I wanted to setup a server connection of my own, but I am a little bit confused about the servers and don’t know which version of Windows Server 2012 would be appropriate for me. Can you tell me a little about the Windows Server 2012 and its different editions?
Windows Sever 2012 Versions Comparison
Windows server 2012 (also available as Windows Server 2012 R2 with some minor updates) is an OS belongs to Microsoft. It is a server edition of Windows 8
Minimum system requirement for this server OS is [ 1.4GHz clock speed, 512 MB RAM, 32 GB Disc Capacity]
There are four editions of Windows Server 2012
- Foundation
- Essentials
- Standard
- Datacenter
I am going to describe features of each edition separately
FOUNDATION
- Ideal for cost efficient all-rounder server
- Essential server functionality without Virtualization Rights
- Limited to 15 users only
- Limited to 32 GB of Memory RAM
ESSENTIALS
- Generally, it is setup in small companies
- Essential Server functionality without Virtualization rights
- Limited to 25 users only
- Maximum RAM capacity is 64 GB
STANDARD
- Can be Used in lightly virtualization Environments or Non-virtualized
- All aspects, with two Virtual instances
- Number of users depends on processor and Client Access Licensing
- Up to 4 TB of RAM
DATACENTER
- Ideal for Highly Virtualized private cloud environments
- All aspects with unlimited virtual instances
- Larger number of users among all the server editions
- RAM is up to 4GB
Windows Sever 2012 Versions Comparison
Windows Server 2012 is the fifth release of the Windows Server series of server operating systems. Codenamed “Windows Server 8”, it is the server version of Microsoft Windows 8 and succeeds Windows Server 2008 R2. Among its enhancements include overall upgrades in storage infrastructure and cloud computing. During its development, Microsoft released two pre-release versions: a developer preview and a beta version.
Windows Server 2012 was made available to the public for purchase beginning in September 4, 2012. It includes the following enhancements and more:
- GUI or graphical user interface – the operating system was created with the Metro design language that’s why it looks and feels like Windows 8 except if you install it in Server Core mode. Administrators can switch between Server Core and the Server with a GUI options without the need of a full reinstallation.
- Address management – Windows Server 2012 has an IPAM or IP address management role for discovering, auditing, tracking, and managing the network’s IP address space.
- Hyper-V – it includes Hyper-V 3.0 which offers a scalable, virtual extensible switch that lets a virtual network to extend its functionality in ways that were difficult or not possible to achieve in previous versions.
- File system – Microsoft added the ReFS or Resilient File System for file servers.
Windows Server 2012 doesn’t support Itanium-based computers unlike its predecessors. It is available in four editions: Foundation, Essentials, Standard, and Datacenter.
