Windows 10: Windows Server 2022 LTSC released

Microsoft released a new version of Windows Server, Windows Server 2022 LTSC, this week. The new Server release does not really need the LTSC descriptor anymore, as Microsoft announced earlier this year that all future Windows Server releases would be long-term servicing channel releases.

Windows Server 2022 LTSC will be supported for ten years. Five of those years with mainstream support, and the remaining five years with extended support. The main difference between the support phases is that extended support is limited to security and bug fix updates. Mainstream support may introduce new functionality to the Server version as well.



Mainstream support ends on October 13, 2026, extended support on October 14, 2031.

The "What's new in Windows Server 2022" support page lists major changes in the new Server version.

Here is a short overview:

• Security improvements: secured-core server, simplified security, hardware root-of-trust, firmware protection, virtualization-based security (VBS)
• HTTPS and TLS 1.3 enabled by default.
• Secure DNS support with DNS-over-HTTPS.
• Server Message Block AES-256 encryption.
• Server Message Block East-West SMB encryption.
• SMB over QUIC.
• Azure Arc enabled.
• Azure Automanage - Hotpatch.
• Platform improvements, e.g. application compatibility and Windows Container experience with Kubernetes.
• Nested virtualization for AMD processors.
• New Microsoft Edge web browser.
• Storage Migration Service.
• Adjustable storage repair speed.
• Storage bus cache with Storage Spaces on standalone servers.
• SMB compression.

Windows Server 2022 is available in three editions: Windows Server 2022 Standard, Windows Server 2022 Datacenter and Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition.

There are quite a few differences feature-wise between the versions. Hotpatching is only supported by the Azure Edition, Storage Spaces Direct only by the Datacenter editions, and the standard edition is limited when it comes to Storage replica.

Here is a feature comparison table:

Features available generally​

Windows Server 2022 Standard​

Windows Server 2022 Datacenter​

Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition​

Azure Extended Network​

No​

No​

Yes
Best Practices Analyzer​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Direct Access​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Dynamic Memory (in virtualization)​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Hot Add/Replace RAM​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Hotpatching​

No​

No​

Yes
Microsoft Management Console​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Minimal Server Interface​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Network Load Balancing​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Windows PowerShell​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Server Core installation option​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Server Manager​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
SMB Direct and SMB over RDMA​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes (not supported in Azure)
SMB over QUIC​

No​

No​

Yes
Software-defined Networking​

No​

Yes​

Yes
Storage Migration Service​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Storage Replica​

Yes, (1 partnership and 1 resource group with a single 2TB volume)​

Yes, unlimited​

Yes, unlimited
Storage Spaces​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Storage Spaces Direct​

No​

Yes​

Yes
Volume Activation Services​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) integration​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Windows Server Update Services​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Windows System Resource Manager​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Server license logging​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes
Inherited activation​

As guest if hosted on Datacenter​

Can be a host or a guest​

Can be a host or a guest
Work Folders​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​

As far as limitations and locks are concerned, these are identical feature-wise for the most part. The only difference between standard and datacenter editions is that the standard edition is limited to 2 virtual machines plus one Hyper-V host per license, while the datacenter edition is not limited when it comes to the number of virtual machines.

Check out the full feature comparison page on Microsoft's Docs website for additional information.

This Microsoft Docs webpage lists the features that are no longer in development or removed:

Removed:

Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) Server service The iSNS Server service has now been removed from Windows Server 2022 after it was considered for removal in Windows Server, version 1709. You can still connect to iSNS servers or add iSCSI targets individually.

No longer in development:

Feature Explanation
Guarded Fabric and Shielded Virtual Machines (VMs) Windows Server and Azure Stack HCI are aligning with Azure to take advantage of continuing enhancements to Azure Confidential Computing and Azure Security Center. Having this alignment translates to more cloud security offerings being extended to customer data centers (on-premises).
Microsoft will continue to provide support for these features, but there will be no further development. On client versions of Windows the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT): Shielded VM Tools feature will be removed.
Launching SConfig from a command prompt (CMD) window by running sconfig.cmd Starting with Windows Server 2022, SConfig is launched by default when you sign in to a server running Server Core installation option. Moreover, PowerShell is now the default shell on Server Core. If you exit SConfig, you get to a regular interactive PowerShell window. Similarly, you can opt out from SConfig autolaunch. In this case, you will get a PowerShell window at sign-in. In either scenario, you can launch SConfig from PowerShell by simply running SConfig. If needed, you can launch the legacy command prompt (CMD) from PowerShell as well. But to simplify different transition options, we're going to remove sconfig.cmd from the next version of the operating system. If you need to start SConfig from a CMD window, you will have to launch PowerShell first.

Our colleagues over at Deskmodder have links to the official ISO images of Windows Server 2022 LTSC (German and English, 64-bit).

Now You: What is your take on this new Windows Server release?

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Windows Server 2022 LTSC released appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

read more...

 

Announcing Windows Server 2022 LTSC Preview Build 20292 - Feb. 10 Insider

Hi there

Trying to install optional feature --it fails with "check your Insider program settings" but there's nowhere on the server to do just this !!!





Cheers
jimbo

 

Announcing Windows Server 2022 now in preview

Source: https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/win...ow-in-preview/

 

Announcing Windows Server 2022 LTSC Preview Build 20292 - Feb. 10 Insider

Hi there
Not too worried about the store app but without openssh server I can't really use this so I'm saving it and waiting for an update.

Seems quite a big defect on a server since presumably being able to share and transmit files is one of the main uses for a server in the first place !!!!! Openssh client works OK as that'sstandard.

Anybody on Ms's feedback program could they please mention the openssh server problem.

Cheers
jimbo