What is Windows Server 2025?

Windows Server 2025 is the latest version of Microsoft's server operating system family. It offers improved performance, security, cloud integration, and management capabilities compared to previous versions. It is specifically designed for hybrid cloud environments and optimized to support modern workloads.

What's New in Windows Server 2025?

Windows Server 2025 brings many significant innovations and improvements. Here are some of them:

Enhanced Security Features: Increased threat detection, advanced authentication mechanisms, and better security posture.
Cloud Integration: Tighter integration with Azure Arc, allowing you to manage on-premises resources through Azure.
Performance Optimizations: Higher performance thanks to improvements in storage, network, and processing resources.
Container Support: Compatibility with modern application development and deployment processes with advanced container support.
Management Tools: Easier and more centralized management with improvements in Windows Admin Center.
Storage Innovations: Advanced storage spaces (Storage Spaces Direct) and storage replication features.
Network Improvements: Increased software-defined networking (SDN) capabilities and more flexible network configurations.

What are the Key Features of Windows Server 2025?

Windows Server 2025 supports various workloads by offering a variety of roles and features. Some of these include:

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS): Centralizes user and resource management.
Hyper-V: Virtualization platform that allows you to run multiple operating systems on a single physical server.
Failover Clustering: Enables the grouping of servers for high availability and business continuity.
Remote Desktop Services (RDS): Offers remote desktop access and application publishing capabilities.
Web Server (IIS): A web server used to host web applications.
DNS Server: Used for domain name resolution.
DHCP Server: Used for IP address assignment and network configuration.

How is Windows Server 2025 Priced?

Windows Server 2025's pricing uses a core-based licensing model. Prices vary depending on the number of physical cores in the server and the edition (Standard, Datacenter). Microsoft typically offers OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) licenses, retail licenses, and volume licensing options. When used on virtual machines via Azure, pricing is based on usage hours.

It is recommended to visit Microsoft's official website or authorized resellers for more detailed information about pricing.

What Are the Differences Between Windows Server 2025 Editions?

Windows Server 2025 is generally offered in two main editions: Standard and Datacenter. The main differences between these editions are the features they support and virtualization rights.

Feature	Standard	Datacenter
Virtualization Rights	Limited (2 OSE)	Unlimited
Storage Spaces Direct (S2D)	Available	Available
Software Defined Networking (SDN)	Available	Available
Shielded Virtual Machines	Available	Available
Application Platform	Basic	Advanced
Target Audience	Small and medium-sized businesses	Large enterprises and cloud providers

Standard Edition: Ideal for small and medium-sized businesses with less virtualization needs. Includes basic server roles and features.

Datacenter Edition: Designed for large enterprises and cloud providers with high virtualization density. Offers unlimited virtualization rights and advanced features.

How to Upgrade to Windows Server 2025?

It is possible to upgrade to Windows Server 2025 from previous versions of Windows Server (e.g., Windows Server 2019 or 2022). Careful planning and preparation are important to prevent data loss and ensure a smooth transition during the upgrade process.

Compatibility Check: Make sure your server hardware and applications are compatible with Windows Server 2025.
Backup: Take a full backup of your server before starting the upgrade process.
Test Environment: If possible, try the upgrade process in a test environment first.
Upgrade Process: Start the upgrade process using the Windows Server 2025 installation media. Follow the installation wizard and read the instructions carefully.
Verification: After the upgrade is complete, make sure all services and applications are running properly.

Important Note: Before starting the upgrade process, it is recommended to review Microsoft's official documentation and upgrade guides.

How to Use Container Technologies in Windows Server 2025?

Windows Server 2025 offers advanced support for Docker and Windows Containers. Containers are lightweight virtualization technologies that allow applications and their dependencies to run in isolated environments. This simplifies development, testing, and deployment processes.

Step-by-Step Container Setup:

Enabling the Container Feature: Enable the Container feature via PowerShell using the following command:

Install-Module -Name DockerMsftProvider -Repository PSGallery -Force
Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -Force
Install-Module -Name DockerProvider -Repository PSGallery -Force
Install-ContainerFeature
Restart-Computer -Force

Docker Installation: Download and install Docker.
Downloading a Container Image: Download a container image of your choice from Docker Hub:
```
docker pull mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore:ltsc2022
```

Running a Container: Run a container using the image you downloaded:

docker run -it mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore:ltsc2022 powershell

Important Note: Containers play a significant role in modern application development and deployment processes. The enhanced container support in Windows Server 2025 makes these processes more efficient.

How to Provide Windows Server 2025 and Azure Integration?

Windows Server 2025 offers tight integration with Azure Arc. Azure Arc enables managing on-premises servers, virtual machines, and Kubernetes clusters through Azure. This provides centralized management and monitoring capabilities in hybrid cloud environments.

Azure Arc Integration Steps:

Azure Arc Agent Installation: Install the Azure Arc agent on your on-premises server.
Connection to Azure: Connect the agent to your Azure subscription.
Management and Monitoring: Manage, monitor, and update your server through the Azure portal.

Advantages:

Centralized Management: Manage your on-premises and cloud resources from a single location.
Update Management: Keep your servers up to date with Azure Update Management.
Security Management: Detect and resolve security vulnerabilities with Azure Security Center.
Monitoring and Analysis: Monitor and analyze server performance with Azure Monitor.

Real-Life Examples and Case Studies

The innovations and features offered by Windows Server 2025 can provide various advantages for businesses in different sectors. Here are some examples:

Financial Sector

A financial institution can protect sensitive customer data by leveraging the advanced security features of Windows Server 2025. Secure Core Server and advanced threat protection provide a stronger defense against cyber attacks. Additionally, they can manage their on-premises servers through Azure with Azure Arc, implementing a centralized security policy.

Healthcare Sector

A healthcare organization can ensure uninterrupted access to critical patient data by taking advantage of the high availability features of Windows Server 2025. Failover Clustering and storage replication prevent data loss and ensure business continuity even in the event of server failures. Furthermore, they can develop and deploy medical applications faster with container technologies.

Manufacturing Sector

A manufacturing company can accelerate production processes by leveraging the performance optimizations of Windows Server 2025. They can create high-performance storage solutions with Storage Spaces Direct (S2D), enabling faster big data analytics. Additionally, they can make their network infrastructure more flexible and efficient with Software Defined Networking (SDN).

Retail Sector

A retail company can improve customer experience by leveraging the cloud integration features of Windows Server 2025. They can analyze customer data and create personalized marketing campaigns by managing their on-premises servers through Azure with Azure Arc. Furthermore, they can develop and update their e-commerce platform faster with container technologies.

Summary

Windows Server 2025 is a powerful and flexible server operating system designed to meet the needs of modern businesses. It increases efficiency in on-premises and hybrid cloud environments with advanced security features, cloud integration, performance optimizations, and management tools. Before starting the upgrade process, it is recommended to carefully review the system requirements and compatibility issues and test in a test environment.