Windows server 2016 small business

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Microsoft Releases Small Business Edition of Windows Server 2016

It’s the only new version that retains the processor-based licensing model.

Microsoft has released the small-business version of Windows Server 2016, meant for up to 25 users and 50 devices.

It’s called Windows Server 2016 Essentials, and Microsoft announced its general availability yesterday.

Microsoft recommends using Windows Server 2016 Essentials for organizations that previously used its Windows Server 2012 Foundation edition. Microsoft stopped carrying a Foundation edition with the rollout of its newest Windows Server product line.

Hitting the GA stage means that products can be purchased and deployed in production environments. Microsoft had previously announced the GA of Windows Server 2016 earlier this month, but that announcement omitted a description of the available editions. All told, Microsoft lists six Windows Server 2016 editions in its licensing datasheet publication (PDF). Those editions are Essentials, Standard and Datacenter, plus Multipoint Premium Server, Windows Storage Server and Hyper-V Server.

Microsoft is switching to core-based licensing for the Standard and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2016. However, the Essentials edition follows the older processor-based licensing model, along with the Multipoint Premium Server and the Storage Server editions.

Organizations don’t need to buy Client Access Licenses (CALs) with the Essentials and Storage Server editions. However, Windows Server CALs need to be purchased when licensing the Standard and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2016.

Microsoft’s documentation on Windows Server 2016 Essentials can be found at this TechNet library page. Essentials is described as the «cloud-connected first server» for small businesses.

There are three new Essentials features, according to the TechNet library. First, the Essentials edition integrates with Azure Site Recovery Services, which assures that operations will continue should an Essentials virtual machine experience some sort of failure. Next, organizations can tap the Azure Virtual networking service, which lets organizations manage Azure resources as if they were on the local network. Lastly, Essentials has options for large deployments, including support for «multiple domains» and «multiple domain controllers.» Organizations also can specify the domain controller to be used with the server.

Three years ago, Microsoft had described lots of ease-of-use benefits for Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials for small-to-medium businesses. Back then, it was possible to run Essentials in two different ways. It could be a server role of the Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard or Datacenter editions (which Microsoft called the «Windows Server Essentials Experience») or it could be run in a virtual machine, which was the preferred deployment option, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft’s descriptions of Windows Server 2016 Essentials do not mention those two install options. The install options are described at this page. However, it is still possible to run Essentials as a server role from the Standard or Datacenter editions, if wanted, according to this September We Got Served article.

It’s possible to migrate domains from older Small Business Server installations when upgrading to Windows Server 2016 Essentials. The steps to migrate from Windows Small Business Server 2003 are described at this page. Migration steps from Windows Small Business Server 2008 are located here.

Microsoft lists the pricing and licensing for Windows Server 2016 Essentials at this page. The feature distinctions between it and the Standard and Datacenter editions, if any, aren’t described.

The Windows Server 2016 Essentials management interface, known as the dashboard, has not changed since the 2012 version. From the dashboard, clients and users can manage the network centrally, even without IT skills (Figure 1). The server supports up to 25 user connections and 50 computers. If more are in use, companies need to switch to Windows Server 2016 Standard, which does not have a dashboard. However, the Essentials role, with a dashboard, is available in the Standard and Datacenter editions. If you install the Essentials role on a server running Windows Server 2016 Standard or Datacenter, you will not be limited to 25 users and 50 devices.

Figure 1: Windows Server 2016 Essentials is managed in a dashboard, just like its predecessors.

Compliant Licensing

Windows Server 2012 R2 introduced the option of installing the Essentials functions as a server service on the Datacenter and Standard editions. Client Access Licenses (CALs) are not necessary when using Windows Server 2016 Essentials. The server can have a maximum 64GB of memory. In such a scenario, multiple servers with Windows Server 2016 Essentials can be integrated into an existing Active Directory (e.g., for branches or small offices). A 2016 Essentials license costs around $500 (EUR500).

If you use Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation, up to 15 users can be connected to the server – again, CALs are not necessary. Foundation is tied in directly with the hardware, because this edition is only available as an OEM version. However, it does not provide a dashboard. Windows Server 2016 does not have a Foundation edition. If you install the Essentials server role (Windows Server Essentials environment) in an existing Active Directory (AD), you can run the server as a member server. The user accounts of the domain in which you install the server are available in the dashboard. With Windows Server 2016, the restrictions are lifted if you integrate the role as a member server on your network.

Windows Server 2016 has numerous innovations in terms of storage and networking. These include the new Storage Spaces Direct, the Nano Server installation, and container technology. However, these innovations are not part of Windows Server 2016 Essentials, although Hyper-V is included in Essentials. You can easily run virtual machines (VMs) on a server with Essentials and virtualize the server itself. To use advanced Hyper-V functions such as shielded VMs, Storage Spaces Direct, and the new storage replication feature, you need the Datacenter edition of Windows Server 2016. A deduplication function for data has been improved in Windows Server 2016, but it is not available in Essentials.

Alternative: MultiPoint Role

Microsoft integrates the MultiPoint Services role into Windows server 2016. Simply put, this is a Remote Desktop Session Host, formerly Terminal Server, for small businesses or training centers that provides a way for users to connect a monitor, keyboard, and mouse directly to the server. The virtual desktops for MultiPoint Services are similar to those of the Remote Desktop Services. On request, the whole thing can also be operated as a VDI environment. MultiPoint can be used in small networks, also without the need for AD. In this case, you work with local user accounts on the server or with the user accounts in AD with 2016 Essentials. The user logs onto the server with these user accounts.

MultiPoint Services does not replace the Essentials role; instead, it is another way to connect users on small networks. If you operate several MultiPoint Servers on the network, they are integrated into the AD. In this case, you can log in with your domain account, which also applies for the operation of Essentials. You can use the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to connect to the server, or you can directly connect the components to the server (e.g., via USB). Also, thin clients specially optimized for MultiPoint are known as multifunction USB hubs. The applications and the desktop that you work with are installed on the MultiPoint Server, as on a Remote Desktop Server.

Cloud Backup and Virus Protection

With Windows Server 2016 Essentials, small businesses can now back up server data in the cloud automatically and safely. Essentials allows the replication of the entire server to Azure. If the server fails, it can be provided as a VM in Azure. In this case, the clients are connected to Azure VM via a virtual network to Microsoft, which makes sense if companies want to set up high availability for Essentials.

By default, Microsoft integrates in-house virus protection through Windows Defender into Windows Server 2016, which is enabled by default in Essentials and can be configured locally, but not in the dashboard (Figure 2). As with the Standard and Datacenter editions, internal virus protection is disabled if you install an external virus scanner.

Figure 2: Windows Defender is integrated into Windows Server 2016.

The year 2016 welcomed the release of Windows Server 2016. The new server functionality was designed for seamless cloud integration and simplified management across hybrid cloud environments. There are three editions of Windows Server 2016: Essentials, Standard, and Datacenter. This blog post provides a detailed comparison of Windows Server 2016 Essentials vs Standard, which can help you determine which Windows Server 2016 edition works best for your environment. In addition, we discuss how NAKIVO Backup & Replication’s Windows Server Backup can protect Windows Server machines in a simple and efficient manner.

Windows Server 2016: Short Overview

In a nutshell, apart from comparing Windows Server 2016 Essentials vs Standard editions, this blog post also answers the following questions:

What is Windows Server 2016? – Windows Server 2016 is a Microsoft operating system, which became generally available on October 12, 2016. Built primarily for cloud computing users , Windows Server 2016 simplifies the transition of on-premises workloads to the cloud. With its advanced server functionality, you can easily adapt to changing business requirements and build a high-performance, secure, flexible, and affordable production environment.

What editions are available in Windows Server 2016? – There are three primary editions of Windows Server 2016 which differ in a number of ways:

• Datacenter Edition
• Standard Edition
• Essentials Edition

How has licensing changed? – Windows Server 2016 has adopted core-based licensing instead of processors-based licensing.  This way, you can:

• License all physical cores in the server
• License each physical server with a minimum of 16 physical cores
• License each physical processor with a minimum of 8 physical cores
• Get access to 2-pack core licenses

The adoption of core-based licensing has introduced a more consistent and unified approach to licensing across environments, allowing support for mixed environments.

What are the new features in Windows Server 2016? – Apart from the core Windows Server functionality, Windows Server 2016 includes the following new and upgraded features:

• Nano Server
• Windows Server containers
• Active Directory Domain Services
• Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS)
• Hyper-V containers/Operating System Environments (OSEs)
• Windows Defender
• Storage Spaces Direct
• Storage Replica
• PowerShell 5.0
• Shielded Virtual Machines

What are the basic requirements for Windows Server 2016 installation?

The following table showcases the minimum hardware requirements for installing Windows Server 2016, which are equally applicable to all Windows Server 2016 editions:

To identify whether your CPU complies with all of the listed requirements, you can download the Coreinfo tool.

Windows Server 2016 Essentials vs Standard: Full Comparison

Here, we are going to compare Windows Server 2016 Essentials vs Standard and see how they differ in their features.

Windows Server 2016 Standard is a full-featured server OS which can be deployed by small or medium-sized organizations to provision physical or minimally virtualized server environments. Windows Server Standard can function as a platform for some server applications such as Exchange Server or SQL Server, which should be purchased separately.

Windows Server 2016 Essentials was previously referred to as a Small Business Server, revealing its main purpose – serving small businesses. Windows Server 2016 Essentials is ideal for small businesses running low production workloads as this edition can serve only up to 25 users and 50 devices. It can be deployed as a first server (for inexperienced users) or a primary server (for building a multi-server environment to be used by SMBs). Windows Server 2016 Essentials delivers a set of advanced features and capabilities to small businesses for a reasonable price, allowing them to achieve more productivity and efficiency. When talking about Windows Server 2016 Essentials, it is worth mentioning that no CAL is required, meaning that you don’t have to worry about complex licensing requirements and the high costs that CAL entails.

Look at the table below to see how Windows Server 2016 Essentials vs Standard compare.

Additionally, the Windows Server 2016 Essentials vs Standard editions offer different server roles, as can be seen in the table below.

Note that certain server roles are automatically installed in Windows Server 2016 Essentials. Such server roles should be manually configured in the Windows Server 2016 Standard and Datacenter editions. Apart from that, there might be compatibility issues with certain applications in Windows Server 2016 Essentials (Hyper-V, Data Deduplication, Failover Clustering, and Windows Server Update Services) simply because the required server roles are not included in this edition.

How to Perform Windows Server Backup with NAKIVO Backup & Replication

NAKIVO Backup & Replication is a fast, reliable, and affordable data protection solution designed to deliver backup, replication, instant granular restoration, and site recovery in a single product. With the Windows Server Backup functionality, you can ensure robust data protection of not only virtual and cloud workloads, but also physical servers.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication allows you to create image-based, incremental, and application-aware backups of Windows Server physical machines. This way, the product can capture the entire VM data while ensuring consistency of the application and database data (Microsoft Exchange, SQL, Active Directory, SharePoint, Oracle, etc.). Moreover, NAKIVO Backup & Replication provides a set of advanced features which can boost VM backup performance, reduce backup size, ensure instant and reliable recovery, and lower management overhead, as well as save you time and money.

To perform Windows Server Backup with NAKIVO Backup & Replication, you should do the following:

1. Click Create and select the Physical server backup job option in the drop-down menu.
2. The next step is to select which type of physical servers you wish to protect. Click Next.
3. At the Destination step, you can select a backup repository to which all the back up data should be sent. Click Next.
4. Based on your business needs, NAKIVO Backup & Replication allows you to add multiple schedules to a single Windows Server backup job. Backup jobs can be set to run on a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly basis. Another option is to check the box Do not schedule, run on demand, meaning that the job can be started manually without following any schedule.
5. At the Retention step, you can specify how many recovery points should be kept in the backup repository and for which period of time. Click Next.
6. Lastly, you can configure job options to achieve better backup performance. Here, you can edit the job’s name; enable the application-aware mode, change tracking, network acceleration, and encryption; set up pre and post job actions; create a bandwidth throttling rule for this job. Click Finish or Finish & Run once you have completed the job creation.

Conclusion

When developing Windows Server 2016, the Microsoft team worked in close collaboration with the System Center and Azure Cloud teams. The main reasoning behind such collaboration was to create an interconnected ecosystem which can easily deliver Microsoft services across hybrid cloud environments. Therefore, Windows Server 2016 is an extremely important addition to the Windows NT family of operating systems due to the enhanced capabilities it offers.

This blog post has attempted to compare Windows Server 2016 Essentials vs Standard. As you can see, the main difference between the two editions is the variety of the respective functionalities. Windows Server 2016 Essentials works best for small organizations with minimal IT requirements, whereas Windows Server 2016 Standard is more appropriate for companies with non-virtualized environments which require advanced capabilities of the Windows Server functionality.