Microsoft has reminded customers that Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 will reach its extended end-of-support (EOS) date next year, on October 10, 2023. Show Released in October 2012, Windows Server 2012 has entered its tenth year of service and has already reached the mainstream end date over three years ago, on October 9, 2018. Redmond also revealed today that Microsoft SQL Server 2012, the company's relational database management system, will be retired on July 12, 2022, ten years after its release in May 2012. Once EOS reached, Microsoft will stop providing technical support and bug fixes for newly discovered issues that may impact the usability or stability of servers running the two products. "Microsoft recommends customers migrate applications and workloads to Azure to run securely. Azure SQL Managed Instance is fully managed and always updated (PaaS)," the company said. "Customers can also lift-and-shift to Azure Virtual Machines, including Azure Dedicated Host, Azure VMware Solution, and Azure Stack (Hub, HCI, Edge), to get three additional years of extended security updates at no cost." What are the options?Microsoft advises admins who want to keep their servers running and still receiving bug fixes and security updates to upgrade to Windows Server 2019 and SQL Server 2019. Redmond also reminded admins in July 2021 that Windows Server 2012 and SQL Server 2012 will reach their extended support end dates in two years, urging them to upgrade as soon as possible to avoid compliance and security gaps. "We understand that SQL Server and Windows Server run many business-critical applications that may take more time to modernize," Microsoft said. "Customers that cannot meet the end of support deadline and have Software Assurance or subscription licenses under an enterprise agreement enrollment will have the option to buy Extended Security Updates to get three more years of security updates for SQL Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2." Regarding the pricing scheme for Extended Security Updates, Microsoft says that they will only cost for on-premises deployments:
Additional information regarding eligibility requirements and onboarding details is available on the Extended Security Updates frequently asked questions page. SQL Server 2008/R2 and Windows Server 2008/R2 Extended Security Updates (ESUs) will also reach their end support on July 12, 2022, and January 10, 2023, respectively. Customers who will require additional time to upgrade servers may re-host them on Azure for an additional year of free Extended Security Updates (ESUs). Within today’s fast changing IT world, Windows Server 2012 R2 is designed to provide customers an “all-in-one” server and datacenter platform to optimize and manage daily business easier and more cost-effective. Microsoft's 'Blue' wave of tools and technologies is more than just a user interface refresh. It's the next step on Microsoft's journey to becoming a devices and services company, and the first of what the company intends to be a regular series of updates to its core platform. At the heart of that core platform is Windows Server, the foundation for Azure and for what Microsoft calls its Cloud OS. All of which means that Windows Server 2012 R2 is much more than just another service pack; adding new features that make it easier to build cloud applications and services in your datacentre, and to move them to and from Azure. Microsoft recently released a preview build of Windows Server 2012 R2, and we installed it as a Hyper-V virtual machine running on a Windows Server 2012 system. Although that meant we were unable to look at some of the new Hyper-V features in R2, it gave us a good picture of what you'll need to know when setting up Microsoft's latest server. Getting started Windows Server 2012 R2 looks very like its predecessor. It's only when you start to delve into the details that you find just how many changes there are. (Screenshot: Simon Bisson/ZDNet) When it comes to the user interface, there's little difference between Windows Server 2012 R2 and its predecessor. The real changes are under the surface, with significant enhancements to Hyper-V, Storage Spaces and to Active Directory. That shouldn't be surprising; Microsoft has been talking about Windows Server as a key component in its Cloud OS for some time, and those are the key features needed to build and run a cloud service on Windows Server. Windows Server 2012 R2 is configured, like Server 2012, via Server Manager. It's a modern-style desktop application that gives you an overview of running services from its dashboard, as well as launching the familiar Windows Server management tools and handling role and feature installation. It's a useful one-stop shop for managing one or many servers, although for more complex tasks you'll want to use PowerShell (especially its new Desired State Configuration tools) or System Center 2012 R2. Desired State Configuration (DSC) is an extremely powerful tool that can help prevent configurations from drifting over time — something that's increasingly important in automatically managed service deployments, where users use self-service portals to define the servers they want to deploy. With DSC you can define the managed elements of a server or a service, and can ensure they always have the correct configuration. The real heart of Windows Server 2012 R2 is PowerShell, and PowerShell 4.0's new Desired State Configuration tools make it easier to deploy and manage servers — and to keep them running just the way you want. (Screenshot: Simon Bisson/ZDNet) Virtual all the way down Microsoft has done a lot to improve how Hyper-V works in a private cloud, with features like Shared VHDX files that make it easier to separate storage and compute, and to quickly migrate a virtual machine from one server to another. Live migration now supports migration between different base operating systems, as well as using compression to significantly speed up transfers. There's also support for deduplication in virtual disks, which in conjunction with improved caching speeds up booting virtual machines — something that's key to delivering improved VDI performance to your end users. There's also improved support for virtual networking, with the Hyper-V Extensible Switch providing a framework for software-defined networking. Third parties, like Cisco, can add extensions to the base switch, linking it to control frameworks and adding additional features (like firewalls, or data-loss prevention filters), easing the connection between virtual and physical networks. If you're using Windows Server 2012 R2 to host multi-tenant applications, there's now also a multi-tenant VPN gateway to manage secure access to separate virtual networks in your datacentre. Managing those virtual IP addresses is also simplified with the addition of virtual address management to Windows Server's IP Address Management (IPAM) tooling. Storage and BYOD The CPU, storage and networking used by a service composed of several virtual machines can now be monitored as a whole, by wrapping all the resources used as a single resource pool. You can then get data on just how they're all being used by a service (or by a tenant on a multi-tenant system). One of the most significant new features in Server 2012 R2 is Workplace Join. Best thought of as a granular version of full Active Directory membership, joining a workplace lets lightly-managed devices (like a Windows RT tablet, or a user's own PC) access files and directories. Workplace Join creates an Active Directory entry for the device, and delivers an authentication certificate that can be used to give access to files on corporate servers — without having to join a domain. There's also an option for users to choose to add a Workplace Joined device to Windows Intune or System Center 2012 R2 Configuration manager, to provide additional management capabilities. You'll find new server roles among the many familiar options. Want to install Work Folders to give your BYOD users access to their files? Click to expand the File and Storage Services options. (Screenshot: Simon Bisson/ZDNet) Another closely related new feature, Work Folders, allows you to synchronise files and folders with users' devices. It's not as granular as the old offline files model, but Work Folders lets BYOD users with Workplace-joined devices get managed copies of their files on their PCs and devices. There's one flaw with Work Folders at present though: there's no support for selective synchronisation. That means it'll try and copy the same files on a 32GB Surface RT as on a 256GB laptop — with no option of choosing the files you want on which device. With cloud at the heart of Server 2012 R2, it's interesting to see it coming with a range of service provider-friendly (and BYOD-friendly) features. One key new role is support for Server 2012 Essentials' features, giving system administrators an approach to shared storage and backup that will work on consumer devices; without requiring membership of a domain or a workspace. AD for Identity The Cloud OS: Windows Server and System Center That's probably the most important part of this release: an explicit relationship between management tools and server roles. If you want to use Windows Server 2012 R2 as a virtual machine host, you're going to need to run System Center 2012 R2 Virtual Machine Manager to get the most from your system — including automating live migrations and giving your users a portal to install and configure virtual machines. System Center is the automation layer on top of Windows Server, and it's essential if you're planning on building a private — or even a public — cloud on your Windows Server systems. You can get away without it if you're a small business, or running development servers, but if you don't want to spend your life configuring functions and features and tidying up after users, you're going to need to deploy the two products in tandem (and add in Windows Intune for managing Workspace-joined devices). Microsoft's joint development programme for the two tools makes sense, especially as what it calls the Cloud OS is really the delivery of the company's long term Dynamic IT vision. The initial verdict If you don't install R2 this year, then there'll be another new server along this time next year (and possibly even sooner). That new cadence is a big change to how we do IT, and one that's going to take some getting used to — especially in more traditionally run IT organisations. There's a hierarchy to how Microsoft is shipping new server features: Azure gets them every three weeks or so, Office 365 and the rest of the company's cloud services get upgraded every three months, and the on-premises tools get an annual boost. This, then, is Microsoft's new approach to server development: shipping its Cloud OS on cloud time. What is Windows Server 2012 R2 used for?According to Microsoft, Windows Server 2012 R2 provides the following enhancements: Virtual machine (VM) portability across customer, service provider and Windows Azure clouds computing environments. Cross-cloud management capabilities for virtual machine and storage resources.
What is Windows Server 2012 R2 standard?It is a cumulative set of security, critical and other updates. Windows Server 2012 R2 is derived from the Windows 8.1 codebase, and runs only on x86-64 processors (64-bit). Windows Server 2012 R2 was succeeded by Windows Server 2016, which is derived from the Windows 10 codebase.
What is Windows Server R2 means?Indeed, R2 = release two; like Windows Server 2008 R2. It's a minor release; you can see it by the major+minor build numbers. SQL Server 2008 = version 10.00; SQL Server 2008 R2 = version 10.50.
What is the difference between Server 2012 and R2?Windows Server 2012 supports PowerShell 3.0 whereas Windows Server 2008 R2 employs PowerShell 2.0. Version 3.0 includes more number of commands, called cmdlets as compared to 2.0 to extend its use, improve its usability, and allow you to control and manage Windows-based environments more easily and comprehensively.
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