To give you a more consistent licensing experience across multi-cloud environments, we’re transitioning from processor-based licensing to core-based licensing with Windows Server 2016 Datacenter and Standard editions.
Choose from three primary editions of Windows Server based on the size of your organization, as well as virtualization and datacenter requirements. Then, explore the expanded benefits of Software Assurance for Windows Server that’s designed to support your transition to hybrid cloud.
Brand | Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Datacenter |
Product Type | Open License Product |
Version | 2016 |
Distribution Media | VLSC Portal Media |
System Requirements | 1.4Ghz 64-bit processor, RAM: 512 MB, Disk Space: 32 GB |
Feature 01 | While Windows Server 2016 introduces many features that benefit on-premises users, Microsoft's shift to a "cloud-first" design focus resulted in a portable server OS that's optimized for hybrid or native-cloud scenarios. |
Feature 02 | To help keep cloud costs under control in Windows Server 2016, Microsoft introduced the "headless," cloud-optimized Nano Server OS deployment option, which runs much leaner than even the already slimmed-down Server Core option. |
Feature 03 | Windows Server 2016 supports software containers, which are portable, bounded spaces that encapsulate an application and its dependencies. Containers isolate applications so they don't interfere with other applications or processes outside of the container. |
Feature 04 | One of the biggest challenges in IT today is securing devices and data in the face of an ever-growing number of threats. Fortunately, Windows Server 2016 introduces to new features that can protect servers |
Feature 05 | Shielded VMs utilize encryption and virtual TPMs (Trusted Platform Modules) to ensure virtual machines only run on approved hosts and are accessed by only approved users. It's not always the case that every admin should have privileges on every server (physical or virtual), so this new feature will enable different user access permissions per VM. The new Host Guardian Service server role is required before you can use shielded VMs. |
Feature 06 | Device Guard allows IT pros to restrict systems to only install applications that have been digitally signed or given an exception to run on the machine in question. This will cut down on malware infections, as someone will have reviewed an application before approving it, adding an extra layer of protection. |
Feature 07 | PowerShell is a powerful, much-beloved, time-saving tool for IT pros. And the recently released PowerShell 5.0, which is installed by default on both Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016, makes a good thing even better. |
Feature 08 | PowerShell Direct allows IT pros to use PowerShell to connect to and manage virtual machines from a Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V host instead of having to connect to each VM individually through the network. To use this feature if you need Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016 guest VMs, have ti be logged into the host as a Hyper-V admin, and must have valid user credentials on the VMs you want to manage. |
Feature 09 | PowerShell classes — PowerShell 5 allows IT pros to define classes using PowerShell code. Classes are like a blueprint: They are a programming concept that describes how something should look. Therefore, using PowerShell classes you can natively define Desired State Configuration (DSC) resources, eliminating the need to create a MOF file. |
Feature 10 | Here's what you can look forward to in the latest version of Microsoft's native hypervisor, Hyper-V |
Feature 11 | Hot add/remove memory or network adapters — No longer do you have to power down a VM to allocate or remove networking interfaces or RAM, even if Dynamic Memory is disabled. This new feature reduces downtime and the need to restart VMs. |
Feature 12 | Discrete device assignment- grants a VM direct and exclusive access to a PCIe device, bypassing the virtualization stack. You can use this pass-thru feature with add-in devices such as GPUs or NVMe/PCIe flash cards. |
Choose from three primary editions of Windows Server based on the size of your organization, as well as virtualization and datacenter requirements. Then, explore the expanded benefits of Software Assurance for Windows Server that’s designed to support your transition to hybrid cloud.