Server 2008 version had both 32 bit and 64 bit releases, however Server 2008 R2 started with migrating to

completely 64 bit operating system releases for better performance and scalability, and Server 2012 completely is a
64 bit operating system. Thats where the future is heading in Microsoft Windows Server Operating systems.

Domain Controller Cloning

With Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) in Windows Server 2012 we can easily deploy
additional domain controllers by cloning an existing virtual domain controller. This involves creating a
copy, and authorizing the source domain controller to be cloned in AD DS. Cloning reduces the
number of steps and time involved by eliminating repetitive deployment tasks.
IIS 8: Windows Server 2012 features IIS 8 which brings its latest version with features like script pre-compilation,
granular process throttling, centralized certificate management, etc.
Power Shell 3.0: Power Shell is going to be the future of Microsoft. With Command line interfaces being less popular
over the last decade, Microsoft is building up with newer versions of power shell with more advanced features and
thats where IT Professionals have to keep in mind and keep learning the new cmdlets.
Server Core: Server core was introduced in Windows Server 2008 as a competitor to Linux/Unix operating systems
but with limited features. Microsoft is coming up with advanced features and with Server 2012 installation, it gives an
option to switch to Server Core and vice-versa after the installation.
Direct Access: Direct Access was considered to be a replacement to VPN and was introduced with Windows Server
2008 but with Server 2012, it is much easier to use.
SMB 3.0: SMB 3.0 provides improved performance of SMB Direct (SMB over RDMA), improved SMB event
messages, helps Hyper-V live migration over SMB, and other new features which makes it a robust feature in Server
2012 R2.

Distributed File System (DFS) Replication:

On Windows Server 2012 we can use the WMI based methods to manage DFS Replication

Database cloning bypass the initial synch when creating a new replicated folders

Provides support for rebuilding corrupted database without data loss caused by nonauthoritative initial sync

Data Deduplication: This allows us to save disk space by storing a single copy of identical
data on the volume.

Storage Spaces and Storage Pools: These allow you to group industry-standard disks into
one or more storage pools. You can then create virtual disks known as storage spaces. More

disks can be added to your storage pool, to make that space available without impacting
users. Instead of managing each disk individually, you add physical disks to one or more
pools and create virtual disks from the available capacity. Virtual disks that you create can
also be thinly provisioned so if a developer asks for 1TB of space, but will only be initially
consuming 200MB, you can create a thin disk that will only use space based on the size of
files saved there.

iSCSI Target Server : With the new iSCSI target server feature, our server can offer block
storage to other servers and applications on the network using the iSCSI standard.

Failover Clustering:

Now we can manage large scale clusters using simple GUI based Server Manager(Failover
Cluster Manager)

Virtual machine can be added to or removed from a failover cluster and other clustered roles

Cluster aware software updates across the cluster nodes with high availability

Automation can be done using Task Scheduler with Failover Clustering to configure clustered
task

Many virtualization features and Hyper-V supported on Windows Server 2012 R2 like HyperV host to automatically live migrate running virtual machines if the computer is shut down or
network disconnection occurs

Use of .vhdx files as shared storage and less dependency on Active Directory Domain
Services

IP Address Management (IPAM):

IPAM is newly added feature in Windows Server 2012, it provides highly customizable
administrative and monitoring capabilities for the IP address infrastructure on a corporate
network

Hyper-V:
Hyper-V 3.0: Hyper-V introduces a new version 3.0 which offers an extensible virtual switch and live storage
migration which is a step up from Server 2008 R2s Quick Storage Migration to prevent downtime. It is also capable
of migrating virtual machines (VMs) without shared storage.

Now we can use Hyper-V for a desktop operating system version,

Replicate VM between storage systems, clusters, and data centers in two different sites to
provide business continuity and disaster recovery by using Hyper-V replica

Improved Hyper-V Network Virtualization (HNV) in Windows Server 2012 R2

Hyper-V Replica
Hyper-V Replica is a storage technology designed to continuously replicate your virtual machines
across to a backup cluster. It ensures that snapshots no more than 15 minutes old of your critical
virtual machines are available over any network link, including the internet.
It replicates the initial snapshot in full after that it sends only change blocks and it fully supports
versioning of your virtual machines.

BranchCache
You can turn on BranchCache to improve data access if the server running
Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials is located offsite. BranchCache is a wide
area network (WAN) bandwidth optimization technology that is included in
some editions of the Windows Server Windows client operating systems. To
optimize WAN bandwidth when users access content on remote servers,
BranchCache copies content from a main office or hosted cloud content
servers and caches the content at branch office locations, allowing client
computers at branch

Office 365 integration

The following functionalities are new in Office 365 integration with Windows
Server 2012 R2 Essentials: SharePoint Libraries management and Office 365
Distribution Groups management. For the small business that is looking for a
way to accelerate their cloud journey by moving some functions like email to
Office 365, it's hard to imagine this being any easier.

Mobile Device Management

If your Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials server is integrated with Office
365, you can manage your mobile devices using the Exchange Active Sync
functionalities from the Essentials dashboard, such as define email access

from a mobile device, set up password policies, and remote wipe of the mobile
device.

Client Full System Restore

Client Full System Restore is now supported by Windows Deployment
Services (WDS). You can create client restore service using the Set up Client
Restore Service task and perform client full system restore over the network
with WDS instead of using an image saved on a DVD.