Hello folks! So Microsoft is back with a new server OS after Windows Server 2012 R2 that is Windows Server 2016. Before you plan to upgrade your servers over 2016 you need to know what are the new features you are going to get with it. In this post we will have an overview of the new features in Windows Server 2016 and later we will discuss them in more detail.
What are the New Features in Windows Server 2016?
The following features and feature improvements were introduced in Windows Server 2016:
1. Nano Server: Nano Server is not a new edition but it is a new installation option of Windows Server 2016. Nano Server has no graphical or command prompt interface so it has a very less hardware requirement and that makes it suitable for Hyper-V, scale-out file servers.
2. Containers: Container provides isolation between an Application and Operating System. It means within a container an application can run without affecting the entire system and rest of the system can also not affect the application. Two types of containers are there Windows Container and Hyper-V container.
3. Docker: Docker is associated with Linux but Windows Server 2016 provides support to it to manage Windows container and Hyper-V container.
4. Rolling upgrades for Hyper-V and storage clusters: If your failover cluster is running on Windows Server 2012 R2 these upgrades allow you to add Windows Server 2016 nodes to it. The cluster keeps running on Windows Server 2012 R2 mode until all the nodes are upgraded to Windows Server 2016.
5. The ability to hot add and hot remove virtual memory and network adapters from virtual machines. In Hyper-V in Windows Server 2016, you can now add or remove virtual memory and network adapters while the virtual machines are running.
6. Nested Virtualization: If you have used Hyper-V in previous version of operating systems then you must be aware of that you can not host a virtual machine within a virtual machine.In Hyper-V in Windows Server 2016, you can enable nested virtualization, which allows you to run Hyper-V virtual machines within a virtual machine.
7. PowerShell Direct: When you need to perform automation and remote management PowerShell is a great tool. But if you want to manage your VMs using powershell remotely you need to take care of your firewall and security policies. With the new PowerShell Direct feature you can run commands to your guest OS without worrying about your security policies, host network configuration and firewall settings.
8. Shielded virtual machines: In Windows Server 2016 you can install a new role Host Guardian Service that enables Shielded virtual machines and protect them from unauthorised access.Shielded VMs can be created using the Azure Management Pack Portal. Standard VMs can also be converted to Shielded VMs. With Shielded VMs Hyper-V virtual disks can be encrypted with BitLocker.
9. Storage Space Direct: In Windows Server 2012 Storage Space feature was introduced. Storage Spaces Direct is an extension of the existing software defined storage stack for Windows Server. It uses industry-standard servers with local-attached drives to create highly available, highly scalable software-defined storage
What are the New Features in Windows Server 2016?
The following features and feature improvements were introduced in Windows Server 2016:
1. Nano Server: Nano Server is not a new edition but it is a new installation option of Windows Server 2016. Nano Server has no graphical or command prompt interface so it has a very less hardware requirement and that makes it suitable for Hyper-V, scale-out file servers.
2. Containers: Container provides isolation between an Application and Operating System. It means within a container an application can run without affecting the entire system and rest of the system can also not affect the application. Two types of containers are there Windows Container and Hyper-V container.
3. Docker: Docker is associated with Linux but Windows Server 2016 provides support to it to manage Windows container and Hyper-V container.
4. Rolling upgrades for Hyper-V and storage clusters: If your failover cluster is running on Windows Server 2012 R2 these upgrades allow you to add Windows Server 2016 nodes to it. The cluster keeps running on Windows Server 2012 R2 mode until all the nodes are upgraded to Windows Server 2016.
5. The ability to hot add and hot remove virtual memory and network adapters from virtual machines. In Hyper-V in Windows Server 2016, you can now add or remove virtual memory and network adapters while the virtual machines are running.
6. Nested Virtualization: If you have used Hyper-V in previous version of operating systems then you must be aware of that you can not host a virtual machine within a virtual machine.In Hyper-V in Windows Server 2016, you can enable nested virtualization, which allows you to run Hyper-V virtual machines within a virtual machine.
7. PowerShell Direct: When you need to perform automation and remote management PowerShell is a great tool. But if you want to manage your VMs using powershell remotely you need to take care of your firewall and security policies. With the new PowerShell Direct feature you can run commands to your guest OS without worrying about your security policies, host network configuration and firewall settings.
8. Shielded virtual machines: In Windows Server 2016 you can install a new role Host Guardian Service that enables Shielded virtual machines and protect them from unauthorised access.Shielded VMs can be created using the Azure Management Pack Portal. Standard VMs can also be converted to Shielded VMs. With Shielded VMs Hyper-V virtual disks can be encrypted with BitLocker.
9. Storage Space Direct: In Windows Server 2012 Storage Space feature was introduced. Storage Spaces Direct is an extension of the existing software defined storage stack for Windows Server. It uses industry-standard servers with local-attached drives to create highly available, highly scalable software-defined storage
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