Windows Server 2012 R2 Notes

Installation Options: Clean Boot and Upgrade Older Version

Windows 2008 Server comes with 32bit and 64 bit version
32bit includes 17 Roles but without Hyper V
Windows 2012 R2 available only 64bit Version

There are only four Windows Server 2012 R2 editions from which to
choose, two fewer than the six editions in Windows Server 2008 R2. The Server Core installation
option and the full GUI installation option remain, along with a third option called the
Minimal Server Interface. However, it is now possible to switch between these options without
reinstalling the operating system each time.

As with Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows

Server 2012 R2 requires a 64-bit processor architecture. All of the 32-bit versions have
been eliminated, and there is no build that supports Itanium processors. This leaves Windows
Server 2012 R2 with the following core
editions:
Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter The Datacenter edition is designed for large and powerful servers
with up to 64 processors and include fault-tolerance features such as hot-add processor support. As a
result, this edition is available only through the Microsoft volume-licensing program and is bundled with
a server from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard The Standard edition includes the full set of
Windows Server 2012 R2 features and differs from the Datacenter edition only in the
number of virtual machine (VM) instances permitted by the license.
Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials The Essentials edition includes nearly all the
features in the Standard and Datacenter editions; it does not include Server Core,
Hyper-V, and Active Directory Federation Services. The Essentials edition is limited to
one physical or virtual server instance and a maximum of 25 users.
Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation The Foundation edition is a scaled-down
version of the operating system; it is designed for small businesses that require only
basic server features, such as file and print services and application support. The
Foundation edition comes pre-installed with server hardware, includes no virtualization
rights, and is limited to 15 users.

Windows Server 2012 R2 includes predefined combinations of services, called roles After you install the Windows
Server 2012 R2 operating system, you
can use Server Manager or Windows PowerShell to install one or more roles on that computer.

Supporting server virtualization

The Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter edition and the Standard edition each includes
support for Hyper-V, but each edition varies in the number of VMs permitted by its license.
Each running instance of the Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system is classified as being
in a physical operating system environment (POSE) or in a virtual operating system environment
(VOSE). When you purchase a Windows Server 2012 R2 license, you can perform a POSE
installation of the operating system, as always. After installing the Hyper-V role, you can then
create VMs and perform VOSE installations on them. The number of VOSE installations permitted
by your license depends on the edition you purchased, as shown in Table 1-1.
In Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the decision to install the operating
system using the Server Core option was irrevocable. Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2.
You can now switch a server from the Server Core option to the Server with a GUI option and
back again, at will, by using Windows PowerShell commands.

However, the Server Core option

in Windows Server 2012 R2 includes 12 of the 19 roles, plus support for SQL Server 2012, as
opposed to only 10 roles in Windows Server 2008 R2 and nine in Windows Server 2008.
Table 1-4 lists the roles and features that are available and not available in a Windows
Server 2012 R2 Server Core installation.
Using the Minimal Server Interface
If the advantages of Server Core sound tempting, but there are traditional server administration
tools you don’t want to give up, Windows Server 2012 R2 provides a compromise called
the Minimal Server Interface.
The Minimal Server Interface is a setting that removes some of the most hardware-intensive
elements from the graphical interface. These elements include Internet Explorer
and the components of the Windows shell, including the desktop, File Explorer, and the
Windows 8 desktop apps. Also omitted are the Control Panel items implemented as shell
extensions, including the following:
■■ Programs and Features
■■ Network and Sharing Center

■■ Devices and Printers Center

■■ Display
■■ Firewall
■■ Windows Update
■■ Fonts
■■ Storage Spaces
What’s left in the Minimal Server Interface are the Server Manager application, the MMC
application, Device Manager, and the entire Windows PowerShell interface. This provides
administrators with most of the tools they need to manage local and remote servers.

Using Features on Demand

During a Windows Server 2012 R2 installation, the Setup program copies the files for all the
operating system components from the installation medium to a directory called WinSxS, the
side-by-side component store. This enables you to activate any of the features included with
Windows Server 2012 R2 without having to supply an installation medium.