What's New in Windows Server
Applies To: Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012
The content in this section describes what's new and changed in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012. This content focuses on changes that will potentially have the greatest impact on your use of these releases.
What's New in 802.1X Authenticated Wired Access This topic provides information about the new features for 802.1X Authenticated Wired Access in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1.
What's New in 802.1X Authenticated Wireless Access This topic provides information about the new features for 802.1X Authenticated Wireless Access in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1, including Miracast Wireless Display and faster Wi-Fi with 802.11ac.
What's New in Active Directory in Windows Server You can leverage new features in Active Directory to enable employees and partners to access protected corporate data from their personal devices and at the same time manage risk and govern the use of corporate resources.
What's New in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) in Windows Server 2012 includes new features that make it simpler and faster to deploy domain controllers (both on-premises and in the cloud), more flexible and easier to both audit and authorize access to files with Dynamic Access Control, and easier to perform administrative tasks at scale, either locally or remotely, through consistent graphical and scripted management experiences.
What's New in Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) is the server role that provides you with management and development tools that work with industry security technologies—including encryption, certificates, and authentication—to help organizations create reliable information protection solutions.
What's New in BitLocker BitLocker now provides support for device encryption on x86-based and x64-based computers with a Trusted Platform Module that supports connected standby. This topic describes the new functionality. BitLocker encrypts the hard drives on your computer to provide enhanced protection against data theft or exposure on computers and removable drives that are lost or stolen.
What's New in BranchCache BranchCache in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 provides substantial performance, manageability, scalability, and availability improvements.
What's New in Certificate Services in Windows Server Active Directory Certificate Services in Windows Server 2012 R2 supports a policy module for the Network Device Enrollment Service, TPM key attestation, and new Windows PowerShell cmdlets for backup and restore. AD CS in Windows Server 2012 provides multiple new features and capabilities over previous versions, including new deployment, manageability, and capabilities added to AD CS in Windows Server 2012.
What's New in Data Deduplication in Windows Server Data Deduplication can now be installed on a scale-out file share and used to optimize live virtual hard disks (VHDs) for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) workloads. This topic describes this and other new functionality.
What's New in DFS Replication and DFS Namespaces in Windows Server This topic describes the features that were added to DFS Replication (DFSR or DFS-R) in Windows Server 2012 R2. DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication in Windows Server 2012 provide new management functionality as well as interoperability with DirectAccess and Data Deduplication.
What's New in DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) in Windows Server 2012 R2 provides new features and capabilities over previous versions. This document describes new deployment, manageability, and capabilities added to the DHCP Server role in Windows Server 2012 R2. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard designed to reduce the administration burden and complexity of configuring hosts on a TCP/IP-based network, such as a private intranet.
What's New in DNS Server This topic provides information about new and changed functionality in the DNS Server service in Windows Server 2012 R2. Domain Name System (DNS) services are used in TCP/IP networks for naming computers and network services. DNS naming locates computers and services through user-friendly names.
What's New in DNS Client This topic provides information about new and changed functionality in the DNS Client service in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.
What's New in Failover Clustering in Windows Server This topic describes the Failover Clustering functionality that is new or changed in Windows Server 2012 R2. Failover clusters provide high availability and scalability to many server workloads. These include file share storage for server applications such as Hyper-V and Microsoft SQL Server, and server applications that run on physical servers or virtual machines.
New and changed functionality File and Storage Services provides a number of new management, scalability, and functionality improvements in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012.
What's New in File Server Resource Manager in Windows Server This topic summarizes the File Server Resource Manager functionality in Windows Server 2012 R2 that is new or changed since Windows Server 2012. File Server Resource Manager provides a set of features that allow you to manage and classify data that is stored on file servers.
What's New in Group Policy in Windows Server This topic describes the new and changed functionality of the Group Policy feature in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012. Group Policy is an infrastructure that enables you to specify managed configurations for users and computers through Group Policy settings and Group Policy Preferences.
What’s New in Hyper-V for Windows Server 2012 R2 This topic describes the new and changed functionality of the Hyper-V role in Windows Server 2012 R2. The Hyper-V role enables you to create and manage a virtualized computing environment by using virtualization technology that is built in to Windows Server 2012. Hyper-V virtualizes hardware to provide an environment in which you can run multiple operating systems at the same time on one physical computer, by running each operating system in its own virtual machine.
What's New in Hyper-V Network Virtualization This topic describes the new or changed features and functionality in Hyper-V Network Virtualization in Windows Server 2012 R2.
What's New in Hyper-V Virtual Switch in Windows Server 2012 R2 This topic provides information about the new features in Hyper-V Virtual Switch in Windows Server 2012 R2.
What's New in IPAM IP Address Management (IPAM) is a feature that was first introduced in Windows Server 2012 that provides highly customizable administrative and monitoring capabilities for the IP address infrastructure on a corporate network. IPAM in Windows Server 2012 R2 includes many enhancements.
What's New in iSCSI Target Server in Windows Server This topic describes the new and changed functionality of iSCSI Target Server in Windows Server 2012 R2.
What's New in Kerberos Authentication The Microsoft Windows Server operating systems implement the Kerberos version 5 authentication protocol and extensions for public key and password-based authentication. The Kerberos authentication client is implemented as a security support provider (SSP) and can be accessed through the Security Support Provider Interface (SSPI).
What's New for Managed Service Accounts Standalone Managed Service Accounts, which were introduced in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7, are managed domain accounts that provide automatic password management and simplified SPN management, including delegation of management to other administrators.
What's New in Networking This topic describes the new and changed functionality of networking in Windows Server 2012 R2. Discover new networking technologies and new features for existing technologies in Windows Server 2012. Technologies covered include BranchCache, Data Center Bridging, NIC Teaming, and more.
What's New in Print and Document Services in Windows Server This topic describes the new and changed functionality of Print and Document Services in Windows Server 2012 R2.
What's New in Remote Access A number of new Remote Access server and client features are included in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1.
What's New in Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server This topic describes the Remote Desktop Services functionality that is new or changed in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012. The Remote Desktop Services server role provides technologies that enable users to connect to virtual desktops, RemoteApp programs, and session-based desktops. With Remote Desktop Services, users can access remote connections from within a corporate network or from the Internet.
Security and Protection This topic describes the significant changes to security technologies in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012 and how those changes impact Windows 8.1.
What’s new in Server Manager In this blog post, senior Server Manager program manager Wale Martins describes the innovations and value of the new Server Manager. Server Manager in Windows Server 2012 lets administrators manage multiple, remote servers that are running Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2003.
What's New in Smart Cards Smart cards and their associated personal identification numbers (PINs) are an increasingly popular, reliable, and cost-effective form of two-factor authentication. With the right controls in place, a user must have the smart card and know the PIN to gain access to network resources.
What's New in SMB in Windows Server This topic introduces the new features and functionality for Server Message Block (SMB) in Windows Server 2012 R2.
What's New in Storage Spaces in Windows Server This topic describes the features that were added to Storage Spaces in Windows Server 2012 R2, including storage tiers, write-back cache, and dual parity.
What's New in TLS-SSL (Schannel SSP) Schannel is a Security Support Provider (SSP) that implements the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) Internet standard authentication protocols. The Security Support Provider Interface (SSPI) is an API used by Windows systems to perform security-related functions including authentication.
What's New in Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server A Windows Deployment Services (WDS) server running Windows Server 2012 R2 can be managed using the Windows PowerShell cmdlets for WDS. Using Windows PowerShell cmdlets, you can add driver packages, add client images, enable and disable boot and install images, and do many other common WDS tasks. For a full reference, see Windows PowerShell Support for Windows Server. Windows Deployment Services is a server role that enables you to remotely deploy Windows operating systems. You can use it to set up new computers by using a network-based installation.
What’s New in Windows PowerShell Windows PowerShell includes several significant features that extend its use, improve its usability, and allow you to control and manage Windows-based environments more easily and comprehensively.
What's New in Windows Server Essentials [VIL] This topic describes what's new and changed in Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials.