Windows Server

Group of server operating systems by Microsoft

Not to be confused with Microsoft Servers.

Windows Server

Developer| Microsoft
Source model|

* Closed-source
* Source-available (through Shared Source Initiative)

Initial release| July 27, 1993; 30 years ago (1993-07-27)
Latest release| 21H2 (10.0.20348.2227) (January 9, 2024; 21 days ago (2024-01-09)[1]) [±]
Latest preview| vNext (10.0.26010) / December 8, 2023; 53 days ago (2023-12-08)[2]
Update method|

* Windows Update
* Windows Server Update Services
* Configuration Manager
* Docker Hub
* Intune

Default
user interface|

* Windows shell
* PowerShell
* Windows Admin Center

License| Trialware, SaaS, or volume licensing
Official website| www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server

Windows Server (formerly Windows NT Server) is a group of operating systems (OS) for servers that Microsoft has been developing since 1993. The first OS that was released for this platform is Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server. With the release of Windows Server 2003, the brand name was changed to 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.

## Members[edit]

### Main releases[edit]

Main releases include:

* Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server (July 1993)
* Windows NT Server 3.5 (September 1994)
* Windows NT Server 3.51 (May 1995)
* Windows NT 4.0 Server (July 1996)
* Windows 2000 Server (December 1999)
* Windows Server 2003 (April 2003)[3]
* Windows Server 2003 R2 (December 2005)[4]
* Windows Server 2008 (February 2008)[5]
* Windows Server 2008 R2 (October 2009)[6]
* Windows Server 2012 (September 2012)[7]
* Windows Server 2012 R2 (October 2013)[8]
* Windows Server 2016 (October 2016)[9]
* Windows Server 2019 (October 2018)[10]
* Windows Server 2022 (August 2021)[11]
* Windows Server 2025 (August 2024, coming soon)[citation needed]
* Windows Server 2025 R2 (October 2025, coming soon)[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.[12][13] 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.[14][15]

### Branded releases[edit]

Certain editions of Windows Server have a customized name:

* Windows Storage Server (editions of Windows Server 2003 through 2016; editions of Windows Server IoT 2019 and its successors)[16][17][18]
* Windows HPC Server 2008
* Windows HPC Server 2008 R2
* Windows Home Server (an edition of Windows Server 2003)
* Windows Home Server 2011 (an edition of Windows Server 2008 R2)
* Hyper-V Server (a discontinued,[19] freeware edition of Windows Server 2008 through 2019)[20]
* Windows MultiPoint Server
* Windows Server Essentials[21][22]
* Windows Essential Business Server (discontinued)[23]
* Azure Stack HCI (an edition of Windows Server 2019 and later)[24]

### Semi-Annual releases (discontinued)[edit]

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,[25] until their discontinuation in July 2021.[26][25]

The semi-annual releases do not include any desktop environments. Instead, they are restricted to the Nano Server configuration installed in a Docker container,[13][25] and the Server Core configuration, licensed only to serve as a container host.[13][25]

Semi-Annual releases include:[27]

* Windows Server, version 1709 (unsupported as of April 9, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-04-09))
* Windows Server, version 1803 (unsupported as of November 12, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-11-12))
* Windows Server, version 1809 (unsupported as of November 10, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-11-10))
* Windows Server, version 1903 (unsupported as of December 8, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-12-08))
* Windows Server, version 1909 (unsupported as of May 11, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-05-11))
* Windows Server, version 2004 (unsupported as of December 14, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-12-14))
* Windows Server, version 20H2 (unsupported as of August 9, 2022; 17 months ago (2022-08-09))[28][29][30][31]

### Windows Server 2025 Release (Coming Soon)[edit]

Microsoft is expected to release Windows Server 2025 in late August 2024. However, Microsoft has not announced a date yet.[citation needed]

### Annual releases[edit]

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.

Annual releases include:[32]

* Windows Server, version 23H2

### Upcoming releases[edit]

Upcoming releases include:[citation needed]

* Windows Server 2025

## See also[edit]

* List of Microsoft Windows versions
* Microsoft Servers
* Linux range of use § Servers, mainframes and supercomputers
* NetWare
* Open Enterprise Server

## References[edit]

1. ^ "January 9, 2024—KB5034129 (OS Build 20348.2227)". Microsoft Support. Microsoft.
2. ^ "Announcing Windows Server Preview Build 26010". Microsoft Tech Community. December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023. "when reporting issues please refer to "VNext" rather than Windows Server 2022 which is currently in market."
3. ^ "Windows Server 2003 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft. March 8, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
4. ^ "Windows Server 2003 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft. March 8, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
5. ^ "Windows Server 2008 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
6. ^ "Windows Server 2008 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
7. ^ "Windows Server 2012 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. January 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
8. ^ "Windows Server 2012 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft.com. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
9. ^ "Windows Server 2016 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
10. ^ "Windows Server 2019 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
11. ^ "Windows Server 2022 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
12. ^ "What is Microsoft Windows Server LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel)? – Definition from WhatIs.com". SearchWindowsServer. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
13. ^ a b c "Windows Server – Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) vs Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) – Thomas Maurer". Thomas Maurer. November 19, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
14. ^ Sommergut, Wolfgang (August 24, 2021). "Windows Server 2022 released: Overview of new features". 4sysops. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021.
15. ^ Foley, Mary Jo (August 20, 2021). "Microsoft's Windows Server 2022 is rolling out to mainstream users". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021.
16. ^ "Windows Storage Server Lifecycle (EOL)". EndOfLife.Software.
17. ^ "Windows Server IoT 2019 for Storage". Microsoft.com. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
18. ^ "Windows Server IoT 2022". Microsoft.com. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
19. ^ Christensen, Elden (March 25, 2022). "Hyper-V in the 2022 Wave". Microsoft Tech Community. Self-published.
20. ^ "Hyper-V Server". Search Product and Services Lifecycle Information. Microsoft. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
21. ^ "Windows Small Business Server 2008 Technical FAQ". Windows Server Essentials documentations. Microsoft. December 14, 2010 - via Microsoft Docs.
22. ^ Thurrott, Paul (September 3, 2011). "Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials". Supersite for Windows. Penton Media. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
23. ^ "Windows Essential Business Server". TechNet Archive. Microsoft. February 7, 2012 - via Microsoft Docs.
24. ^ "Deploy the Azure Stack HCI operating system". Azure Docs. Microsoft. October 22, 2021.
25. ^ a b c d "Windows Server servicing channels". Windows Server Library. Microsoft. July 5, 2022. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022.
26. ^ "Microsoft to retire semi-annual Windows Server updates, will move entirely to LTSC releases". Neowin. July 28, 2021.
27. ^ "Windows Server". Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel. Microsoft. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
28. ^ "Windows message center: Windows Server, version 20H2 has reached end of servicing". August 9, 2022. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022.
29. ^ "Windows Server release information". docs.microsoft.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
30. ^ "Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows Server, version 20H2". docs.microsoft.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
31. ^ Popa, Bogdan. "Microsoft Retires Windows Server Version 20H2". news.softpedia.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
32. ^ "Windows Server". Windows Server Annual Channel. Microsoft. Retrieved January 9, 2024.

## External links[edit]

Wikiversity has learning resources about Windows Server

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Microsoft Windows

* Components
* Versions
* History
* Comparison
* Criticism

DOS-based|

* 1.0x
* 2.0x
* 2.1x
* 3.0
* 3.1x

Windows 9x|

* 95
* 98
* Me

Windows NT|

| Base
releases|

* NT 3.1
* NT 3.5
* NT 3.51
* NT 4.0
* 2000
* XP
* Pro x64
* Media Center
* Vista
* 7
* 8 / 8.1
* 10
* 11

|

Windows
Server|

* Server 2003
* Home Server
* Server 2008
* EBS 2008
* HPC Server 2008
* Server 2008 R2
* Home Server 2011
* Server 2012
* Server 2012 R2
* Server 2016
* Server 2019
* Server 2022

Other
releases|

* Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
* RT

Specialized|

* Preinstallation Environment
* MultiPoint Server

Windows
Embedded /
Windows IoT|

| Embedded
Compact|

* CE 5.0
* Embedded CE 6.0
* Embedded Compact 7

|

Other|

* Embedded Automotive
* Embedded Industry

Windows Mobile|

* Pocket PC 2000
* Pocket PC 2002
* Mobile 2003
* Mobile 5.0
* Mobile 6.0
* Mobile 6.1
* Mobile 6.5

Windows Phone|

* Phone 7
* Phone 8
* Phone 8.1
* 10 Mobile

Cancelled|

* Cairo
* Nashville
* Neptune
* Odyssey
* Polaris
* 10X

Related|

* Development
* 95
* XP
* Vista
* Editions
* XP
* Vista
* 7
* 8
* 10
* 11
* New features
* XP
* Vista
* 7
* 8
* 10
* 11
* Removed features
* XP
* Vista
* 7
* 8
* 10
* 11
* Version history
* Phone
* 10
* 10 Mobile
* 11
* Version comparison
* Vista and XP
* Criticism
* XP
* Vista
* 10
* Windows for Pen Computing
* Microsoft Plus!
* Microsoft PowerToys
* Windows Server Essentials

* List of versions
* Comparison
* Category

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