Windows Server 2022 LTSC released

Martin Brinkmann
Aug 20, 2021
Windows
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5

Microsoft released a new version of Windows Server, Windows Server 2022 LTSC, this week. The new Server release does not really need the LTSC descriptor anymore, as Microsoft announced earlier this year that all future Windows Server releases would be long-term servicing channel releases.

Windows Server 2022 LTSC will be supported for ten years. Five of those years with mainstream support, and the remaining five years with extended support. The main difference between the support phases is that extended support is limited to security and bug fix updates. Mainstream support may introduce new functionality to the Server version as well.

windows server 2022 ltsc

Mainstream support ends on October 13, 2026, extended support on October 14, 2031.

The "What's new in Windows Server 2022" support page lists major changes in the new Server version.

Here is a short overview:

  • Security improvements: secured-core server, simplified security, hardware root-of-trust, firmware protection, virtualization-based security (VBS)
  • HTTPS and TLS 1.3 enabled by default.
  • Secure DNS support with DNS-over-HTTPS.
  • Server Message Block AES-256 encryption.
  • Server Message Block East-West SMB encryption.
  • SMB over QUIC.
  • Azure Arc enabled.
  • Azure Automanage - Hotpatch.
  • Platform improvements, e.g. application compatibility and Windows Container experience with Kubernetes.
  • Nested virtualization for AMD processors.
  • New Microsoft Edge web browser.
  • Storage Migration Service.
  • Adjustable storage repair speed.
  • Storage bus cache with Storage Spaces on standalone servers.
  • SMB compression.

Windows Server 2022 is available in three editions: Windows Server 2022 Standard, Windows Server 2022 Datacenter and Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition.

There are quite a few differences feature-wise between the versions. Hotpatching is only supported by the Azure Edition, Storage Spaces Direct only by the Datacenter editions, and the standard edition is limited when it comes to Storage replica.

Here is a feature comparison table:

Features available generally Windows Server 2022 Standard Windows Server 2022 Datacenter Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition
Azure Extended Network No No Yes
Best Practices Analyzer Yes Yes Yes
Direct Access Yes Yes Yes
Dynamic Memory (in virtualization) Yes Yes Yes
Hot Add/Replace RAM Yes Yes Yes
Hotpatching No No Yes
Microsoft Management Console Yes Yes Yes
Minimal Server Interface Yes Yes Yes
Network Load Balancing Yes Yes Yes
Windows PowerShell Yes Yes Yes
Server Core installation option Yes Yes Yes
Server Manager Yes Yes Yes
SMB Direct and SMB over RDMA Yes Yes Yes (not supported in Azure)
SMB over QUIC No No Yes
Software-defined Networking No Yes Yes
Storage Migration Service Yes Yes Yes
Storage Replica Yes, (1 partnership and 1 resource group with a single 2TB volume) Yes, unlimited Yes, unlimited
Storage Spaces Yes Yes Yes
Storage Spaces Direct No Yes Yes
Volume Activation Services Yes Yes Yes
VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) integration Yes Yes Yes
Windows Server Update Services Yes Yes Yes
Windows System Resource Manager Yes Yes Yes
Server license logging Yes Yes Yes
Inherited activation As guest if hosted on Datacenter Can be a host or a guest Can be a host or a guest
Work Folders Yes Yes Yes

As far as limitations and locks are concerned, these are identical feature-wise for the most part. The only difference between standard and datacenter editions is that the standard edition is limited to 2 virtual machines plus one Hyper-V host per license, while the datacenter edition is not limited when it comes to the number of virtual machines.

Check out the full feature comparison page on Microsoft's Docs website for additional information.

This Microsoft Docs webpage lists the features that are no longer in development or removed:

Removed:

Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) Server service The iSNS Server service has now been removed from Windows Server 2022 after it was considered for removal in Windows Server, version 1709. You can still connect to iSNS servers or add iSCSI targets individually.

No longer in development:

Feature Explanation
Guarded Fabric and Shielded Virtual Machines (VMs) Windows Server and Azure Stack HCI are aligning with Azure to take advantage of continuing enhancements to Azure Confidential Computing and Azure Security Center. Having this alignment translates to more cloud security offerings being extended to customer data centers (on-premises).

Microsoft will continue to provide support for these features, but there will be no further development. On client versions of Windows the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT): Shielded VM Tools feature will be removed.

Launching SConfig from a command prompt (CMD) window by running sconfig.cmd Starting with Windows Server 2022, SConfig is launched by default when you sign in to a server running Server Core installation option. Moreover, PowerShell is now the default shell on Server Core. If you exit SConfig, you get to a regular interactive PowerShell window. Similarly, you can opt out from SConfig autolaunch. In this case, you will get a PowerShell window at sign-in. In either scenario, you can launch SConfig from PowerShell by simply running SConfig. If needed, you can launch the legacy command prompt (CMD) from PowerShell as well. But to simplify different transition options, we're going to remove sconfig.cmd from the next version of the operating system. If you need to start SConfig from a CMD window, you will have to launch PowerShell first.

Our colleagues over at Deskmodder have links to the official ISO images of Windows Server 2022 LTSC (German and English, 64-bit).

Now You: What is your take on this new Windows Server release?

Summary
Windows Server 2022 LTSC released
Article Name
Windows Server 2022 LTSC released
Description
Microsoft released a new version of Windows Server, Windows Server 2022 LTSC, this week. Find out what is new and changed, and how the different editions compare.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. Alfonso said on August 22, 2021 at 3:45 pm
    Reply

    Server 2022 based on 20H2 with print nightmare exploit? No thank you, iam fine with server 2019 based on 1809.

  2. Anonymous said on August 20, 2021 at 10:47 pm
    Reply

    Does it have the good taskbar and start menu, or useless Windows 11 one?

    1. Yuliya said on August 21, 2021 at 6:52 am
      Reply

      Win10

  3. Sol Shine said on August 20, 2021 at 8:28 pm
    Reply

    I used http://www.deepl.com to translate this important info from german on the deskmodder site:

    Yesterday, Microsoft started the official support for Windows Server 2022. Announced in March 2021 as a preview and then, as with Windows 11, gradually supplied with updates, the official ISO has now been made available on MVS.

    It is the 20348.169 (fe_release), which contains the Standard and Datacenter each with and without desktop GUI.

  4. Yuliya said on August 20, 2021 at 1:11 pm
    Reply

    Wow nice. Can`t wait till I get home to try it :3

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