When Microsoft released Windows Server 2012 in September 2012, IT pros around the world scrambled to study and learn the countless new features it offered. Compared to its predecessor, Windows Server 2008 R2, Server 2012 offers a host of improvements geared toward IT professionals with the hopes of making life a little bit easier in the server room.
Upon migration, your system administrator will notice that Windows Server 2012 can easily switch between the full and core versions of the OS without having to reinstall it. For those admins accustomed to the core version, using PowerShell to manage Windows Server may come easily. For those who are not, Microsoft has added Intellisense to PowerShell. Intellisense helps admins using PowerShell by automatically filling in the proper syntax while typing in the command line.
Server 2012 now supports NIC teaming and not a moment too soon. With the recent rise in the demand for high-availability network services, data centers and IT departments had been looking for a way to implement a network adapter failover. NIC teaming allows a server with multiple network adapters (up to 32) to aggregate bandwidth or provide failover should a NIC go down.
There is also a new Active Directory Recycle Bin, which admins can use to view and restore deleted Active Directory objects. This feature was previously available through scripting and Server 2012 now adds this as a part of the GUI.
Other features your IT department will be relieved to discover include Hyper-V’s Live Migration, Cluster Aware Updating and shared SMB storage.
Before making any decision about the state of your business’s IT infrastructure, we at Minneapolis-based OAC Technology recommend that you confer with an IT professional to make sure you’re making a decision that’s right for your business. We offer IT and Network Support to small- and medium-sized businesses with one goal in mind: Make IT work. Contact us today for a free consultation.
