Overview of Windows Server 2012 R2 with enhanced Features

In the year 2013, Microsoft unveiled its two main operating system in its server and client series, Windows server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1 respectively. The 2012 R2 edition was an improvement over its precursor since it arrived with plenty of new features. The most awaiting change that Windows Server 2012 R2 brought was returning of start button. In this article, I will highlight various editions of 2012 R2 and what's new in Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system.

Windows Server 2012 R2 editions include

• Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation- This edition was suitable for small business with 15 users connected to server.
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials- Essentials was mainly designed for small business with 25 users connected to server.
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard- This version was meant for lightly virtualized environment.
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter- R2 Datacenter edition provides virtualization and cloud platform.

New Features included in Windows Server 2012 R2

• Deduplication for virtual hard disk (VHD)

  Unlike Windows server 2012, the R2 edition can perform deduplication on active VHD as well. This new feature deploy in VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) and make it possible to save 95% storage space.

• Built-in Antivirus- Windows Defender

  Server core which is an optional installation of Windows server 2012 R2, consists of Windows Defender installed by default. This feature will protect users from different types of malware like rootkit, spyware, and viruses.

• Automatic Storage Tiering

  Windows Server 2012 R2 brought an enhanced capability of moving more frequently accessed information to fast storage device i.e. SSD (solid state drive) and less frequently accessed information to slow storage device i.e. hard disk.

• Export Virtual Machine online

  Unike Windows server 2012, there is no longer need to shut down virtual machine before migrating from one host to another since Windows server 2012 R2 brought an improved feature which enables you to export VM online within few clicks.

Common Issues of Windows Server 2012 R2

Some of the common issues of Windows Server 2012 R2 are sometimes virtual machines fail to boot, after creating VM it won't install because of insufficient RAM, or after deploying various nodes users have noticed that network become slow while copying files between VMs. These problems may encounter because of virus infection or hard disk related issues. If your hard disk has been damaged severely then you ought to try a tool called Windows Data Recovery that helps in getting back lost, permanent deleted, or corrupt data.