What's New Features and changes in Windows Server 2016?

Today we are going to describe about windows server 2016 new features.

As we are knowing that windows server 2016 is upcoming operating system developed by Microsoft.

Due out some time in the second half of this year, Windows Server 2016 will come equipped to reflect these changing times. Some Windows Server 2016 features include support for containers, tighter integration with Microsoft's Azure cloud service and more security for Hyper-V virtual machines and specially Nano Server technology.

Below is described what’s new and changed in server 2016, The new features and changes listed here are the ones most likely to have the greatest impact as you work with this release.

General:  Physical and virtual machines benefit from greater time accuracy due to improvements in the Win32 Time and Hyper-V Time Synchronization Services. Windows Server can now host services that are compliant with upcoming regulations which require a 1ms accuracy with regards to UTC.

1. Nano Server: Without a doubt the biggest change in Windows server is the new Nano Server. Nano Server is a pared down headless version of Windows Server. Nano Server will have a 93% smaller VHD size, 92% fewer critical bulletins and 80% fewer required reboots. Nano Server is a Windows Server installation options and it’s completely headless – there’s no GUI and no command prompt. Nano Server is designed to run Hyper-V, Hyper-V cluster, and Scale-Out File Servers (SOFSs) and cloud service applications. 
2. Windows Server Containers and Hyper-V Containers: The next biggest change in Windows Server 2016 will be support for containers. Containers are the latest buzz in IT technology as they threaten to supplant virtualization as a core IT technology. Containers enable you to isolate your applications from the underlying OS improving the deployment and reliability of those applications. Windows Server 2016 will provide two kinds of native containers: Windows Server Containers and Hyper-V Containers.  Windows Server Containers are isolated from each other but they run directly on the Windows Server 2016 OS. Hyper-V Containers provide enhanced isolation by running the containers from a Hyper-V VM.
3. Docker Support: Docker is an open-source engine that’s used for building, running and managing containers. Docker containers were originally built for Linux but the next version of Windows Server will provide built-in support for the Docker engine as well. A new open-source Docker engine project has been built for Windows Server with Microsoft participating as an active open source community member. You can use Docker to manage Windows Server and Hyper-V Containers.
4. Rolling upgrades for Hyper-V and Storage clusters: One of the biggest new changes for Hyper-V in Windows Server 2016 is rolling upgrades for Hyper-V clusters. The new rolling upgrades feature allows you to add a new Windows Server 2016 node to a Hyper-V cluster with nodes that are running Windows Server 2012 R2. The cluster will continue to run at the Windows Server 2012 R2 functional level until all of the cluster nodes have been upgraded to Windows Server 2016. When the cluster has mixed level nodes the management must be done from Windows Server 2016 or Windows 10. New VMs on a mixed cluster will be compatible with the Windows Server 2012 R2 feature set.
5. Hot add & remove of virtual memory network adapters: Another great new feature in Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V is the ability to add and remove virtual memory and virtual network adapters while the virtual machine is running. In previous releases you need to use dynamic memory to change the minimum and maximum RAM settings of a VM that is running. Windows Server 2016 enables you to change the allocated RAM while the VM is active even if the VM is using static memory. Likewise, you add and remove network adapters while VM is running.
6. Nested virtualization: Added primarily for the new container support, Windows Server 2016’s nested virtualization capabilities will also be a handy addition for training and lab scenarios. With this new feature you are no longer limited to running the Hyper-V role on a physical server. Nested virtualization enables you to run Hyper-V within a Hyper-V virtual machine.
7. PowerShell Direct: PowerShell is a great management automation tool but it can be complicated to get it to run remotely against your VMs. You need to worry about security policies, firewall configurations and your host networking configuration. PowerShell Direct enables you to run PowerShell commands in the guest OS of a VM without needing to go through the network layers. Like VMConnect (the remote console support provided by the Hyper-V Manager) it requires zero configuration it connects directly to the guest VM and all you need are authentication credentials for the VM’s guest OS.
8. Linux Secure Boot: Another new feature in Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V is the ability to enable secure boot for VMs with Linux guest operating systems. Secure Boot is a feature of the UEFI firmware specification incorporated in Generation 2 VMs that protects the VM’s hardware kernel mode code from being attacked by root kits and other boot-time malware. Previously, Generation 2 VMs supported Secure Boot for Windows 8/8.1 and Windows Server 2012 VMs but not VM’s running Linux.
9. New Host Guardian Service and Shielded VMs: The Host Guardian Service is a new role in Windows Server 2016 that enables shielded virtual machines and protects the data on them from unauthorized access – even from Hyper-V administrators. Shielded VMs can be created using the Azure Management Pack Portal. Standard VMs can also be converted to Shielded VMs. With Shielded VMs Hyper-V virtual disks can be encrypted with BitLocker.
10. Storage Spaces Direct: Windows Server 2016 also has a number of storage system improvements one of the most important is the new Storage Spaces Direct feature. Storage Spaces Direct is the evolution of the previous Storage Spaces technology found in Windows Server 2012 R2. Windows Server 2016 Storage Spaces Direct allows a cluster to access JBOD storage in an external enclosure like Windows Server 2012 R2 or it can also allow access to JBOD and SAS disks that are internal to the cluster nodes. Like the previous release Store Spaces form the basis for Storage Pools and they support both SSD and HDD disks and data tearing.
11. Extended security: Windows Server 2016 introduces new layers of security to harden the platform to address emerging threats, control privileged access and protect virtual machines.
12. Resilient compute: simplified virtualization upgrades, new installment options, and increased resilience, helping you ensure the stability of the infrastructure without limiting agility.
13. Reduced-cost storage: expanded capabilities in software-defined storage with an emphasis on resilience, reduced cost, and increased control.
14. Simplified networking: The new networking stack brings the core set of networking capabilities and SDN architecture directly from Azure to your datacenter.
15. Application efficiency and agility: Windows Server 2016 delivers new ways to package, configure, deploy, run, test and secure your applications – running on-premises or in the cloud – using new capabilities such as Windows containers and the new Nano Server lightweight OS deployment option. 
16. Remote Desktop Services:  Use Azure SQL DB for your Remote Desktop Connection Broker high availability environment. Deploying a highly available RDS deployment lets you leverage Azure SQL Database for your RD Connection Brokers in high availability mode.
17. Compute: The Compute area includes virtualization products and features for the IT professional to design, deploy, and maintain Windows Server.
18. Active Directory Certificate Services: What's New in Active Directory Certificate Services? Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) in Windows Server 2016 increases support for TPM key attestation: You can now use Smart Card KSP for key attestation, and devices that are not joined to the domain can now use NDES enrollment to get certificates that can be attested for keys being in a TPM.
19. Active Directory Domain Services: Active Directory Domain Services includes improvements to help organizations secure Active Directory environments and provide better identity management experiences for both corporate and personal devices. For more information
20. Active Directory Federation Services: What's New in Active Directory Federation Services? Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) in Windows Server 2016 includes new features that enable you to configure AD FS to authenticate users stored in Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directories.
21. Web Application Proxy: The latest version of Web Application Proxy focuses on new features that enable publishing and preauthentication for more applications and improved user experience. Check out the full list of new features that includes preauthentication for rich client apps such as Exchange ActiveSync and wildcard domains for easier publishing of SharePoint apps.
22. Management and Automation: The Management and Automation area focuses on tool and reference information for IT pros who want to run and manage Windows Server, including Windows PowerShell. Windows PowerShell 5.0 includes significant new features, including support for developing with classes and new security features that extend its use, improve its usability, and allow you to control and manage Windows-based environments more easily and comprehensively.
23. Networking: This area addresses networking products and features for the IT professional to design, deploy, and maintain Windows Server. You can now both mirror and route traffic to new or existing virtual appliances. Together with a distributed firewall and Network security groups, this enables you to dynamically segment and secure workloads in a manner similar to Azure. Second, you can deploy and manage the entire Software-defined networking (SDN) stack using System Center Virtual Machine Manager. Finally, you can use Docker to manage Windows Server container networking, and associate SDN policies not only with virtual machines but containers as well.
24. Shielded Virtual Machines: Starting in Windows Server 2016  a number of new features are available for shielded virtual machines:

• New "Encryption Supported" mode that offers more protections than for an ordinary virtual machine, but less than "Shielded" mode, while still supporting vTPM, disk encryption, Live Migration traffic encryption, and other features, including direct fabric administration conveniences such as virtual machine console connections and Powershell Direct.
• Full support for converting existing non-shielded Generation 2 virtual machines to shielded virtual machines, including automated disk encryption.
• Hyper-V Virtual Machine Manager can now view the fabrics upon which a shielded virtual is authorized to run, providing a way for the fabric administrator to open a shielded virtual machine's key protector (KP) and view the fabrics it is permitted to run on.

25. Windows Defender: Windows Defender Overview for Windows Server. Windows Server Antimalware is installed and enabled by default in Windows Server 2016, but the user interface for Windows Server Antimalware is not installed. However, Windows Server Antimalware will update antimalware definitions and protect the computer without the user interface. If you need the user interface for Windows Server Antimalware, you can install it after the operating system installation by using the Add Roles and Features Wizard.

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