Windows Server 2012
| Windows Server 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Version of the Windows NT operating system | |
Screenshot of Windows Server 2012, showing the Server Manager application which is automatically opened when an administrator logs on, taskbar, and the blue color of Aero Lite | |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| OS family | Windows Server |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model |
|
| Released to manufacturing | August 1, 2012[1] |
| General availability | September 4, 2012 |
| Latest release | September 2025 monthly update rollup (6.2.9200.25675) / September 9, 2025[2] |
| Marketing target | Business |
| Update method | Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services, SCCM |
| Supported platforms | x86-64 |
| Kernel type | Hybrid (Windows NT kernel) |
| Default user interface | Windows shell (GUI) |
| License | Commercial proprietary software |
| Preceded by | Windows Server 2008 R2 (2009) |
| Succeeded by | Windows Server 2012 R2 (2013) |
| Official website | Windows Server 2012 (archived at Wayback Machine) |
| Support status | |
| Part of a series of articles on |
| Windows 8 |
|---|
|
| Siblings |
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| Related |
Windows Server 2012, codenamed "Windows Server 8", is the ninth major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It is the server version of Windows based on Windows 8 and succeeds the Windows 7-based Windows Server 2008 R2, released nearly three years earlier. Three, pre-release versions, a developer preview, a beta version and a release candidate, were released during development. The software was officially launched on September 4, 2012, which was the month before the release of Windows 8.[4] It was succeeded by Windows Server 2012 R2 . Mainstream support ended on October 9, 2018, and extended support ended on October 10, 2023. It is eligible for the paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, which offers continued security updates until October 13, 2026.
It removed support for Itanium and processors without PAE, SSE2 and NX.[5] Four editions were released. Various features were added or improved over Windows Server 2008 R2 (with many placing an emphasis on cloud computing), such as an updated version of Hyper-V, an IP address management role, a new version of Windows Task Manager, and ReFS, a new file system. Windows Server 2012 received generally good reviews in spite of having included the same controversial Metro-based user interface seen in Windows 8, which includes the Charms Bar for quick access to settings in the desktop environment.
It is the final version of Windows Server that supports processors without CMPXCHG16b, PrefetchW, LAHF and SAHF.
As of April 2017, 35% of servers were running Windows Server 2012, surpassing usage share of Windows Server 2008.[6]
- ^ http://blogs.technet.com/b/windowsserver/archive/2012/08/01/windows-server-2012-released-to-manufacturing.aspx
- ^ "September 9, 2025—KB5065509 (Monthly Rollup)". support.microsoft.com.
- ^ a b "Microsoft Product Lifecycle". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. January 2012. Archived from the original on February 27, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
- ^ Snover, Jeffrey (August 1, 2012). "Windows Server 2012 released to manufacturing!". Windows Server Blog. Microsoft. TechNet blogs. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
- ^ Foley, Mary Jo (April 5, 2010). "Microsoft pulls the plug on future Itanium support". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 12, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ "Windows Server 2012 approximately equal to Windows Server 2008". SmartProfile. August 25, 2017.