This document provides a history of Microsoft Windows Server operating systems from 1993 to 2016. It describes the key releases including Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server in 1993, Windows 2000 in 2000 which introduced Active Directory, Windows Server 2003 in 2003 with improved security and server roles, Windows Server 2008 in 2008 with new features like Hyper-V virtualization, Windows Server 2012 in 2012 with cloud-oriented features and a default Server Core installation, and Windows Server 2016 in 2016 with additional container and software-defined networking support and a new Nano Server deployment option. Each new release brought performance improvements and additional capabilities for managing networks, storage, security and workloads.

1. History of WINDOWS SERVER
Instructor: Mam Sundas Ahmed
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2. 1. 1993: Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server
2. 1994: Windows NT 3.5 Server
3. 1995: Windows NT Server 3.51
4. 1996: Windows NT Server 4.0
5. 2000: Windows 2000
6. 2003: Windows Server 2003
7. 2005: Windows Server 2003 R2
8. 2008: Windows Server 2008
9. 2009: Windows Server 2008 R2
10.2012: Windows Server 2012
11.2013: Windows Server 2012 R2
12.2016: Windows Server 2016
History of Windows Server
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3. • Microsoft Windows Server OS (operating
system)
• is a series of enterprise-class server operating systems designed to
• share services with multiple users and provide extensive
administrative control data storage, applications and corporate networks.
• Development for Windows Server started in the early
1980s
• when Microsoft produced two operating system lines: MS-DOS and Windows NT.
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4. • 1993: Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server
• Windows NT OS in two formats:
• workstations
• servers.
• The 32-bit operating system featured a hardware abstraction layer (HAL)
• provided more system stability by blocking applications from direct access to system
hardware.
• Companies could use Advanced Server as a domain controller to store user and group rights.
• 1994: Windows NT 3.5 Server
• Microsoft updated key networking features
• this server release and added integrated support for TCP/IP and Winsock Other networking
improvements allowed users on other non-Microsoft operating systems to access files and
applications on the domain.
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5. • 1995: Windows NT Server 3.51
• Microsoft fine-tuned this release to
• boost performance and
• reduce the amount of required memory.
• deliver services faster to users through its updated networking
stack.
• Microsoft added more connectivity both Windows NT
and NetWare servers to allow users to get services from each
with a single credential.
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6. • 1996: Windows NT Server 4.0
• Microsoft borrowed the Windows 95 interface used many of the
applications in the client OS,
• such as the File Explorer.
• expanded the networking protocol
(capabilities to make network resources available to a wider array of non-
Microsoft machines.)
• Use this server as an Internet Information Server -- now
called Internet Information Services (IIS) -- and a domain name
system server.
• Use for administrators through various tasks,
such as sharing a hard disk with a feature called Administrative
Wizards.
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7. • 2000: Windows 2000
• Introduced Active Directory,
( a directory service that stores and manages information about network objects,
including user data, systems and services. Active Directory lets administrators
perform various tasks, such as virtual private network configuration, data
encryption, and grant access to file shares on networked computers).
Microsoft also introduced Microsoft Management Console (MMC), NTFS 3.0 file system
and support for dynamic disk volumes.
Windows 2000 had three editions
1. Server,
2. Advanced Server
3. Datacenter –
(that were built to work with Windows 2000 Professional, the client OS)
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8. • 2003: Windows Server 2003
• security improvements over Windows 2000.
• Microsoft hardened IIS(Internet Information server), the web server feature, and disabled more
default services to reduce exploit opportunities.
• Introduced server roles with this release,
(which allowed administrators to assign a specific function to a server, such as domain
controller or DNS server.)
Other new features in this release included expanded encryption functionality, built-in firewall,
greater Network Address Translation (NAT) support and Volume Shadow Copy Service.
Windows Server 2003 had four editions:
1. Standard,
2. Enterprise,
3. Datacenter and Web.
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• 2005: Windows Server 2003 R2
• Microsoft began using the R2 -- or release two .
(Organizations always need to buy a new Windows Server license to use the new server operating system),
• R2 releases used the client access licenses (CALs) of the immediately preceding server version
to eliminate the need to upgrade those licenses.
• improved on the security and safety features in Windows Server 2003.
Key new features in this release were:
•Active Directory Federation Services, (which lets administrators broaden single sign-on access to
applications and systems beyond the corporate firewall).
•Active Directory Application Mode,
(which stores data for applications that may be considered not secure enough to use in the Active Directory system)
•file replication
•data compression for branch office servers.
•security improvements Security Configuration Wizard, (which let administrators apply consistent security
policies to multiple machines).

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2008: Windows Server 2008:
Windows Server 2008 added new features
such as the
• Hyper-V
• virtualization software,
• failover clustering,
• Event Viewer,
• Server Core -
- managed via the command line -- and the Server Manager console, (used to add and manage
server roles and features on local and remote machines.)
Microsoft also fix up the networking stack and Active Directory to enhance its Group
Policy and identity management capabilities.

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Windows Server 2008 came in four editions:
1. Standard,
2. Enterprise,
3. Datacenter and
4. Web.

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• 2009: Windows Server 2008 R2
Microsoft used its Windows 7 kernel for this and touted its improved scalability and
availability features.
 Microsoft enhanced Active Directory for improved handling of user accounts and
control with policies. The company also updated Terminal Services functionality and
rechristened it to Remote Desktop Services (RDS).
New features in this release include
 BranchCache and
 DirectAccess, (both aimed at improving how users in remote locations are able to get their work done.)
This server OS, like its predecessor, shares some of the administrative and security
functionality used in the Windows Vista client operating system. Windows Server 2008 R2
also marked a change from a 32-bit server operating system to a 64-bit version.

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2012: Windows Server 2012
Microsoft embedded a number of Cloud-related features to this server OS release, going so
far as to dub it the "Cloud OS,“( to more easily let organizations run services in public or private
clouds.)
Updates to the operating system's storage infrastructure and Hyper-V virtualization platform.
New features worth noting in this release were the Hyper-V virtual switch, Hyper-V
Replica, Storage Spaces and ReFS (Resilient File System) file system.
In another change with this release, Microsoft
switched the default installation option to Server Core, which requires administrators to
use PowerShell, which upon this release had 2,300 cmdlets available for management.
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This server version came in four editions:
1. Essentials,
2. Foundation,
3. Standard and
4. Datacenter.
The Standard and Datacenter editions had the same feature set, but a
Standard license gave the right to run two VMs, while Datacenter gave the
right to run an unlimited number

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2013: Windows Server 2012 R2
Microsoft made expansive changes across the board with Windows Server 2012 R2,
including updates to
• virtualization,
• storage,
• networking,
• information security and
• web services.
New features of note were:
•Desired State Configuration (DSC), (which enlists help from PowerShell to
prevent configuration drift and maintain consistency across the organization's machines).
•Storage tiering added to Storage Spaces boosts performance by automatically moving
frequently called blocks of data to solid-state storage.
•Work Folders, (which allows users to retrieve and save company files on work and personal
devices through replication to servers in the organization's data center).

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2016: Windows Server 2016
Closer to the cloud with a number of new features tailored to ease workload migrations,
such as:
support for Docker containers and software-defined enhancements in networking.
Microsoft debuted Nano Server, a minimal server deployment option intended to boost
security by shrinking the attack vector. Microsoft says Nano Server is 93% smaller than a
full Windows Server deployment.
• Another nod to security comes in the new Hyper-V shielded VM feature, (which uses
encryption to prevent data inside a VM from being compromise).
The Network Controller is a key new networking feature that allows administrators to
manage the switches, subnets and other devices on the virtual and physical networks.
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This server OS comes in Standard and Datacenter editions.
In previous Windows Server versions, the Standard and Datacenter editions had the
same feature set,
but different license rights and use restrictions.
In Windows Server 2016, the Standard edition does not have the more advanced
features in virtualization, storage and networking

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The End