Windows Server

Not to be confused with Microsoft Servers.

Windows Server (formerly Windows NT Server) is a group of server operating systems (OS) that has been developed by Microsoft since 1993. The first OS that was released for this platform is Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server, an edition of Windows NT 3.1. With the release of Windows Server 2003, Microsoft started releasing new versions under the name Windows Server. The latest release of Windows Server is Windows Server 2025.^[3]

Windows Server

Developer	Microsoft
Source model	Closed-source Source-available (through Shared Source Initiative)
Initial release	July 27, 1993; 31 years ago (1993-07-27)
Latest release	24H2 (10.0.26100.2605) (December 10, 2024; 8 days ago (2024-12-10)[1]) [±]
Latest preview	vNext (10.0.26280) / September 6, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-09-06)[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/windows-server

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.

History

Windows NT Server 3.x

Main article: Windows NT 3.1

Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was released on July 27, 1993^{[citation needed]} as an edition of Windows NT 3.1, an operating system aimed towards business and server use. As with its Workstation counterpart, Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was a 32 bit rewrite of the Windows kernel that retained a similar use interface to Windows 3.1. Unlike the latter, however, Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server was a complete operating system that did not need to be run from DOS. Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server, like its Workstation counterpart, featured new features such as multiuser support and preemptive multitasking.^[4] In 1994, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 3.5. It introduced TCP/IP and Winsock support integrated into the operating system, alongside the ability to use FTP. It also supported VFAT.^{[citation needed]}

In 1995, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 3.51, an update to Windows NT Server 3.5, which added NTFS compression and support for the PowerPC architecture.^{[citation needed]}

Windows NT Server 4.0

Main article: Windows NT 4.0

In 1996, Microsoft released Windows NT Server 4.0. It added the new user interface introduced in Windows 95 the previous year. In addition, it dropped support for the PowerPC, Alpha, and MIPS architectures. Microsoft updated Winsock to version 2 and IIS 2.0 and FrontPage are included.^{[citation needed]}

Windows 2000 Server

Main article: Windows 2000

Windows Server 2003

Main article: Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 is based on a modified version of Windows XP.

Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2

Main articles: Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2008 is based on Windows Vista SP1, while Windows Server 2008 R2 is based on Windows 7.

Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2

Main articles: Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows Server 2012 is based on Windows 8, while Windows Server 2012 R2 is based on Windows 8.1.

Windows Server 2016, 2019 and 2022

Main articles: Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2022

These versions of Windows Server are all based on Windows 10. Windows Server 2016 is based on Windows 10, version 1607, Windows Server 2019 is based on Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2022 is based on a modified version of Windows 10, version 21H2.

Windows Server 2025

Main article: Windows Server 2025

This version of Windows Server is based on Windows 11. Windows Server 2025 is based on Windows 11, version 24H2.^[5]

Members

Main releases

Main releases include:

• Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server (July 27, 1993)
• Windows NT Server 3.5 (September 21, 1994)
• Windows NT Server 3.51 (May 30, 1995)

• Windows NT 4.0 Server (August 24, 1996)
• Windows 2000 Server (December 15, 1999)
• Windows Server 2003 (April 24, 2003)^[6]
• Windows Server 2003 R2 (December 6, 2005)^[7]
• Windows Server 2008 (February 27, 2008)^[8]
• Windows Server 2008 R2 (October 22, 2009)^[9]
• Windows Server 2012 (September 4, 2012)^[10]
• Windows Server 2012 R2 (October 17, 2013)^[11]
• Windows Server 2016 (October 12, 2016)^[12]
• Windows Server 2019 (October 2, 2018)^[13]
• Windows Server 2022 (August 18, 2021)^[14]
• Windows Server 2025 (November 1, 2024)^[15]

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.^[16][17] 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 would have been "Windows Server 2016 R2". Windows Server 2022 is also a minor upgrade over its predecessor.^[18][19]

Branded releases

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)^[20][21][22]
• 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,^[23] freeware edition of Windows Server 2008 through 2019)^[24]
• Windows MultiPoint Server
• Windows Server Essentials^[25][26]
• Windows Essential Business Server (discontinued)^[27]
• Azure Stack HCI (an edition of Windows Server 2019 and later)^[28]

Semi-Annual releases (discontinued)

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,^[29] until their discontinuation in July 2021.^[30][29]

The semi-annual releases do not include any desktop environments. Instead, they are restricted to the Nano Server configuration installed in a Docker container,^[17][29] and the Server Core configuration, licensed only to serve as a container host.^[17][29]

Semi-Annual releases include:^[31]

• Windows Server, version 1709 (unsupported as of April 9, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-04-09))
• Windows Server, version 1803 (unsupported as of November 12, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-11-12))
• Windows Server, version 1809 (unsupported as of November 10, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-11-10))
• Windows Server, version 1903 (unsupported as of December 8, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-12-08))
• Windows Server, version 1909 (unsupported as of May 11, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-05-11))
• Windows Server, version 2004 (unsupported as of December 14, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-12-14))
• Windows Server, version 20H2 (unsupported as of August 9, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-08-09))^{[32][33][34][35]}

Annual releases

The Annual Channel was first announced in 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:^[36]

• Windows Server, version 23H2

See also

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

References

1. "December 10, 2024—KB5048667 (OS Build 26100.2605)". Microsoft Support. Microsoft.
2. "Announcing Windows Server Preview Build 26280". Microsoft Tech Community. September 6, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024. when reporting issues please refer to "VNext" rather than Windows Server 2025 which is currently in market.
3. "Windows Server 2025 now generally available, with advanced security, improved performance, and cloud agility". Microsoft Windows Server Blog. November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
4. "30 years of Windows Server". TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
5. Woolsey, Jeff. "Introducing Windows Server 2025! - Microsoft Tech Community". Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
6. "Windows Server 2003 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft. March 8, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
7. "Windows Server 2003 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft. March 8, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
8. "Windows Server 2008 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
9. "Windows Server 2008 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
10. "Windows Server 2012 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. January 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
11. "Windows Server 2012 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft.com. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
12. "Windows Server 2016 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
13. "Windows Server 2019 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
14. "Windows Server 2022 – Microsoft Lifecycle". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
15. Woolsey, Jeff. "Introducing Windows Server 2025". Microsoft Tech Community Hub. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
16. "What is Microsoft Windows Server LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel)? – Definition from WhatIs.com". SearchWindowsServer. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
17. "Windows Server – Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) vs Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) – Thomas Maurer". Thomas Maurer. November 19, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
18. Sommergut, Wolfgang (August 24, 2021). "Windows Server 2022 released: Overview of new features". 4sysops. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021.
19. 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.
20. "Windows Storage Server Lifecycle (EOL)". EndOfLife.Software.
21. "Windows Server IoT 2019 for Storage". Microsoft.com. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
22. "Windows Server IoT 2022". Microsoft.com. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
23. Christensen, Elden (March 25, 2022). "Hyper-V in the 2022 Wave". Microsoft Tech Community. Self-published.
24. "Hyper-V Server". Search Product and Services Lifecycle Information. Microsoft. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
25. "Windows Small Business Server 2008 Technical FAQ". Windows Server Essentials documentations. Microsoft. December 14, 2010 – via Microsoft Docs.
26. 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.
27. "Windows Essential Business Server". TechNet Archive. Microsoft. February 7, 2012 – via Microsoft Docs.
28. "Deploy the Azure Stack HCI operating system". Azure Docs. Microsoft. October 22, 2021.
29. "Windows Server servicing channels". Windows Server Library. Microsoft. July 5, 2022. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022.
30. "Microsoft to retire semi-annual Windows Server updates, will move entirely to LTSC releases". Neowin. July 28, 2021.
31. "Windows Server". Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel. Microsoft. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
32. "Windows message center: Windows Server, version 20H2 has reached end of servicing". August 9, 2022. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022.
33. "Windows Server release information". docs.microsoft.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
34. "Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows Server, version 20H2". docs.microsoft.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
35. Popa, Bogdan. "Microsoft Retires Windows Server Version 20H2". news.softpedia.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
36. "Windows Server". Windows Server Annual Channel. Microsoft. Retrieved January 9, 2024.

External links

• Official website