Microsoft emits next year's Windows Server for lucky Insiders... as for the rest of you, see you vNext year

Microsoft continued its rich tradition of baffling users with its release dates by dropping a fresh build of the semi-annual channel edition of Windows Server vNext unlikely to actually hit until next year. Customers have the option of running Server editions from the Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC), which enjoys a release …

[N2]

But

How does it do file and print?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: But

Clustering Print Server spoolers still requires Server 2012 - Hopefully Microsoft fixes that next go.

For file servers you can run JBOD / hyperconverged boxes with clustered SMB Direct RDMA multichannel and NFS fileservers with built in compression, deduplication, tiering and features like Discretionary Access Control and on the fly data analysis and categorisation all built in.

See also https://www.chelsio.com/wp-content/uploads/resources/T5-100G-SMB-Windows.pdf - 530,000 IOPS / 95 Gbps with SMB Direct out of the box.

[Dave K]

They really should ditch these semi-annual releases and drop to an annual release program at the very least. 6 months just doesn't seem to be enough to update and properly test these builds as recent Windows 10 update issues have proven.

Of course on the down-side, this would encourage MS to become even lazier with development...

[J27]

I doubt many would care if they switched to releasing new versions of Windows Server every 5 years. If a server is deployed, then it probably has all the features it needs.

[phuzz]

Agreed, how often does a production server get an OS upgrade? A service pack perhaps, but rarely are you going to take the step of taking an entire server offline, doing a full upgrade, and crossing your fingers that everything will still work after a reboot.

I'd say four years is about the right length of time, but five isn't far off.

[Starace]

The whole thing feels a bit pointless - you have a semi-annual release that gets some interesting toys but is missing stuff that's in the main release, and you have a main release that never gets any improvements through its whole life.

And that's before we mention how important improvements in the semi annual channel often go walkabout right at the last second before release.

Bring back a single release channel and service packs. And some proper QA would be nice!

[Unicornpiss]

Pointless?

"The whole thing feels a bit pointless - you have a semi-annual release that gets some interesting toys but is missing stuff that's in the main release, and you have a main release that never gets any improvements through its whole life."

But they've updated Candy Crush and Microsoft Solitaire Collection :)

[katrinab]

Normal people use the LTSC channel for Windows Server on production systems. The Semi-Annual channel is a beta release for developers who want to design products round the new features.

For Windows 10, I agree.

[Dave K]

I get that, and I think anyone who uses SAC for a production server must be rather nuts. However I don't understand why this needs an official semi-annual release at all. What's wrong with keeping it part of the insider programme? Want a stable server? LTSC. Want bleeding-edge access to features for development purposes? Inside programme.

[Unicornpiss]

Lucky insiders?

How lucky are they, really? It's not like I would trust a MS beta (or alpha) product for production, especially on a server. Heck, their normal releases these days are pretty buggy.

[Alan Bourke]

We care a lot

about the WAC and SAC and crack that hits the streets