Windows server 2012 r2 foundation vs essentials free

Windows Server is an operating system built by Microsoft and is the successor of Windows Server R2. Windows Server is the server-edition of Windows 8 and is available since September Its minor update Windows Server R2 is available since Oktober Windows Server pricing information about can be found at the Thomas-Krenn web shop in the area Microsoft software. Software offerings. The editions are suitable for the following application areas: [1]. The following are the minimal system requirements for Windows Server R2: [3].

The Windows Server editions differ in the following server roles: [4]. Views View View source History. Personal tools Create account Log in. From Thomas-Krenn-Wiki. This article shows the differences between the individual Windows Server editions. Related articles. The client computer backup functionality will support backup of up to 75 devices. Without a full backup of the server, you cannot restore the server to the state that it was in prior to the transition.

To view the EULA:. Be sure to use. If you purchased Windows Server R2 Standard initially and exercised your downgrade rights to install one of your two virtual instances as Windows Server Essentials, you do not need to purchase anything additional.

Performing the transition as described in the next step will convert the evaluation product to a fully licensed and supported product. After the transition, the Windows Server Essentials features remain on the server and are supported for up to users and devices. Skip to main content. This browser is no longer supported. Download Microsoft Edge More info. Table of contents Exit focus mode.

Windows server 2012 r2 foundation vs essentials free

This edition of Windows Server is targeted towards small businesses of up to 15 users. Foundation edition can be implemented in environments where features such as file sharing, printer sharing, security and remote access are required.

The Windows Server R2 Essentials edition is the next step up, also geared towards small businesses of up to 25 users. Windows Server R2 Essentials edition is available in retail stores around the world making it easy for businesses to install the new operating system without necessarily purchasing new hardware.

Windows Server R2 Essentials edition can run a single instance of virtual machine on Hyper V, a feature that was not available in Windows Server Essentials non-R2 edition. This single virtual machine instance can be Windows Server R2 Essential edition only, seriously limiting the virtualization options but allowing companies to begin exploring the benefits of the virtualization platform.

The Standard edition is able to support an unlimited amount of users, as long as the required user licenses have been purchased. We should note that the Standard edition supports up to 2 Virtual Machines. The Windows Server R2 Datacenter edition is the flagship product created to meet the needs of medium to large enterprises. The major difference between the Standard and Datacenter edition is that the Datacenter edition allows the creation of unlimited Virtual Machines and is therefore suitable for environments with extensive use of virtualization technology.

Before purchasing the Windows Server operating system, it is very important to understand the difference between various editions, the table below shows the difference between the four editions of Windows Server For example, a CAL assigned to a user, allows only that user to access the server via any device. Likewise, if a DAL is assigned to particular device, then any authenticated user using that device is allowed to access the server.

We can use a simple example to help highlight the practical differences between CAL and DAL licensing models and understand the most cost-effective approach:.

Assume an environment with Windows Server R2 standard edition and a total of 50 users and 25 devices workstations. In this case, we can purchase either 50 CAL licenses to cover the 50 users we have or alternatively 25 DAL licenses to cover the total amount of workstations that need to access the server.

In this scenario, purchasing DALs is a more cost effective solution. If however we had 10 users with a total of 20 devices , e. Windows Server Foundation is available to OEMs Original Equipment Manufacturers only and therefore can only be purchased at the time of purchasing a n new hardware server.

Windows Foundation edition supports up to 15 users. In addition, Foundation edition owners cannot upgrade to other editions. The Essential edition of server is available to OEMs with the purchase of new hardware and also at retail stores. The user limit of this server edition is 25 and device limit is This means that a maximum of 25 users amongst 50 computers can access the Windows Server Essentials edition. For example, you have 20 users rotating randomly amongst 25 computers accessing the Server Essentials edition, without any problem.

A common question at this point is what if the organization expands and increases its users and computers?

In these cases Microsoft provides an upgrade path allowing organizations to upgrade to the Windows Server Standard or Datacenter edition license and perform an in-place license transition. Once the transition is complete, the user limitation, and other features are unlocked without requiring migration or reinstallation of the server.

Companies upgrading to a higher edition of Windows Server should keep in mind that it will be necessary to purchase the required amount of CALs or DALs according to their users or devices. Administrators will be happy to know that it is also possible to downgrade the Standard edition of Server to the Essentials edition. For example, it is possible to run Essential edition of Server as virtual machine utilizing one of two available virtual instances in Standard edition as shown in the figure below.

This eliminates the needs to purchase Essential edition of Server Download Now! Unlike Windows Server Essentials non-R2 , you can now run a single instance of a virtual machine. For example, Microsoft Hyper-V allows even small organizations with tiny budgets to compete with large enterprises when considering the data center.

First of all, you should not spend a fortune to build your first virtual environment. Thus, from a virtualization point of view, we have only three options from a wide range of server Windows-based operating systems which are good enough to start from the very beginning and create a small virtual environment :.

Installing Windows Server is a straightforward process. After installing the operating system, make sure that you added this server to the domain. Hope you find this post useful. To be continued…. July 28, 2 min to read. Maria Levkina. Where does it start? Which Windows Server R2 version should you choose?