Speaker 1: Okay, let's unpack this in the well, the ever evolving
Speaker 1: world of IT infrastructure, staying current isn't just a recommendation,
Speaker 1: is it's pretty much a necessity.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: We're constantly looking for ways to build more resilient, secure,
Speaker 1: efficient systems, and today we're diving headfirst into a release
Speaker 1: that well promise is exactly that.
Speaker 2: Indeed, we're talking about Windows Server twenty twenty five. And yeah,
Speaker 2: this isn't just a refresh, not really. It's a platform
Speaker 2: engineered for the hybrid reality of modern IT. Okay, it's
Speaker 2: really pushing the boundaries of what a server OS can do,
Speaker 2: especially especially in how it bridges on premises and cloud environments.
Speaker 1: Right, So our mission for you, our curious listener, is
Speaker 1: to cut through the noise. We've distilled the absolute most
Speaker 1: important insights from a comprehensive guide Windowserver twenty twenty five
Speaker 1: at nettrain dot pdf. Think of this as your fast
Speaker 1: trick sort of to understanding this strategic advantages the practical
Speaker 1: implications of Server twenty twenty five. We're talking everything core
Speaker 1: networking installation right through to advanced security, storage and those
Speaker 1: those crucial hybrid cloud features. We're giving you the why
Speaker 1: behind the what making sure you walk away, you know,
Speaker 1: truly well informed.
Speaker 2: Exactly, we'll highlight the transformative features, the key differentiators, and
Speaker 2: really what these advancements mean for your day to day
Speaker 2: operations and your long term infrastructure strategy. Let's make sense
Speaker 2: of it all together.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's start with the very bedrock networking and server fundamentals.
Speaker 1: We're talking about the core architecture, right, how devices communicate,
Speaker 1: share resources, all built on reliable hardware. Right.
Speaker 2: And while the basics of say a local area network
Speaker 2: a land you know, connecting devices locally haven't fundamentally changed,
Speaker 2: what's crucial for Server twenty twenty five is how it
Speaker 2: optimizes and secures these connections. Okay, so, for instance, addressing,
Speaker 2: everyone knows IPv four right, sure, But the real leap
Speaker 2: in network scalability and efficiency with Server twenty twenty five
Speaker 2: that comes with its deep embrace of IPv six.
Speaker 1: So it's more than just like a bigger pool of addresses.
Speaker 1: Then where does IPv six truly shine in a twenty
Speaker 1: twenty five environment?
Speaker 2: Oh? Absolutely, it's much more than just solving address scarcity.
Speaker 2: IPv six fundamentally future proofs your network with Server twenty
Speaker 2: twenty five. It means inherently more efficient data distribution. Think
Speaker 2: about features like multicast addressing, streamlined video streaming, or large
Speaker 2: data transfers without taxing the network with duplicate streams. It
Speaker 2: also brings built in quality of service, more robust security features,
Speaker 2: which are vital. I mean, look at the explosion of
Speaker 2: IoT devices. Yeah, complex network traffic yea, it's everywhere. So
Speaker 2: it drastically simplifies network management in the long run.
Speaker 1: That sounds like a pretty foundational shift. And speaking of foundations,
Speaker 1: what about the physical server itself? I mean, beyond just
Speaker 1: being a powerful computer, what does server twenty twenty five
Speaker 1: demand from its underlying hardware?
Speaker 2: Well, Server twenty twenty five is designed to leverage modern hardware,
Speaker 2: really push it. We're talking powerful multi course CPUs, substantial
Speaker 2: RAM often hundreds of gigs these days wow, and robust
Speaker 2: disc subsystems. Ideally, you know a mix of high speed
Speaker 2: SSDs for performance and maybe high capacity HDDs for bulk storage,
Speaker 2: and crucially, multiple network interface cards and i sees that's
Speaker 2: almost standard now provides a redundancy significantly boosts data throughput,
Speaker 2: which is essential for virtualized and hybrid workloads.
Speaker 1: So the hardware is the muscle, right, and the network
Speaker 1: operating system, the NS, that's the brain coordinating at all.
Speaker 1: How has Windows Server twenty twenty five's approach to that
Speaker 1: brain power evolved, especially with Microsoft's whole cloud first thing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the evolution is profound. Windows Server twenty twenty five
Speaker 2: is really the latest step in Microsoft's Windows Server for
Speaker 2: the cloud journey that started way back with Server twenty sixteen.
Speaker 2: Really right, This means it's built from the ground up
Speaker 2: to integrate seamlessly with cloud services, particularly Azure. It's about
Speaker 2: more than just managing local files and users. It's about
Speaker 2: providing a unified control plane across on prem edge cloud resources,
Speaker 2: emphasizing hybrid deployments intelligent automation. That's the key.
Speaker 1: Okay, now that we've covered the groundwork, let's get practical.
Speaker 1: For anyone looking to actually deploy Server twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1: What are the key requirements and maybe critical installation choices
Speaker 1: they need to be aware of.
Speaker 2: Okay, requirements, You'll need a sixty four bit processor ideally
Speaker 2: two point zero gigahertz or higher. At least thirty two
Speaker 2: gigs of RAM, though honestly more is always better for
Speaker 2: server roles. Sure storage, you need both really a two
Speaker 2: fifty six GB SSD for the OS minimum and at
Speaker 2: least a terabyte HDD for data, plus a one gigabit
Speaker 2: Ethernet and IC Right. But for modern security, a Trusted
Speaker 2: Platform Module a TPM is now practically non negotiable. It's
Speaker 2: all about securing the boot process itself.
Speaker 1: And speaking of booting, Server TOM twenty five is all
Speaker 1: in on UEFI, not the legacy bios. What does that
Speaker 1: mean for us on the ground.
Speaker 2: Yeah. UFI offers faster, much more secure boots. It supports
Speaker 2: critical features like secure boot locker for encryption. More importantly,
Speaker 2: it supports the GID partition Table GPT partitioning scheme. This
Speaker 2: is essential, absolutely essential for discs larger than two terabytes.
Speaker 2: Ah Okay, and yeah, it's a non negotiable requirement for
Speaker 2: Server twenty twenty five installations. Ensures better performance reliability for
Speaker 2: modern storage.
Speaker 1: Gotcha. So, once you're past the initial setup, you've got
Speaker 1: choices and how Server twenty twenty five presents itself? Right?
Speaker 1: You can go with the full desktop experience or the
Speaker 1: leaner server Core or even nanoserver. How do these options
Speaker 1: impact deployment strategy?
Speaker 2: These choices are strategic definitely not trivial. The desktop experience
Speaker 2: gives you that familiar graphical interface you know. Great for
Speaker 2: smaller setups or maybe folks new to server okay. Server
Speaker 2: Core is the lean headless option. Reduces the attack surface,
Speaker 2: memory footprint, patching requirements, ideal for infrastructure roles like domain
Speaker 2: controllers or.
Speaker 1: File servers, right less to go wrong.
Speaker 2: Exactly, and nanoserver even lighter is purpose built for cloud
Speaker 2: native apps and containers for minimal reboots, high density. So
Speaker 2: your choice directly impacts resource use, security and importantly how
Speaker 2: you manage the server going forward, and.
Speaker 1: For streamlined management across all these, especially in hybrid setups.
Speaker 1: Windows admin Center seems to have become a crucial tool,
Speaker 1: hasn't it?
Speaker 2: Oh, it absolutely has. Windows admin Center. It's that modern
Speaker 2: web based tool. It consolidates server cluster, even client device
Speaker 2: management into one intuitive interface. It goes way beyond older
Speaker 2: tools like RSAT. But what's truly powerful here, particularly for
Speaker 2: Server twenty twenty five, is its integration with PowerShell Desired
Speaker 2: State Configuration DSc oh DSc. This helps you manage configuration drift,
Speaker 2: basically making sure your servers automatically stay compliant with your
Speaker 2: organizational standards. That's a massive win for consistency security, especially
Speaker 2: in dynamic environments.
Speaker 1: Okay, so if the server is the engine, then actor, directory,
Speaker 1: domain services adds. Yeah, like the master key in central directory,
Speaker 1: isn't it. It's the backbone for identity and access in
Speaker 1: well almost every Windows environment.
Speaker 2: That's exactly right, Adds is that centralized repository for everything
Speaker 2: user accounts, computers, printers, network services, and each has its
Speaker 2: own specific security.
Speaker 1: Settings, granular control.
Speaker 2: Precisely, granular control over all your network resources. It's supported
Speaker 2: by core protocols know ldapp for directory access, curbaros for authentication,
Speaker 2: DNS for name resolution standard. Yeah, standard, but critical. And
Speaker 2: for administrators you're looking at tools ranging from the familiar
Speaker 2: graphical consoles, active directory users and computers to powerful PowerShell
Speaker 2: modules for scripting and automating complex tasks at scale.
Speaker 1: And within eightyds. There's that clear hierarchy domains, trees, forests.
Speaker 1: This structure dictates how resources are shared managed. But for
Speaker 1: those managing existing environments, what's the crucial difference between a
Speaker 1: domain and just a simple work group, Especially when thinking
Speaker 1: about scaling with Server twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2: That distinction is absolutely fundamental for securing and scaling your
Speaker 2: IT environment efficiently. Domains use dedicated servers domain controllers. For
Speaker 2: centralized services, it's a client server model, right, Authentication policy enforcement,
Speaker 2: all managed centrally work groups. On the other hand, they're
Speaker 2: peer to peer. Each computer manages its own local security,
Speaker 2: shares resources, no central authority.
Speaker 1: Right. Much simpler, but.
Speaker 2: Doesn't scale securely for any enterprise or even a growing
Speaker 2: small business. A domain infrastructure is well, it's non negotiable
Speaker 2: for security, manageability and scale.
Speaker 1: Speaking of scale, Windows Server twenty twenty five introduces some
Speaker 1: significant enhancements to ADDS focus on scalability, performance, manageability. What
Speaker 1: are the headline features for us here?
Speaker 2: Okay, A key one is the new domain and forced
Speaker 2: functional level ten. Now this isn't just a version number bump.
Speaker 2: It means ADDS and Server twenty twenty five can now
Speaker 2: comfortably manage significantly larger user bases, more complex organizational structures.
Speaker 2: It really pushes previous scalability limits might even delay costly
Speaker 2: re designs for rapidly growing enterprises. That's big it is.
Speaker 2: We're also seeing optimized replication for large scale environments using
Speaker 2: advanced algorithms to reduce latency bandwidth usage, which is crucial
Speaker 2: for widely distributed locations, hybrid setups.
Speaker 1: And for peace of mind. What's new in backup and
Speaker 1: recovery mechanisms? Anything stand out?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Server twenty twenty five brings enhanced backup and recovery,
Speaker 2: more efficient incremental backups, improved restoration processes. The active directory
Speaker 2: recycle bin for example, it's been further refined. It preserves
Speaker 2: more attributes relationships of deleted objects, making recovery easier oh useful.
Speaker 2: Very Plus, leveraging the Volume Shadow Copy Service VSS ensures
Speaker 2: consistent data protection for adds during backups.
Speaker 1: Good stuff. Now, security paramount in today's threat landscape, obviously,
Speaker 1: and when do. Server twenty twenty five seems to have
Speaker 1: really stepped up its game here. What's fascinating I think
Speaker 1: is the focus on advanced authentication mechanisms.
Speaker 2: Yes, definitely. This includes significant enhancements to Kurber authentication, more
Speaker 2: robust encryption algorithms, bolster defenses against common vulnerabilities like past
Speaker 2: the ticket attack. Right, those are nasty, they are beyond that.
Speaker 2: Server twenty twenty five deeply embraces multi factor authentication MFA,
Speaker 2: particularly with conditional access policies.
Speaker 1: Conditional access.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this lets you dynamically enforce MFA based on context
Speaker 2: things like resource sensitivity, the user's role, maybe even their location.
Speaker 2: It aligns perfectly with zero trust principles. Verify every access
Speaker 2: request basically.
Speaker 1: So it's not just about stopping threats, but detecting them quickly,
Speaker 1: intelligently exactly.
Speaker 2: Automated threat detection is key, real time tracking of access attempts,
Speaker 2: immediately flagging irregular or suspicious behavior. Microsoft Defender Anti Virus
Speaker 2: for Windows Server twenty twenty five offers comprehensive protection, real
Speaker 2: time defense, advanced threat detection using machine learning, automated response capabilities,
Speaker 2: ensuring the integrity of your server environment against these constantly
Speaker 2: evolving threats and for.
Speaker 1: You, the admin on the ground. What does implementing these
Speaker 1: security best practices look like day to day with Server
Speaker 1: twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2: Well, it means consistent patch management right often via WSUS
Speaker 2: or even hot patching, which we should definitely talk more about. Crucially,
Speaker 2: it involves rigorous audit logging. The system records everything user login,
Speaker 2: system changes, providing that historical record you need for forensic
Speaker 2: analysis if something happens.
Speaker 1: Treatsability exactly. There's even a PowerShell script available to check
Speaker 1: for security baseline drift, making sure your configurations stay robust
Speaker 1: against new threats and comply with your established security policies. Okay,
Speaker 1: let's shift gear slightly. How does server twenty twenty five
Speaker 1: handle your data? Storage is always a challenge, isn't it.
Speaker 1: Server twenty twenty five offers some powerful modern solutions here.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, this brings us to storage spaces direct or
Speaker 2: S two D. This is a core component of software
Speaker 2: defined storage SDS in Server twenty twenty five SDS. Right, so,
Speaker 2: instead of relying on traditional hardware rad controllers, s to
Speaker 2: two D provides fault tolerance by creating shared storage pools
Speaker 2: from local disks across servers in a cluster.
Speaker 1: Using local discs. Interesting it is?
Speaker 2: It delivers amazing flexibility and scalability by abstracting the hardware,
Speaker 2: lets you build highly available, high performance storage using standard
Speaker 2: server hardware. It's a true game changer for modern data centers.
Speaker 1: Honestly, virtualization another cornerstone of modern it maximizing hardware efficiency.
Speaker 1: HYPERV has been around for a while, but how to
Speaker 1: Server twenty twenty five enhance this capability well?
Speaker 2: HYPERV and Server twenty twenty five continues to provide that
Speaker 2: robust hardware level virtualization. What's important for you here are
Speaker 2: the ongoing performance improvements, obviously, and the ability to configure
Speaker 2: virtual switches flexibly external for physical network access, internal for
Speaker 2: host only communication, private for just VMDVM chatter okay, and
Speaker 2: for quick recovery VM checkpoints. Those snapshots are still invaluable
Speaker 2: for easy rollbacks. What's also fascinating is the continued refinement
Speaker 2: of tools like DISC to VHD makes it easier than
Speaker 2: ever to convert physical servers to virtual machines p too,
Speaker 2: v which is a key step in modernizing your IT infrastructure.
Speaker 1: So you've got all this power and your physical servers
Speaker 1: running vms. Yeah, but the challenge often becomes managing at all,
Speaker 1: doesn't it, especially as your infrastructure stretches beyond your data
Speaker 1: center walls. That's where Server twenty twenty five hybrid capabilities
Speaker 1: powered by tools like Azure Arc become truly transformative.
Speaker 2: I think you've hit on a critical point there. Azure
Speaker 2: Arc essentially extends Azure's management capabilities right down to your
Speaker 2: on premises and edge resource.
Speaker 1: Right into your data center exactly.
Speaker 2: It means you can manage your Windows server instances using
Speaker 2: familiar Azure tools, Azure Portal, Azuro policy or whatever, regardless
Speaker 2: of where they actually physically reside. Okay, this provides that
Speaker 2: unified control plane we talked about, simplifies administration, ensure consistent
Speaker 2: policy enforcement across your entire hybrid estate. It's really powerful.
Speaker 1: That's a powerful claim unified management. But a crucial point
Speaker 1: to consider major bain point usually is how do you
Speaker 1: update critical servers without downtime?
Speaker 2: Ah? Yes, that's where hot patching comes in. Specifically for
Speaker 2: Windows Server twenty twenty five Azure edition, this is a
Speaker 2: crucial innovation hot patching. It allows you to apply certain
Speaker 2: security updates without rebooting your server. You reboot, no reboot
Speaker 2: for many critical updates. This ensures operational continarity significantly reduces
Speaker 2: planned downtime, a massive benefit for those critical workloads where
Speaker 2: every minute of availability is essential. It's a fundamental shift
Speaker 2: in update management for those high availability environments.
Speaker 1: Okay, maintaining an efficient server environment means staying rigorously on
Speaker 1: top of updates Beyond the OS patches handled by Windows Update,
Speaker 1: what about all those third party apps?
Speaker 2: Right? For centralized OS patch management, especially in larger setups,
Speaker 2: Windows Server Update Services WSUS is still a vital tool
Speaker 2: lets you manage distribute updates efficiently. But for third party applications,
Speaker 2: thank Oracle databases, patchy web servers, things like that, you
Speaker 2: might turn.
Speaker 1: To wing it now wing it on server.
Speaker 2: Yeah, a simple wing it upgrade all command can scan
Speaker 2: download install updates for many installed applications, reinforces security stability
Speaker 2: across your entire software stack, and of course don't forget
Speaker 2: the strategic advantage of hot patching for those critical security
Speaker 2: updates on Azure edition VMS.
Speaker 1: Right now when things inevitably go wrong. Effective troubleshooting is
Speaker 1: obviously an essential skill. What are the key diagnostic tools
Speaker 1: and maybe approaches to master in a Server twenty twenty
Speaker 1: five environment.
Speaker 2: Well, you'll always want to approach problems systematically follow your process,
Speaker 2: but the core tools for you include Event Viewer, of course,
Speaker 2: logging critical activities, Performance Monitor, Resource Monitor, Task Manager. They
Speaker 2: give you those real time insights into CPU memory, disc
Speaker 2: network usage, helping you pinpoint bottlenecks ideally proactively. And Server
Speaker 2: twenty twenty five also integrates tightly with Azure Monitor when
Speaker 2: it's ARC enabled, extending your diagnostic capabilities right into the
Speaker 2: cloud for a unified view across hybrid resources.
Speaker 1: Beyond just fixing immediate problems, the big picture is business
Speaker 1: continuity and disaster recovery. Yeah, what's the server twenty twenty
Speaker 1: five perspective on keeping everything running smoothly? Come what may?
Speaker 2: Absolutely? A disaster recovery plan a DRP is that detailed
Speaker 2: document outlining how you resume operations after a significant disruption.
Speaker 1: Right the plan?
Speaker 2: Yeah, it includes inventoring assets, assessing risks, defining your recovery
Speaker 2: time objectives rtos, and recover point objectives RPOs. Essentially how
Speaker 2: much downtime and data loss your business can tolerate.
Speaker 1: Crucial numbers.
Speaker 2: Crucial numbers. Business continuity BC focuses on maintaining essential operations
Speaker 2: during a disruption, while dr focuses on restoring systems after one.
Speaker 2: They really work hand in hand.
Speaker 1: And what are the key strategies for BC and DR
Speaker 1: in this modern server landscape? Maybe using server twenty twenty
Speaker 1: five features.
Speaker 2: Key strategies include robust data redundancy. Obviously, multiple copies of
Speaker 2: data in different locations. Clustering is still huge. Using multiple
Speaker 2: servers for continuous service through failover one takes over, one
Speaker 2: takes over if another fails, or load balancing sharing the workload.
Speaker 2: Robust backups are foundational using tools like Windows Server Backup
Speaker 2: and importantly, knowing your Directory Services Restore Mode DSRM password
Speaker 2: for active directory restores is critical.
Speaker 1: Don't forget that password.
Speaker 2: We'll never forget that password, and you know. Server twenty
Speaker 2: twenty five's enhancements to features like storage spaces direct also
Speaker 2: provide inherent fault tolerance for your data storage layer itself.
Speaker 2: Now just switching gears slightly for anyone serious about a
Speaker 2: career in it. The value of Microsoft Role based certifications,
Speaker 2: while it really can't be overstated ken it. They validate
Speaker 2: your expertise in modern tech, provide a competitive edge, helps
Speaker 2: you stand out.
Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely. Take the eighty eight hundred exam for instance.
Speaker 1: It measures your skills in deploying and managing adds both
Speaker 1: on prem and in the cloud, managing VMS and containers,
Speaker 1: implementing hybrid networking, handling storage and file services. It's a
Speaker 1: comprehensive benchmark for a Windows server, pro ensuring you cover
Speaker 1: critical modern skills, aligning perfectly with pretty much everything we've
Speaker 1: discussed today exactly.
Speaker 2: And Microsoft has also implemented revised validity periods and renewal
Speaker 2: processes for these certifications. You can renew them at no
Speaker 2: cost now through Microsoft Learn. It is it ensures your
Speaker 2: skills stay current and competitive in this rapidly evolving landscape
Speaker 2: without the pain and cost of recertifying from scratch every
Speaker 2: couple of years.
Speaker 1: So wrapping this up, then, what does this all mean
Speaker 1: for you the listener? Yeah, we've taken it well. A
Speaker 1: pretty deep dive into Windows Server twenty twenty five explored
Speaker 1: its foundations, cutting edge security, modern storage, virtualization, those crucial
Speaker 1: hybrid cloud integrations. It's clear this isn't just another server
Speaker 1: OS update. It feels like a strategic platform for building resilient, secure,
Speaker 1: scalable IT environments really designed for today's complex and distributed world.
Speaker 2: I think the overarching themes for you are seamless integration
Speaker 2: really blending on premises with cloud services, enhanced proactive security
Speaker 2: through things like advanced authentication and intelligent threat detection, and
Speaker 2: a significant leap in operational efficiency driven by innovations like
Speaker 2: hot patching and software defined storage. These really feel like
Speaker 2: the pillars of modern IT infrastructure management.
Speaker 1: So here's a final thought. As IT environments become inevitably
Speaker 1: more distributed, more complex, how will mastering platforms like Windows
Speaker 1: Server twenty twenty five reshape the role of the system administrator,
Speaker 1: moving perhaps from a reactive troubleshooter to more of a
Speaker 1: proactive architect of resilient digital infrastructure. Something for you to mull.
Speaker 2: Over, definitely something to think about.
Speaker 1: We hope this deep dive has given you plenty to
Speaker 1: consider and maybe a clearer path forward for your own
Speaker 1: learning journey.