Windows Server 2012R2 : Added Features

 Windows Server Essentials Experience - Windows Server Essentials Experience role is available in Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard and Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter.
Windows Server Essentials Experience role enables you to:-

• Protect your server and client data by backing up your server and all the client computers within your network.

• Manage your users and groups through the simplified server Dashboard. In addition, integration with Windows Azure Active Directory enables easy data access for Microsoft online services users (for example, Office 365, Exchange Online, and SharePoint Online users) through their domain credentials.

• Store your company’s data in a centralized location.

• Integrate your server with Microsoft online services, such as Office 365, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Windows Intune

• Protect your server and client data by backing up your server and all the client computers within your network.

• Manage your users and groups through the simplified server Dashboard. In addition, integration with Windows Azure Active Directory enables easy data access for Microsoft online services users (for example, Office 365, Exchange Online, and SharePoint Online users) through their domain credentials.

• Store your company’s data in a centralized location.

• Integrate your server with Microsoft online services, such as Office 365, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Windows Intune.

• New features in Active directory 2012

• Office sizes and the number of branch offices are not limited. BranchCache supports any number of offices of any size when you deploy hosted cache mode with multiple hosted cache servers.

• There is no requirement for a Group Policy Object (GPO) for each office location, streamlining deployment. A single GPO that contains a small group of settings is all that is required to deploy BranchCache in any size organization, from a large enterprise to a small business.

• Client computer configuration is automatic. Clients can be configured through Group Policy as distributed cache mode clients by default, however they will search for a hosted cache server – and if one is discovered, clients automatically self-configure as hosted cache mode clients.

• BranchCache is deeply integrated with the Windows file server. BranchCache uses Windows file server’s state-of-the-art technology to divide files into small pieces and eliminate duplicates. This greatly increases the chance of finding duplicate pieces in independent files, resulting in greater bandwidth savings. BranchCache is also more tolerant of small changes in large files. In addition, file division calculations are performed only one time. When a client computer that is running Windows 8 downloads content from a file server or web server that is running Windows Server 2012 and is using new Data Deduplication technology, there is no need for BranchCache to spend CPU cycles calculating how to divide the content – because the file server and web server have already made these calculations.

• Duplicate content is stored once and downloaded once. When identical content exists in a file – or across many files on the content server or hosted cache server – BranchCache stores only one instance of the content, which provides disk storage savings. In addition, client computers at office locations download only one instance of duplicate content, saving additional WAN bandwidth.

• Small changes to large files produce bandwidth savings. BranchCache now divides files and web pages into smaller pieces. BranchCache uses a highly optimized file server chunking system to choose intelligent split points inside of files, providing the ability for client computers to download only the part of the file that is changed.

• Offline creation of content information. When you deploy a BranchCache enabled file server or Web server as a content server, content information is calculated offline, well before a BranchCache client requests a file. This provides faster performance and more bandwidth savings, because content information is ready for the first client that requests the content and calculations have already been performed.

Feature/Functionality	New or Improved	Description
Shared virtual hard disk (for guest clusters)	New	Enables you to use .vhdx files as shared storage in a guest cluster.
Virtual machine drain on shutdown	New	Enables a Hyper-V host to automatically live migrate running virtual machines if the computer is shut down.
Virtual machine network health detection	New	Enables a Hyper-V host to automatically live migrate virtual machines if a network disconnection occurs on a protected virtual network.
Optimized CSV placement policies	Improved	Distributes CSV ownership evenly across the failover cluster nodes.
Increased CSV resiliency	Improved	Multiple Server service instances per cluster node and CSV monitoring of the Server service provide greater resiliency.
CSV cache allocation	Improved	Increases the amount of RAM that you can allocate as CSV cache.
CSV diagnosibility	Improved	Enables you to view the state of a CSV on a per node basis, and the reason for I/O redirection.
CSV interoperability	Improved	Adds CSV support for other Windows Server 2012 R2 features.
Deploy an Active Directory-detached cluster	New	Enables you to deploy a failover cluster with less dependency on Active Directory Domain Services.
Dynamic witness	New	Dynamically adjusts the witness vote based on the number of voting nodes in current cluster membership.
Quorum user interface improvements	Improved	Enables you to easily view the assigned quorum vote and the current quorum vote for each node in Failover Cluster Manager.
Force quorum resiliency	New	Enables automatic recovery in the case of a partitioned failover cluster.
Tie breaker for 50% node split	New	Enables one side of a cluster to continue to run in the case of a cluster split where neither side would normally have quorum.
Configure the Global Update Manager mode	New	Helps the cluster to continue to function if there is a delay with one or more nodes.
Cluster node health detection	Improved	Increases the resiliency to temporary network failures for virtual machines that are running on a Hyper-V cluster.
Turn off IPsec encryption for inter-node cluster communication	New	Helps prevent a cluster from being affected by high latency Group Policy updates.
Cluster dashboard	New	Provides a convenient way to check the health of all managed failover clusters in Failover Cluster Manager.

Feature or functionality	New or updated
Shared virtual hard disk	New
Resize virtual hard disk	Updated
Storage Quality of Service	New
Live migrations	Updated
Virtual machine generation	New
Integration services	Updated
Export	Updated
Failover Clustering and Hyper-V	Updated
Enhanced session mode	New
Hyper-V Replica	Updated
Linux support	Updated
Management	Updated
Automatic Virtual Machine Activation	New
Hyper-V Networking	Updated

Feature/Functionality	New or improved	Description
Role-based access control	New	Role based access control enables you to customize the types of operations and access permissions for users and groups of users on specific objects.
Virtual address space management	New	IPAM streamlines management of physical and virtual IP address space in System Center Virtual Machine Manager.
Enhanced DHCP server management	Improved	Several new operations are available in IPAM to enhanced the monitoring and management of the DHCP Server service on the network.
External database support	New	In addition to Windows Internal Database (WID), IPAM also optionally supports the use of a Microsoft SQL database.
Upgrade and migration support	New	If you installed IPAM on Windows Server 2012, your data is maintained and migrated when you upgrade to Windows Server 2012 R2.
Enhanced Windows PowerShell support	Improved	Windows PowerShell support for IPAM is greatly enhanced to provide extensibility, integration, and automation

Feature/functionality	New or updated	Description
Event logging for Branch Office Direct Printing	Updated	Printing events are now written to the print server when BODP is enabled for the queue
Printer migration for Web Services for Devices (WSD) print devices	Updated	You can now use the Printer Migration Wizard or command line tools to export and import printer settings for WSD print devices
Roaming settings include printer connections	New	Printer settings and some connections are now available in roaming user profiles when you log on using different computers and devices
Easier printing in Windows RT	New	Windows RT users can now easily find and use printers
Near Field Communication (NFC) connections to printers	New	You can configure shared printers to advertise NFC wireless connections to Printers so that users with compatible devices can easily locate, install, and use printers
Common framework for PIN-protected printing support by IHVs	New	A common framework is provided for PIN-protected printing, with an integrated user interface and easier implementation for IHVs
Print and fax services now include user access logging	Updated	Print and fax service logging now includes user name and computer name logging in addition to IP address logging.

• Session Shadowing 

• Online Data Deduplication  

• Improved RemoteApp behavior  

• Quick reconnect for remote desktop clients 

• Improved compression and bandwidth usage 

• Dynamic display handling  

• RemoteFX virtualized GPU supports DX11.1 

• RestrictedAdmin Mode Remote Desktop 

• Remote Desktop Services role services description  

• Removed or deprecated functionality

Feature Name	What’s New	Description
Server Deployment	Server deployment options in Windows Server Essentials include:	Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials must be the domain controller at the root of the forest and domain, and must hold all the FSMO roles.
	1. Windows Server Essentials Experience as a server role in the Standard and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2012 R2 can be installed as a member server in a domain.	Windows Server Essentials Experience as a server role in the Standard and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2012 R2 can be installed as a member server in a domain. If an Active Directory domain does not exist, installing the role will create an Active Directory domain, and the server will become the domain controller at the root of the forest and domain, holding all the FSMO roles. You can have more than one server with the Windows Server Essentials Experience role installed in your network.
	2. Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials can be installed on a physical server or as a virtual machine.	As part of your installation process, you can opt to install Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials as a virtual machine by following instructions in a wizard.
Client Deployment	Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials provides improved client deployment options.	The following improvements and changes are made in the client deployment process for Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials:
		The Connector can be used to connect to a server running Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials from a remote location.
		The Connector can trigger automatic VPN dialing in domain-joined clients, so that customers can always be connected to Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials when they are working off-premises.
		The Connector can be configured to connect to other servers running Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials without reinstallation.
		The Connector performance has been improved by reducing its memory and CPU usage.
Users and Groups	The following functionalities are added for managing users and groups :	You can create user groups and add user accounts to them. User account permissions can be managed through their user group memberships.
	1. User groups management	If your server is integrated with Office 365, you can manage your Office 365 distribution groups from the Dashboard.
	2. Office 365 distribution groups management
Server Storage	The following functionalities are added in Server Storage:	You can create shared folders on a secondary server while keeping the same Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path prefix.
	1.Folder management on a second server in a Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials network	You can specify a space quota for a server folder. You receive an alert when a server folder size grows beyond its defined quota.
	2. Server folder quota
Data Protection	Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials includes improved File History.	File History backups are configured per user instead of per device. Also, you can automatically restore your data through File History backups on a new computer if your old computer is no longer functional or is unavailable. The first time you log on to your new computer in the network, you are prompted to restore your files from your File History backups.
Health Reports	Health Reports is integrated with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials, and it no longer needs to be installed as an add-in.	The Home page includes the Alerts and Reports tabs. Depending on your business needs, you can customize the system health reports to display items that you want to monitor.
Branch Cache	Branch Cache is integrated with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials.	You can turn on Branch Cache to improve data access if the server running Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials is located offsite. For more information, see Manage BranchCache in Windows Server Essentials.
Office 365 Integration	The following functionalities are available when Office 365 is integrated with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials:	If your server is integrated with Office 365, you can:
	1.SharePoint Libraries management	Manage your Office 365 SharePoint Libraries from the Dashboard.
	2. Office 365 distribution groups management	Manage your Office 365 distribution groups from the Dashboard.
		The integration of Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials with Office 365 is only supported in a single domain controller environment. The Integrate with Office 365 Wizard must be run on a domain controller.
Mobile Devices	You can manage Mobile Devices through the Dashboard.	If your server is integrated with Office 365, you can manage your mobile devices by using the Exchange Active Sync functionalities; for example, you can define email access from a mobile device, set up password policies, and perform a remote wipe of the mobile device.
Client Full System Restore	Client Full System Restore is supported by Windows Deployment Services.	You can create a client restore service by using the Set Up Client Restore Service task, and you can perform client full system restore over the network instead of using an image that is saved on a DVD.
Remote Web Access	Remote Web Access experience is updated.	Remote Web Access is optimized for touch devices and enhanced with rich HTML5 support.
Microsoft online services integration	The integration of Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials with Microsoft online services is updated.	The integration of Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials with Microsoft online services, including Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), Office 365, Windows Intune, and on-premises Exchange, is only supported in a single domain controller environment. The integration wizard for these Microsoft online services must be run on a domain controller.

·         Join to Workplace from Any Device for SSO and Seamless Second Factor Authentication across Company Applications.
·         Connect to Applications and Services from Anywhere with Web Application Proxy
·         Manage Risk with Conditional Access Control
·         Manage Risk with Additional Multi-Factor Authentication for Sensitive Applications New features in BITLOCKERS – Bit Locker provides support for device encryption on x86 and x64-based computers with a TPM that supports connected stand-by. Previously this form of encryption was only available on Windows RT devices
 New features in Branch Cache – Branch Cache is a wide area network (WAN) bandwidth optimization technology. BranchCache in Windows Server 2012 provides substantial performance, manageability, scalability, and availability improvements:
 New Features in Failover Clustering - In Windows Server 2012 R2, Failover Clustering offers enhanced support in the following areas.New Features in HYPER – V - 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 R2. 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 on its own virtual machine.
   New Features in  IP Address Management (IPAM) - PAM provides highly customizable administrative and monitoring capabilities for the IP address infrastructure on a corporate network. You can monitor, audit, and manage servers running Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS).
  New features in Print and Document Services in Windows Server 2012 R2. – Print and Document Services enables you to centralize print server and network printer management tasks. With this role, you can also receive scanned documents form network scanners and route the documents to a shared network resource, Windows SharePoint Services site, or email addresses.
New features in Remote Desktop Services –  n Windows Server 2012 R2, Remote Desktop Services offers enhanced support in the following areas:
New features in Windows server essentials 2012 -    

Feature Name	What’s New	Description
Server Deployment	Server deployment options in Windows Server Essentials include:	Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials must be the domain controller at the root of the forest and domain, and must hold all the FSMO roles.
	1. Windows Server Essentials Experience as a server role in the Standard and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2012 R2 can be installed as a member server in a domain.	Windows Server Essentials Experience as a server role in the Standard and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2012 R2 can be installed as a member server in a domain. If an Active Directory domain does not exist, installing the role will create an Active Directory domain, and the server will become the domain controller at the root of the forest and domain, holding all the FSMO roles. You can have more than one server with the Windows Server Essentials Experience role installed in your network.
	2. Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials can be installed on a physical server or as a virtual machine.	As part of your installation process, you can opt to install Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials as a virtual machine by following instructions in a wizard.
Client Deployment	Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials provides improved client deployment options.	The following improvements and changes are made in the client deployment process for Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials:
		The Connector can be used to connect to a server running Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials from a remote location.
		The Connector can trigger automatic VPN dialing in domain-joined clients, so that customers can always be connected to Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials when they are working off-premises.
		The Connector can be configured to connect to other servers running Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials without reinstallation.
		The Connector performance has been improved by reducing its memory and CPU usage.
Users and Groups	The following functionalities are added for managing users and groups :	You can create user groups and add user accounts to them. User account permissions can be managed through their user group memberships.
	1. User groups management	If your server is integrated with Office 365, you can manage your Office 365 distribution groups from the Dashboard.
	2. Office 365 distribution groups management
Server Storage	The following functionalities are added in Server Storage:	You can create shared folders on a secondary server while keeping the same Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path prefix.
	1.Folder management on a second server in a Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials network	You can specify a space quota for a server folder. You receive an alert when a server folder size grows beyond its defined quota.
	2. Server folder quota
Data Protection	Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials includes improved File History.	File History backups are configured per user instead of per device. Also, you can automatically restore your data through File History backups on a new computer if your old computer is no longer functional or is unavailable. The first time you log on to your new computer in the network, you are prompted to restore your files from your File History backups.
Health Reports	Health Reports is integrated with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials, and it no longer needs to be installed as an add-in.	The Home page includes the Alerts and Reports tabs. Depending on your business needs, you can customize the system health reports to display items that you want to monitor.
Branch Cache	Branch Cache is integrated with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials.	You can turn on Branch Cache to improve data access if the server running Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials is located offsite. For more information, see Manage BranchCache in Windows Server Essentials.
Office 365 Integration	The following functionalities are available when Office 365 is integrated with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials:	If your server is integrated with Office 365, you can:
	1.SharePoint Libraries management	Manage your Office 365 SharePoint Libraries from the Dashboard.
	2. Office 365 distribution groups management	Manage your Office 365 distribution groups from the Dashboard.
		The integration of Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials with Office 365 is only supported in a single domain controller environment. The Integrate with Office 365 Wizard must be run on a domain controller.
Mobile Devices	You can manage Mobile Devices through the Dashboard.	If your server is integrated with Office 365, you can manage your mobile devices by using the Exchange Active Sync functionalities; for example, you can define email access from a mobile device, set up password policies, and perform a remote wipe of the mobile device.
Client Full System Restore	Client Full System Restore is supported by Windows Deployment Services.	You can create a client restore service by using the Set Up Client Restore Service task, and you can perform client full system restore over the network instead of using an image that is saved on a DVD.
Remote Web Access	Remote Web Access experience is updated.	Remote Web Access is optimized for touch devices and enhanced with rich HTML5 support.
Microsoft online services integration	The integration of Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials with Microsoft online services is updated.	The integration of Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials with Microsoft online services, including Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), Office 365, Windows Intune, and on-premises Exchange, is only supported in a single domain controller environment. The integration wizard for these Microsoft online services must be run on a domain controller.

Blog by Pushkar Nath        .