style="font-size:15px;"> Security and Protection Windows Server 2012 R2 has many new and improved security features for your organization. These security features include Access Control, AppLocker, BitLocker, Credential Locker, Kerberos, NTLM, passwords, security auditing, smart cards, and Windows Biometric Framework (WBF).
Telemetry The Telemetry service allows the Windows Feedback Forwarder to send feedback to Microsoft automatically by deploying a Group Policy setting to one or more organizational units. Windows Feedback Forwarder is available on all editions of Windows Server 2012 R2, including Server Core.
Volume Activation Windows Server 2012 R2 Volume Activation will help your organization benefit from using this service to deploy and manage volume licenses for a medium to large number of computers.
Web Server (IIS) The Web Server (IIS) role in Windows Server 2012 R2 allows an administrator to set up a secure, easy-to-manage, modular, and extensible platform for reliably hosting websites, services, and applications.
Windows Deployment Services Windows Deployment Services allows an administrator to install a Windows operating system over the network. Administrators do not have to install each operating system directly from a CD or DVD.
Windows Server Backup Feature The Windows Server Backup feature gives an organization a way to back up and restore Windows servers. You can use Windows Server Backup to back up the entire server (all volumes), selected volumes, the system state, or specific files or folders.
Windows Server Update Services Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) allows administrators to deploy application and operating system updates. By deploying WSUS, administrators have the ability to manage updates that are released through Microsoft Update to computers in their network. This feature is integrated with the operating system as a server role on a Windows Server 2012 R2 system.
Migrating Roles and Features to Windows Server 2012 R2
Once you decide on which roles and features you are going to install onto your Windows Server 2012 R2 system, then you either have to install those roles and features from scratch or migrate them from a previous version of Windows server.
Windows Server 2012 R2 includes a set of migration tools that administrators can use to help ease the process of migrating server roles, features, operating system settings, and data. Administrators can migrate this data from an existing server that is running Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 R2 to a computer that is running Windows Server 2012 R2.
Using Windows Server Migration Tools to migrate roles, role services, and features can simplify the deployment of new servers. You can migrate roles and features on servers running the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2012 R2 and virtual servers. By using Windows Server Migration Tools, an administrator can reduce migration downtime, increase the accuracy of the migration process, and help eliminate conflicts that could otherwise occur during the migration process.
One advantage of using the migration tools is that most of them support cross-architecture migrations (x86-based to x64-based computing platforms), migrations between physical and virtual environments, and migrations between both the full and Server Core installation options of the Windows Server operating system. In Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server Migration Tools also supports cross-subnet migrations.
To use Windows Server Migration Tools, the feature must be installed on both the source and destination computers. Windows Server Migration Tools installation and preparation can be divided into the following stages:
1. Installing Windows Server Migration Tools on destination servers that run Windows Server 2012 R2
2. Creating deployment folders on destination servers that run Windows Server 2012 R2 for copying to source servers
3. Copying deployment folders from destination servers to source servers
4. Registering Windows Server Migration Tools on source servers
If you plan to use Windows Server Migration Tools, you must be a member of the Administrators group on both the source and destination servers to install, remove, or set up the tools.
Administrators can install Windows Server Migration Tools by using either the Add Roles Or Features Wizard in Server Manager or Windows PowerShell deployment cmdlets for Server Manager.
To install Windows Server Migration Tools on a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2012 R2, you would complete the following steps:
1. Open a Windows PowerShell session by typing powershell.exe in the current command prompt session and then pressing Enter.
2. In the Windows PowerShell session, install Windows Server Migration Tools by using the Windows PowerShell Install-WindowsFeature cmdlet for Server Manager. In the Windows PowerShell session, type the following, and then press Enter. (Omit the ComputerName parameter if you are installing the Windows Server Migration Tools on the local server.)
Roles and Features That Have Been Reduced in Windows Server 2012 R2
One thing that we want to look at is which Roles and Features are being deprecated or removed from Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2. Table 1.1 was taken directly from Microsoft’s website (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn303411.aspx), and this table may change at any time. Thus I would recommend that you go out to Microsoft’s website to see the current list of Roles and Features.
TABLE 1.1 Roles and Features Updates
Table 1.1 lists the features and functionalities in Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 that either have been removed from the product in the current release or are planned for potential removal in subsequent releases (shown as deprecated).
Deciding Which Windows Server 2012 R2 Versions to Use
You may be wondering which version of Windows Server 2012 R2 is best for your organization. After all, Microsoft offers the following four versions of Windows Server 2012 R2.
Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter This version is designed for organizations that are looking to migrate to a highly virtualized, private cloud environment. Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter has full Windows Server functionality with unlimited virtual instances.
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard This version is designed for organizations with physical or minimally virtualized environments. Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard has full Windows Server functionality with two virtual instances.
Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials This version is ideal for small businesses that have as many as 25 users and 50 devices. Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials has a simpler interface and preconfigured connectivity to cloud-based services but no virtualization rights.
Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation This version is designed for smaller companies that need a Windows Server experience for as few as 15 users. Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation is a general-purpose server with basic functionality but no virtualization rights.
Once
