https://DevOpsCloud.io -- Cloud Monk Losang Jinpa, Ph.D., MCSE/MCT, GitOps DevOps Engineer

Windows Server 2019

Released on October 2, 2018, Windows Server 2019 is a release from Microsoft that builds upon the foundational features of Windows Server 2016, focusing on four key areas: Azure Hybrid Cloud, Windows Server Security, Windows Server Application Platform, and Windows Server Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI). It introduces Windows Admin Center, a new, flexible, and localized Windows Server management toolset. Security enhancements include Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) and Shielded Virtual Machines for Linux, offering better protection against threats. On the application side, it offers improved support for Windows Server containers and Kubernetes on Windows Server, making it easier to manage containerized applications and deploy containerized applications. For the HCI segment, it features significant improvements in Windows Server storage, Windows Server networking, and Windows Server compute by leveraging technologies like Windows Server Storage Spaces Direct (S2D), Windows Server Storage Migration Service, and Windows Server Azure network adapter, aiming to provide a more Windows Server scalable, Windows Server reliable, and Windows Server secure Windows Server environment conducive to modern Windows Server data center needs.

Windows Server 2019

Windows Server 2019 is a server operating system released by Microsoft on **October 2, 2018**. It builds upon the features of Windows Server 2016 with improvements in hybrid cloud integration, security, and performance. Windows Server 2019 is designed to support modern IT environments, providing tools for virtualization, containerization, and hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), along with enhanced connectivity to Microsoft Azure.

—

**Key Features of Windows Server 2019**

 * **Hybrid Cloud Integration with Azure**  
   Built-in integration with [[Azure]] services enables hybrid cloud scenarios, such as using **Azure Backup**, **Azure File Sync**, and **Azure Monitor**.

 * **Windows Admin Center**  
   A web-based management tool that simplifies the management of servers, clusters, and hyper-converged infrastructure from a unified interface.

 * **Improved Security with Shielded VMs and ATP**  
   Shielded VMs protect virtual machines from tampering, and **Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)** provides real-time threat detection.

 * **Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI)**  
   [[Windows Server 2019]] enhances **Storage Spaces Direct (S2D)** and software-defined networking (SDN), making it ideal for hyper-converged infrastructure setups.

 * **Support for Kubernetes and Containers**  
   It adds native support for **Kubernetes** alongside Docker containers, making it easier to deploy and manage cloud-native workloads.

 * **Storage Migration Service**  
   A new tool that helps organizations migrate file servers to newer systems or the cloud with minimal downtime and configuration effort.

 * **System Insights**  
   Uses predictive analytics and machine learning to monitor system health and provide insights to help optimize performance.

—

**Editions of Windows Server 2019**

 * **Datacenter Edition**  
   Designed for highly virtualized environments, offering unlimited VMs and advanced features such as S2D, shielded VMs, and SDN.

 * **Standard Edition**  
   Suitable for smaller organizations, it supports fewer VMs and includes essential features for general-purpose servers.

 * **Essentials Edition**  
   Tailored for small businesses, supporting up to 25 users and 50 devices, with simplified management and easy cloud integration.

—

**Use Cases of Windows Server 2019**

 * **Hybrid Cloud Deployments**  
   With Azure integration, organizations can seamlessly extend their on-premises infrastructure to the cloud.

 * **Hyper-Converged Infrastructure**  
   S2D and SDN enhancements make [[Windows Server 2019]] a top choice for building scalable and resilient HCI clusters.

 * **Modern Virtualization and Containers**  
   Kubernetes and Docker support enable cloud-native applications to run efficiently alongside traditional workloads.

 * **Secure Enterprise Workloads**  
   Shielded VMs, along with ATP, make it an excellent platform for secure, mission-critical applications.

—

**Limitations of Windows Server 2019**

 * **Core-Based Licensing Costs**  
   The core-based licensing model can increase costs, especially on multi-core servers in larger deployments.

 * **Learning Curve for New Features**  
   Admins may need time to learn and adapt to features like Kubernetes, Windows Admin Center, and hybrid cloud setups.

 * **Limited Nano Server Capabilities**  
   Nano Server is available only as a container image, limiting its use for specific roles.

 * **Dependency on Azure for Some Features**  
   Some features, like Azure File Sync and Azure Backup, require an Azure subscription, which may not be suitable for every organization.

—

**Documentation and Resources**

 - Windows Server 2019 Overview: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started-19/whats-new-19  
 - Hyper-V and Virtualization Guide: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyper-v-on-windows/  
 - Windows Admin Center: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/manage/windows-admin-center/overview  
 - Kubernetes Support in Windows Server: https://kubernetes.io/docs/setup/production-environment/windows/

—

Conclusion

Windows Server 2019 offers a powerful platform for organizations looking to modernize their IT environments with hybrid cloud capabilities, hyper-converged infrastructure, and enhanced security. With built-in integration to Azure, advanced virtualization, and support for containers and Kubernetes, it addresses the needs of enterprises migrating toward cloud-native and hybrid setups. While it introduces a few complexities in licensing and management, the improvements in security, scalability, and performance make it a solid choice for businesses of all sizes.

Snippet from Wikipedia: Windows Server 2019: Windows Server 2019 is the twelfth major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It is the second version of the server operating system based on the Windows 10 platform, after Windows Server 2016. It was announced on March 20, 2018 for the first Windows Insider preview release, and was released internationally on October 2, 2018, the same release date of Windows 10 version 1809. It was succeeded by Windows Server 2022 on August 18, 2021.
Mainstream support for Windows Server 2019 ended on January 9, 2024, and extended support will end on January 9, 2029.

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

Preceded by Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows Server 2019 is a Server (computing) | server operating system under development by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. It was announced on March 20, 2018, and the first Windows Insider preview version was released on the same day.<ref>Introducing Windows Server 2019 – now available in preview – Windows Server Blog</ref> Windows Server 2019 will be released in Q3-Q4, 2018.<ref name=neowin20180320>

</ref>