during live migration)
• AD Federation Services (FS) authenticate users in LDAP dir.
• vTPM for securing and encrypting Hyper-V VMs
• AD Certificate Services (CS) increase support for TPM
• Enhanced TPM support for smart card access management
• AD Domain Services (DS) security resiliency for hybrid and mobile devices

What this all means is that if you have not looked at Windows Server in some time, its time you do, even if you are not a Windows or Microsoft fan, you will want to know what it is that has been updated (perhaps even update your fud if that is the case) to stay current. Get your hands on the bits and try Windows Server 2016 on a bare metal server, or as a VM guest, or via cloud including Azure, or simply leverage the above resources to learn more and stay informed.

Continue reading and learn more here.

Cheers gs