Difference Between Windows Server 2003 and 2008 and 2012

The following features are new to Windows Server 2003:

Internet Information Services (IIS) v6.0

Significant improvements to Message Queuing

Manage Your Server a role management administrative tool that allows an administrator to
choose what functionality the server should provide

Improvements to Active Directory, such as the ability to deactivate classes from the schema,
or to run multiple instances of the directory server (ADAM)

Improvements to Group Policy handling and administration

Provides a backup system to restore lost files

Improved disk management, including the ability to back up from shadows of files, allowing
the backup of open files.

Improved scripting and command line tools, which are part of Microsoft's initiative to bring a
complete command shell to the next version of Windows

The ability to create a rescue disk was removed in favor of Automated System Recovery (ASR).
Windows Server 2003 comes in a number of editions, each targeted towards a particular size and
type of business.
Supported hardware capabilities across editions of Windows Server 2003 [15]
Criteria

Web

Standard

Enterprise

Datacenter

Maximum physical CPUs

64

IA-32

2 GB

4 GB

64 GB

64 GB

x64

N/A

32 GB

1 TB

1 TB

Itanium

N/A

N/A

2 TB

2 TB

Maximum RAM

Windows Server 2008 Features

Windows Server 2008 is built from the same code base as Windows Vista; therefore, it shares much
of the same architecture and functionality. Since the code base is common, it automatically comes
with most of the technical, security, management and administrative features new to Windows
Vista such as the rewritten networking stack (native IPv6, native wireless, speed and security
improvements); improved image-based installation, deployment and recovery; improved diagnostics,
monitoring, event logging and reporting tools; new security features such
as BitLocker and ASLR (address space layout randomization); improved Windows Firewall with
secure default configuration; .NET Framework 3.0 technologies, specifically Windows
Communication Foundation, Microsoft Message Queuing and Windows Workflow Foundation; and
the core kernel, memory and file system improvements. Processors and memory devices are
modeled as Plug and Play devices, to allow hot-plugging of these devices. This allows the system
resources to be partitioned dynamically using Dynamic Hardware Partitioning; each partition has its
own memory, processor and I/O host bridge devices independent of other partitions.

Server Core

Default user interface for Server Core. Because Windows Explorer is removed from Server Core, programs
such as Notepad use theWindows NT 3.x-style file dialog.

Windows Server 2008 includes a variation of installation called Server Core. Server Core is a
significantly scaled-back installation where no Windows Explorer shell is installed. All configuration
and maintenance is done entirely through command-line interface windows, or by connecting to the
machine remotely using Microsoft Management Console. However, Notepad and some control panel
applets, such as Regional Settings, are available.
Server Core does not include the .NET Framework, Internet Explorer, Windows PowerShell or many
other features not related to core server features. A Server Core machine can be configured for
several basic roles: Domain controller/Active Directory Domain Services, ADLDS (ADAM), DNS
Server, DHCP server, file server, print server, Windows Media Server, IIS 7 web server and HyperV virtual server. Server Core can also be used to create a cluster with high availability using failover
clustering or network load balancing.

Andrew Mason, a program manager on the Windows Server team, noted that a primary motivation
for producing a Server Core variant of Windows Server 2008 was to reduce the attack surface of the
operating system, and that about 70% of the security vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows from the
prior five years would not have affected Server Core

Active Directory roles

Active Directory roles are expanded with identity, certificate, and rights management services. Active
Directory, until Windows Server 2003, allowed network administrators to centrally manage connected
computers, to set policies for groups of users, and to centrally deploy new applications to multiple
computers. This role of Active Directory is being renamed as Active Directory Domain Services
(ADDS). A number of other additional services are being introduced, including Active Directory
Federation Services (ADFS), Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS),
(formerly Active Directory Application Mode, or ADAM), Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS),
and Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS). Identity and certificate services allow
administrators to manage user accounts and the digital certificates that allow them to access certain
services and systems. Federation management services enable enterprises to share credentials with
trusted partners and customers, allowing a consultant to use his company user name and password
to log in on a client's network. Identity Integration Feature Pack is included as Active Directory
Metadirectory Services. Each of these services represents a server role.

Failover Clustering
Windows Server 2008 offers high-availability to services and applications through Failover
Clustering. Most server features and roles can be kept running with little to no downtime.
In Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the way clusters are qualified changed
significantly with the introduction of the cluster validation wizard.The cluster validation wizard is a
feature that is integrated into failover clustering in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008
R2. With the cluster validation wizard, an administrator can run a set of focused tests on a collection
of servers that are intended to use as nodes in a cluster. This cluster validation process tests the
underlying hardware and software directly, and individually, to obtain an accurate assessment of how
well failover clustering can be supported on a given configuration.
Note: This feature is only available in Enterprise and Datacenter editions of Windows Server.

Hyper-V

Hyper-V architecture

Hyper-V is hypervisor-based virtualization software, forming a core part of Microsoft's virtualization

strategy. It virtualizes servers on an operating system's kernel layer. It can be thought of as
partitioning a single physical server into multiple small computational partitions. Hyper-V includes the
ability to act as a Xen virtualization hypervisor host allowing Xen-enabled guest operating systems to
run virtualized. A beta version of Hyper-V shipped with certain x86-64 editions of Windows Server
2008, prior to Microsoft's release of the final version of Hyper-V on 26 June 20znCFnzd. Also, a
standalone version of Hyper-V exists; this version supports only x86-64 architecture.While the IA-32
editions of Windows Server 2008 cannot run or install Hyper-V, they can run the MMC snap-in for
managing Hyper-V.

Windows System Resource Manager

Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM) is integrated into Windows Server 2008. It provides
resource management and can be used to control the amount of resources aprocess or a user can
use based on business priorities. Process Matching Criteria, which is defined by the name, type or
owner of the process, enforces restrictions on the resource usage by a process that matches the
criteria. CPU time, bandwidth that it can use, number of processors it can be run on, and allocated to
a process can be restricted. Restrictions can be set to be imposed only on certain dates as well.

Server Manager
Server Manager is a new roles-based management tool for Windows Server 2008. It is a
combination of Manage Your Server and Security Configuration Wizard SCW from Windows Server
2003. Server Manager is an improvement of the Configure my server dialog that launches by default
on Windows Server 2003 machines. However, rather than serve only as a starting point to
configuring new roles, Server Manager gathers together all of the operations users would want to
conduct on the server, such as, getting a remote deployment method set up, adding more server
roles etc., and provides a consolidated, portal-like view about the status of each role. [18]

System requirements
System requirements for Windows Server 2008 are as follows:
Criteria

2008

2008 R2

Minimum

Recommended

1 GHz (IA-32)

CPU

1.4 GHz (x86-

Minimum
1.4 GHz (x86-64 or

2 GHz

512 MB

2 GHz

Itanium)

64 or Itanium)
RAM

Recommended

2 GB

512 MB

2 GB

Other editions,

32-bit: 20 GB

HDD[a]

Other editions,

Foundation:

10 GB

40 GB

64-bit: 32 GB

Foundation:

10 GB

Other

Other

editions: 32 GB

Foundation: 10

editions: 32 GB

GB[39]
Device

DVD drive, 800 600 display, keyboard and mouse

Scalability
Windows Server 2008 supports the following maximum hardware specifications:
Specification
Physical processors
("sockets")

Windows Server 2008 SP2

Windows Server 2008 R2

Standard: 4

Standard: 4

Enterprise: 8

Enterprise: 8

Logical processors
when Hyper-V is disabled

Logical processors
when Hyper-V is enabled

IA-32: 32

Datacenter: 64
256

x64: 64
IA-32: N/A

Memory

Datacenter: 32

64

x64: 24
Standard, Web: 4 GB
Enterprise, Datacenter: 64

on IA-32

N/A

GB

Memory
on x64

Standard, Web: 32 GB
HPC: 128 GB

Foundation: 8 GB

Enterprise, Datacenter: 1

Standard, Web: 32 GB

HPC: 128 GB

TB
Memory

Enterprise, Datacenter:

2 TB

on Itanium

2 TB
2 TB

Windows Server 2012 Features

Installation options
Unlike its predecessor, Windows Server 2012 can switch between "Server Core" and "Server with
a GUI" installation options without a full reinstallation. Server Core - an option with a command-line
interface only - is now the recommended configuration. There is also a third installation option that
allows some GUI elements such as MMC and Server Manager to run, but without the normal
desktop, shell or default programs like File Explorer

User interface
Server Manager has been redesigned with an emphasis on easing management of multiple
servers. The operating system, like Windows 8, uses the Metro-based user interface unless installed
in Server Core mode. Windows Store is available in this version of Windows but is not installed by
default. Windows PowerShell in this version has over 2300 commandlets, compared to around 200
in Windows Server 2008 R2

Task Manager
Windows Server 2012 includes a new version of Windows Task Manager together with the old
version. In the new version the tabs are hidden by default, showing applications only. In the new
Processes tab, the processes are displayed in varying shades of yellow, with darker shades
representing heavier resource use. It lists application names and status, as well
as CPU, memory, hard disk and network utilization. The process information found in the older
versions are now moved to the new Details tab. The Performance tab shows "CPU", "Memory",
"Disk", "Wi-Fi" and "Ethernet" graphs. The CPU tab no longer displays individual graphs for every
logical processor on the system by default, although that remains an option. Additionally, it can
display data for each non-uniform memory access (NUMA) node. When displaying data for each
logical processor for machines with more than 64 logical processors, the CPU tab now displays
simple utilization percentages on heat-mapping tiles.The color used for these heat maps is blue, with

darker shades again indicating heavier utilization. Hovering the cursor over any logical processor's
data now shows the NUMA node of that processor and its ID, if applicable. Additionally, a new
Startup tab has been added that lists startup applications, however this tab does not exist in
Windows Server 2012.The new task manager recognizes when a Windows Store app has the
"Suspended" status.

IP address management (IPAM)

Windows Server 2012 has an IP address management role for discovering, monitoring, auditing, and
managing the IP address space used on a corporate network. The IPAM is used for the
management and monitoring of Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol (DHCP) servers. Both IPv4 and IPv6 are fully supported.

Active Directory
Windows Server 2012 has a number of changes to Active Directory from the version shipped with
Windows Server 2008 R2. The Active Directory Domain Services installation wizard has been
replaced by a new section in Server Manager, and a GUI has been added to the Active Directory
Recycle Bin. Multiple password policies can be set in the same domain. Active Directory in Windows
Server 2012 is now aware of any changes resulting from virtualization, and virtualized domain
controllers can be safely cloned. Upgrades of the domain functional level to Windows Server 2012
are simplified; it can be performed entirely in Server Manager. Active Directory Federation Services
is no longer required to be downloaded when installed as a role, and claims which can be used by
the Active Directory Federation Services have been introduced into the Kerberos token. Windows
Powershell commands used by Active Directory Administrative Center can be viewed in a
"Powershell History Viewer.

Hyper-V
Windows Server 2012, along with Windows 8, includes a new version of Hyper-V, as presented at
the Microsoft BUILD event. Many new features have been added to Hyper-V, including network
virtualization, multi-tenancy, storage resource pools, cross-premises connectivity, and cloud backup.
Additionally, many of the former restrictions on resource consumption have been greatly lifted. Each
virtual machine in this version of Hyper-V can access up to 64 virtual processors, up to 1 terabyte of
memory, and up to 64 terabytes of virtual disk space per virtual hard disk (using a new .vhdx format).
Up to 1024 virtual machines can be active per host, and up to 8000 can be active per failover cluster.
SLAT is a required processor feature for Hyper-V on Windows 8, while for Windows Server 2012 it is
only required for the supplementary RemoteFX role.

ReFS

Resilient File System (ReFS), codenamed "Protogon" is a new file system in Windows Server 2012
initially intended for file servers that improves on NTFS in some respects. Major new features of
ReFS include:
Some NTFS features are not supported in ReFS, including named streams, object IDs, short
names, file compression, file level encryption (EFS), user data transactions, hard links, extended
attributes, and disk quotas, Sparse files are

IIS 8.0
Specifications

Foundation[55]

Essentials

Distribution

OEM only

Retail, volume licensing, OEM

Licensing model

Per server

Per server

32 GB

64 GB

15

25

1 standalone DFS root

1 standalone DFS root

Processor chip limi

Memory limit

User limit

File sharing limits

Network Policy and Access

Services limits

Remote Desktop Services limits

Virtualization rights

50 RRAS connections and 10 IAS

connections

50 Remote Desktop Services

connections

N/A

250 RRAS connections, 50 IAS connec

2 IAS Server Groups

Gateway only

Either in 1 VM or 1 physical server, but n

once

Active Directory Lightweight

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Application server role

Yes

Partial

DHCP role

Yes

Yes

DNS server role

Yes

Yes

Fax server role

Yes

Yes

Print and document services

Yes

Yes

Server Manager

Yes

Yes

UDDI services

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Directory Services

Active Directory Federation

Services

Active Directory Rights

Management Services

Web services (Internet Information

Services)

Windows Deployment Services

Yes

Yes

Windows Powershell

Yes

Yes

Must be root of forest and domain

Yes

Certificate Authorities only

Certificate Authorities only

Hyper-V

No

No

Server Core mode

No

No

Windows Server Update Services

No

No

Active Directory Domain Services

Active Directory Certificate

Services

Windows Server 2012 includes version 8.0 of Internet Information Services (IIS).

Scalability
Windows Server 2012 supports the following maximum hardware specifications,
Windows Server 2012 improves over its predecessor Windows Server 2008 R2:
Specification

Windows Server 2012

Windows Server 2008 R2

Physical processors

64

64

640

256

320

64

4 TB

2 TB

64

16

Logical processors
when Hyper-V is disabled
Logical processors
when Hyper-V is enabled
Memory
Failover cluster nodes (in any single
cluster)

System requirements
Minimum system requirements for Windows Server 2012
Processor

1.4 GHz, x64

Memory

512 MB

Free disk space

32 GB (more if there is at least 16 GB of RAM)

Windows Server 2012 runs only on x64 processors. Unlike its predecessor, Windows
Server 2012 does not support Itanium.
Upgrades from Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are supported,
although upgrades from prior releases are not.

Editions
Windows Server 2012 has four editions: Foundation, Essentials, Standard and
Datacenter.