Microsoft abandons semi-annual versions of Windows Server • The Register

Microsoft will not support a semi-annual release channel in the upcoming Windows Server 2022, and users requiring frequent updates will be directed to Azure Stack HCI (hyperconverged infrastructure).

In the old Windows Server world, users could choose between Long Term Maintenance Channel (LTSC) and Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) for installations, with LTSC essentially being the traditional model of a large release every day. two or three years, and SAC being more of the “as-a-service” model with frequent feature updates to get the latest technology.

Companies that install Windows Server for general purposes normally use LTSC, which has five years of standard support and five years of extended support. The purpose of SAC is for container workloads (host or container image) or scenarios where a virtual machine is short lived and easily replaced. SAC’s limitations include only 18 months of support per version, a Software Assurance requirement (a more expensive subscription license), and no desktop experience option.

However, earlier this week, Microsoft updated its release information to read, “As of Windows Server 2022, there is one primary release channel available, the Long Term Maintenance Channel… the Semi-Annual Channel in previous versions of Windows Server focused on containers and microservices, and this innovation will continue with Azure Stack HCI. “

Azure Stack HCI is a hybrid virtualization platform where the customer purchases validated hardware (although there is an option to install on any compatible hardware) from a trusted vendor, connects it to Azure, and pays $ 10 per physical core per month to run it. This does not include license costs for guest operating systems or other applications. Azure Stack HCI is a cluster that requires a minimum of two servers.

Despite the name, Azure Stack HCI is not that similar to Azure Stack Hub, where users purchase Azure services to run on pre-approved hardware in their own data center. Azure Stack HCI is more like a special configuration of Windows Server and Hyper-V, where the host operating system is purchased on a subscription basis and maintained by Microsoft. Azure Stack HCI does not have a desktop experience and is managed through the browser-based Windows Admin Center or through the Azure portal – although this integrated management is for the host operating system and not the guests or all. what runs on them, which can include Exchange, SharePoint, SQL Server, Linux guests, etc.

There is a special case for Azure Stack HCI when Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is installed. In this case, users pay $ 1.33 per virtual processor of running worker nodes per day. As a preview, it is possible to run Azure services like App Service, Azure Functions, and Azure Logic Apps on AKS, which in the context of Azure Stack HCI makes it even more closely related to Azure.

What will be the impact of removing the SAC option for Windows Server? General purpose users will not be affected as they are unlikely to use it. But there is some confusion about what happens with Windows Server container images, which typically use SAC.

“We realized with growing concern that there does not appear to be any cache or hair from a version of Windows Server SAC 21H1, and neither 21H1 nor 10.0.19043.985 are listed in the tags on [Docker Hub]”said a user of the Windows Containers GitHub repository. Microsoft’s program manager for Windows Server Containers, Weijuan Shi Davis, confirmed a few days ago that” the next version of Windows Server is Windows Server 2022, an LTSC . There is no Windows Server version 21H1 or container image of that version planned. “

Another user questioned Microsoft’s plans for Azure HCI, saying that “despite the SAC’s announcement of Azure Stack HCI for containers, Azure Stack HCI documents do not appear to discuss containers except in the context of AKS-on-HCI, and the Azure Stack HCI 21H2 public preview does not yet recognize. “

At a high level, it looks like Microsoft is investing in Azure and AKS, and Windows Server users on-premises are in some ways being left behind. It should be noted, for example, that the functional level of Active Directory has not changed since Windows Server 2016, and this remains the case in Server 2022.

In a recent online presentation on Windows Server 2022, Microsoft said, “Azure Stack HCI is our strategic direction for all host virtualization innovations.

Patch without restart: Only on Azure or Azure Stack HCI

Another facet of this trend is the existence of the Azure editions of Windows Server 2019 and now Windows Server 2022, which have exclusive features. One of them is huge – Hotpatch, or the ability to apply security patches without restarting. It works by correcting the running processes in memory and persisting the change after the next restart.

In the above presentation, Microsoft Program Manager Nick Washburn demonstrated how security updates can be applied without restarting and without interrupting a running process, in this case a file copy operation. Hotpatch was several times faster than the traditional approach, almost approaching the Linux-style patch in this regard.

“Hotpatch is one of the many new features coming out on Automanage for Windows Server … it’s important to note that this edition is available exclusively on Azure. We will first make Windows Server Azure Edition available on the Azure public cloud. , then on HCI 21H2 in the coming months, “Washburn said. Hotpatch still requires a quarterly reboot. Automanage is a new Azure service, previewed, for maintenance of the operating system of virtual machines.

SMB on QUIC, which promises secure access to Windows file shares from anywhere, is another key feature that will only be available in Windows Server Azure Edition.

While it makes sense for Microsoft to optimize Windows Server for its Azure cloud and Azure Stack HCI by subscription, the lack of support in Windows Server generally available for important new features will not appeal to on-premises users, nor may it. -be to their competitors. clouds running Windows Server.

How long do we have to wait for Windows Server 2022? Not long at all. The code has been released for manufacturing, Microsoft said in the above-mentioned presentation, and general availability will follow soon. ®