Product information "Windows Server 2012 Standard"
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Windows Server Standard 2012 is the successor to Windows Server 2008 R2. As a server version for the Windows 8 operating system, Windows 2012 Server Standard offers you correspondingly up-to-date features. This includes the innovative user interface of Windows 8, numerous new features and programs as well as typical server functions in high performance execution.
An all-rounder in the field of server management
Windows Server Standard 2012 offers you a reliable server operating system with a modern user interface, new features and many other optimizations. The modern user interface, which is familiar from the Windows 8 operating system, is also used in Windows 2012 Server Standard, which optimizes touchscreen operation. If you would like to do without the modern user interface, the so-called core installation is the best choice. This completely dispenses with a graphical user interface and lets you configure the Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard operating system using PowerShell and Windows command prompt. With Windows Server Standard 2012, the core installation is set by default, giving you more performance for applications. This is especially true when using SQL Server or Hyper-V.
In addition to visual improvements, Windows 2012 Server Standard includes new features such as a redesigned task manager that categorizes running processes, stops inactive applications to improve performance, and simplifies application discovery with a new interface. Additional features such as Active Directory Domain Services, the current virtualization platform Hyper-V, Microsoft Windows Azure and many others complete Windows Server Standard 2012 to an optimal server operating system.
New features and programs in Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard
Windows 2012 Server Standard provides you with a stable operating system for your server operation, which offers optimal support with its numerous innovations and current features:
New interface: Modern user interface optimized for touch screen operation
New Task Manager: Revised Task Manager for better performance
SMB 3.0 support: New protocol version for more stable and faster access to file shares
PowerShell 3.0: New PowerShell version to manage system settings
Microsoft Windows Azure: New feature for securing the server to the Azure cloud
Internet Information Service 8.0: Management of Extended Validation Certificates
In addition to completely new functions and programs, Microsoft also attaches great importance to the Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard in order to keep the tried and tested up-to-date and optimized. These include the latest version of the Hyper-V virtualization platform with optimized performance and improved DirectAccess. The latter has been optimized in such a way that the server now also contains technologies for IPv6 bridging and thus PKI is no longer necessary.
Secure file management
As an additional security feature, Windows 2012 Server Standard now also has dynamic access control. This controls file access via metadata, whereby it acts in addition to the Active Directory security lines. For example, dynamic access control can ensure that unauthorized access is prevented even after a file has been moved to other directories. The files are also backed up. With the new Windows Server Standard 2012, Microsoft also introduces the new ReFS file system. This serves as a supplement to the well-known NTFS and was developed especially for file servers for data storage.
Windows Server 2012 Standard includes the use of two physical processors. The operating system also allows the use of two additional virtual instances or machines. Windows Server Standard 2012 is therefore perfectly suited for small and medium-sized companies with moderate virtualization.
Windows Server 2012 Standard - System Requirements
Platform
Windows
Supported operating system
Windows Server 2012 Standard
Processor
at least 1.4 GHz processor with 64 bit
Working memory
at least 512 MB
Hard disk space
at least 32 GB