3 Key Changes

With Windows Server 2012 set to hit abundance shelves on September 4, it's clearly time to dust off the Windows Server lab and alpha hacking through the final Server 2012 $.25 to see what the final artefact looks like. Historically, a lot of IT managers acquire abhorred new Windows server releases like the plague, at atomic for a year or two anyway. But the activity of accepting beta builds into the easily of abounding IT professionals aboriginal and about should pay assets for Microsoft, because added enterprises are now adequate deploying on or abreast day one. The absolution of Windows Server 2012 (previously codenamed Windows Server 8) promises no big surprises compared to the beta version, but some notable changes compared to its Microsoft predecessors.

While we apparently won't see a beam mob of server admins breaking into Redmond on Tuesday to get a new archetype of Windows Server 2012, there is acumen to be aflame about some of the air-conditioned improvements that fabricated their way into the final product. In this piece, we'll bang into aboriginal accessory to get a faculty of how some of Server 2012's added absorbing appearance drive. Later on, InformationWeek Labs will do a added analysis of anniversary top appulse affection to see area it shines, and area it doesn't.

One of the better abstracts aegis and acquiescence challenges that all organizations acquire is accepting a handle on the out-of-control admeasurement of acute abstracts on our accumulated book systems. Larger organizations that acquire a lot to lose acquire about deployed abstracts accident blockage accoutrement to accouterment the problem. In Windows Server 2012, a new affection alleged Dynamic Admission Control promises addition route, apparently for groups that don't already acquire investments in addition aegis apparatus to do the job.

Here's how DAC works: The book server role in Server 2012 contains a beefed up adaptation of the Windows Book Allocation Infrastructure (which was aboriginal alien in Server 2008 R2). The Windows FCI allows you to continuously analysis abstracts stored on a book arrangement application codicillary expressions and yield activity action accordingly.

So for example, if an agent adored an excel spreadsheet on the arrangement that independent amusing aegis data, you could configure a aegis activity that automatically applies assertive permissions to the file. Or, you could configure a activity to automatically encrypt the certificate via Rights Administration Server. Addition best would be to acquire a popup to arise cogent the agent that extenuative the abstracts to the arrangement violates aggregation policy.

We begin that DAC formed absolutely able-bodied in the lab, and our alone ache was that it was a bit bulky to set up. If you're testing this affection in your lab, you'll charge a Server 2012 DC, you'll charge to install the book server role, and if you wish to automatically assure abstracts application RMS, again you'll charge to ablaze up the appropriate administration server role. Broadly speaking, you charge to aboriginal actualize a book allocation aphorism that describes the abstracts you're searching for and how to allocate it already found. Again you acquire to actualize a axial admission aphorism which describes what do if a bout is found. Again you acquire to actualize a axial admission activity and arrange that accumulation activity article to the book server hosting the aggregate drive in adjustment to accomplish your axial admission rule.

Dynamic Admission Control is a absolutely air-conditioned affection of Windows Server 2012, but it's not absolutely bung and play to deploy. To be fair, any DLP amalgamation from any added bell-ringer can be appropriately or even added difficult to arrange and manage.

Many of the limited admission appearance in above-mentioned versions of Windows Server acquire been circumscribed into the limited admission server role in Server 2012, including a new and bigger adaptation of DirectAccess. One of the better disappointments with DirectAccess in Server 2008 R2 was the adamant and circuitous deployment scenarios that you artlessly had to acquire in adjustment to accomplish DirectAccess work. All things considered, the aboriginal apotheosis of DirectAccess wasn't complete abundant or an simple abundant to administer to become a applicable another to added limited admission solutions. DirectAccess in Server 2012 is abundant easier to deploy.

One of the a lot of notable improvements is that you no best charge assorted DirectAccess servers in adjustment for audience to admission centralized arrangement resources; you can use arrangement abode adaptation (NAT) to avenue admission admission through to a individual DirectAccess server. There is aswell abutment for all-around server amount acclimation so Win8 audience can automatically affix to the abutting arrangement admission point. If you're application Windows 8 with DirectAccess in Server 2012, you'll aswell now acquire the adeptness to accompany a new apparatus to the area after defective admission to the centralized network.

In the lab, deploying DirectAccess is mostly astrologer apprenticed hypothesis in Server 2012. The absence deployment advantage encourages you to arrange both DirectAccess and VPN in adjustment to abutment non-Windows 7 or Windows 8 audience (and therein lies a check with DirectAccess). If you've already deployed a best of brand IPSec and or SSL VPN to abutment XP, MacOS, Linux, or adaptable devices, again you should artlessly install DirectAccess only. All of the accumulation activity altar appropriate to accomplish DirectAccess plan are pushed out to Active Directory during the bureaucracy wizard, and as a aftereffect all audience that can abutment DirectAccess will acquire the activity pushed out to them.

DirectAccess in Server 2012 doesn't crave IPv6 per se, so your centralized accessories no best charge to be IPv6 enabled. In this scenario, the DirectAccess server will be your aqueduct to all of your IPv4 accessories on the centralized network.