Windows Server Family

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WindowsServer (formerly Windows NT Server) is a group of server operating systems (OS) that has been developed by Microsoft since 1993. The first OS that was released for this platform is Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server, an edition of Windows NT 3.1. With the release of Windows Server 2003, Microsoft started releasing new versions under the name Windows Server. The latest release of Windows Server is Windows Server 2022, which was released in 2021.

Microsoft's history of developing operating systems for servers goes back to Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server. Windows 2000 Server is the first OS to include Active Directory, DNS Server, DHCP Server, and Group Policy.

Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was released on July 27, 1993[citation needed] as an edition of Windows NT 3.1, an operating system aimed towards business and server use. As with its Workstation counterpart, Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was a 32 bit rewrite of the Windows kernel that retained a similar use interface to Windows 3.1. Unlike the latter, however, Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was a complete operating system that did not need to be run from DOS. Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server, like its Workstation counterpart, featured new features such as multiuser support and preemptive multitasking.[3]In 1994, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 3.5. It introduced TCP/IP and Winsock support integrated into the operating system, alongside the ability to use FTP. It also supported VFAT.[citation needed]

In 1996, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 4.0. It added the new user interface introduced in Windows 95 the previous year. In addition, it dropped support for the PowerPC, Alpha, and MIPS architectures. Microsoft updated Winsock to version 2 and IIS 2.0 and FrontPage are included.[citation needed]

Traditionally, Microsoft supports Windows Server for 10 years, with five years of mainstream support and an additional five years of extended support. These releases also offer a complete desktop experience. Starting with Windows Server 2008, Server Core and Nano Server configurations were made available to reduce the OS footprint.[14][15] Between 2015 and 2021, Microsoft referred to these releases as "long-term support" releases to set them apart from semi-annual releases (see below.)

For sixteen years, Microsoft released a major version of Windows Server every four years, with one minor version released two years after a major release. The minor versions had an "R2" suffix in their names. In October 2018, Microsoft broke this tradition with the release of Windows Server 2019, which should have been "Windows Server 2016 R2". Windows Server 2022 is also a minor upgrade over its predecessor.[16][17]

Following the release of Windows Server 2016, Microsoft attempted to mirror the lifecycle of Windows 10 in the Windows Server family, releasing new versions twice a year which were supported for 18 months. These semi-annual versions were only available as part of Microsoft subscription services, including Software Assurance, Azure Marketplace, and Visual Studio subscriptions,[27] until their discontinuation in July 2021.[28][27]

The semi-annual releases do not include any desktop environments. Instead, they are restricted to the Nano Server configuration installed in a Docker container,[15][27] and the Server Core configuration, licensed only to serve as a container host.[15][27]

The Annual Channel was first announced on July 2023, with the first version being released on September the same year. Unlike the Semi-Annual releases, each Annual Channel release would receive six months of extended support in addition to the 18 months of regular support. Annual releases are made available every twelve months, hence the name. Datacenter is the only edition available.

Servers provide services to other computers across a network and so they have a few extra requirements from their operating systems than regular PCs do. Microsoft is well known for its Windows computer operating system and it produces a special flavor of that system to support servers.

Windows Server is the leading system for managing servers and is the main rival to the Linux operating system. Microsoft has produced regular rewrites of the operating system, right up to the latest version, which is Windows Server 2019.

The first version of the system was Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1, which was released in 1993. This was a 32-bit system, which came in a version for terminals and another for servers. The server version is what evolved into the Windows Server family of products. The split out of a specialist server version of the operating system from the standard NT version explains why there never was a Windows NT Server version 1.

In 1994, the company introduced Windows Server 3.5. This allowed interconnectivity with Unix systems and Novell Netware. At the time, Windows Server was the newcomer in the marketplace and most networks ran on Unix or Novell servers. So, compatibility with those two systems was essential if Windows Server was ever going to be adopted by businesses with networks.

In 1995, Microsoft greatly improved its PC Windows interface with Windows 95. The company also produced Windows NT Server 3.51 to manage computers running Windows 95. The server system gained the capability to manage software licenses for client computers and also install and update Windows 95 and operating system elements over the network.

The increased complexity of networks was reflected in enhancements to Windows NT Server through added service packs and the creation of Windows NT Server Enterprise in 1997. These improvements included the integration of public key encryption services and operating system management for server clusters. Two other additions that took account of interactions with possibly congested networks were Transaction Server and Message Queue Server.

The last enhancement to Windows NT Server came with Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition in 1998. This improved connectivity to non-Windows systems and also created a bridge from 16-bit DOS applications so that they could interface with the 32-bit Desktop environment.

The enhancements that came with Windows Server gave the operating system many of the features that we still use today. These included support for XML, the creation of Active Server Pages (ASP), and the use of Active Directory for user authentication. The Windows Server 2000 operating system also introduced the concept of tailored versions, as well as the standard Windows Server, Microsoft released Advanced Server and Datacenter Server.

A rewrite of the server system that was released as Windows Server 2003 aimed to reduce the events that would require a system reboot. It was possible to install patches and software updates on the fly without having to restart the system. The company also enhanced the security features of the operating system and this was the first time that the .NET environment was included with the Windows Server operating system.

The 2003 version of Windows included the concept of server roles, enabling the operating system to be tailored to specific specialized tasks, such as a DNS server. As well as the Standard, Advanced, and Datacenter versions, Microsoft produced the Windows Server 2003 Web Edition. A short while after releasing Windows Server 2003, Microsoft produced an update which converted the system to a 64-bit program environment.

Windows Server 2003 R2 came out in 2005. Customers who had already bought Windows Server 2003 were allowed access to this new version for free. All Windows Server 2003 sales from the release of this version, were actually Windows Server 2003 R2.

The R2 package also made it possible to set security policies for groups of machines through the Security Configuration Wizard. Other R2 improvements included better data compression for files and transfers and replication procedures for multi-site WANs.

The next version of Windows Server took three years to get ready and it included another enhancement to Active Directory. The company also made some fundamental changes to how network services interacted with the software support features of the operating system.

Other new utilities bundled into Windows Server 2008 were Event Viewer and Server Manager. These were useful system administration tools that enabled administrators to get better control over the activities of the server.

Server Core was an increasingly important product of Microsoft. It was the bare version of the Windows Server software and it allowed command-line access. It can be run without the familiar GUI Desktop of the Windows environment and appealed more to systems administrators who were more comfortable with the command line environments that they used on Unix and Linux.

First made available in 2009, Windows Server 2008 R2 is still in use today. Most of the changes that distinguish this from the original Windows Server 2008 were technical and occurred in the underlying supporting services. Up to this point, Windows Server products were based on Windows Vista. Windows Server 2008 R2 has a Windows 7 heart. So, that takes the program execution system up to a 64-bit environment.

This version of Windows Server saw some more changes in Active Directory to improve group policy implementation and a few new services appeared. These included Remote Desktop Services (RDS) which was a repackaging of Terminal Services. BranchCache and DirectAccess also appeared in this version of Windows Server to improve access to the server from users at remote locations.

All of the improvements to the Windows Server system in this version focused on getting the integrated Hyper-V into shape to make Cloud resources as easy to integrate into onsite delivery as local hosts. The storage system, mediated by Hyper-V was also updated in this version. The Hyper-V virtual switch and Hyper-V Replica were included in this release to enhance the uptake of hybrid network strategies.

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