Announcing Windows Server 2019 Preview Build 17623
Hello Windows Insiders! Today we are pleased to release the first build of the Windows Server 2019, our next Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release that contains both the Desktop Experience as well as Server Core in all 18 server languages, as well as the first build of the next Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel release. What’s New in Windows Server 2019 Build 17623 For every preview release, we will provide a focus area that we would like you to take a look at and provide us with feedback on. We encourage you to try out any functionality in the release and we welcome your feedback. Validation for every preview: There are two major areas that we would like you to try out in each preview release and report back any issues: In-place OS Upgrade (from Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016) Application compatibility – please let us know if any server roles or applications stops working or fails to function as it used to Extending your Clusters with Cluster Sets “Cluster Sets” is the new cloud scale-out technology in this Preview release that increases cluster node count in a single SDDC (Software-Defined Data Center) cloud by orders of magnitude. A Cluster Set is a loosely-coupled grouping of multiple Failover Clusters: compute, storage or hyper-converged. Cluster Sets technology enables virtual machine fluidity across member clusters within a Cluster Set and a unified storage namespace across the "set" in support of virtual machine fluidity. While preserving existing Failover Cluster management experiences on member clusters, a Cluster Set instance additionally offers key use cases around lifecycle management of a Cluster Set at the aggregate. Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection We provide deep platform sensors and response actions, providing visibility to memory and kernel level attacker activities and abilities to take actions on compromised machines in response to incidents such as remote collection of additional forensic data, remediating malicious files, terminating malicious processes etc. If you’re already using Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), preview these features by simply installing the latest preview build of Windows Server, and onboard it to Windows Defender ATP. Otherwise, sign up for the Windows Defender ATP trial on Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection. Windows Defender ATP Exploit Guard Windows Defender ATP Exploit Guard is a new set of host intrusion prevention capabilities. The four components of Windows Defender Exploit Guard are designed to lock down the device against a wide variety of attack vectors and block behaviors commonly used in malware attacks, while enabling enterprises to balance their security risk and productivity requirements. Attack Surface Reduction (ASR): A set of controls that enterprises can enable to prevent malware from getting on the machine by blocking suspicious malicious files (e.g.: Office docs), scripts, lateral movement, ransomware behavior, and email-based threats Network protection: Protects the endpoint against web-based threats by blocking any outbound process on the device to untrusted hosts/IP through Windows Defender SmartScreen Controlled folder access: Protects sensitive data from ransomware by blocking untrusted processes from accessing your protected folders Exploit protection: A set of vulnerability exploit mitigations (replacing EMET) that can be easily configured to protect your system and applications To deploy a default set of Exploit Guard policy on Windows Server, you can run the following cmdlets: Set-MpPreference -EnableControlledFolderAccess Enabled Set-MpPreference -EnableNetworkProtection Enabled Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids 75668C1F-73B5-4CF0-BB93-3ECF5CB7CC84 -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions Enabled Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids 3B576869-A4EC-4529-8536-B80A7769E899 -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions Enabled Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids D4F940AB-401B-4EfC-AADC-AD5F3C50688A -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions Enabled Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids D3E037E1-3EB8-44C8-A917-57927947596D -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions Enabled Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids 5BEB7EFE-FD9A-4556-801D-275E5FFC04CC -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions Enabled Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids BE9BA2D9-53EA-4CDC-84E5-9B1EEEE46550 -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions Enabled Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids 92E97FA1-2EDF-4476-BDD6-9DD0B4DDDC7B -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions Enabled Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids D1E49AAC-8F56-4280-B9BA-993A6D77406C -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions Disabled Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids 01443614-cd74-433a-b99e-2ecdc07bfc25 -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions Enabled $url = 'https://demo.wd.microsoft.com/Content/ProcessMitigation.xml' Invoke-WebRequest $url -OutFile ProcessMitigation.xml Write-Host "Enabling Exploit Protection" Set-ProcessMitigation -PolicyFilePath ProcessMitigation.xml Windows Defender Application Control Windows Defender Application Control—also known as Code Integrity (CI) policy—was released in Windows Server 2016. Customer feedback has suggested that it is a great concept, but hard to deploy. To address this, we are building default CI policies, which will allow all Windows in-box files and Microsoft applications, such as SQL Server, and block known executables that can bypass CI. The package contains an audit version and an enforced version. If the server doesn’t require additional drivers/applications, you can deploy the enforced version. Otherwise, you can use the audit policy, check uncovered executables, and then merge them into the default CI policy. To deploy the default code integrity policy, run the following commands: Copy-Item C:\CI\ServerDefault-EnforcedCI.bin C:\Windows\System32\CodeIntegrity\SiPolicy.p7b Reboot the server to allow code integrity service to load the policy. Failover Cluster removing use of NTLM authentication Windows Server Failover Clusters no longer use NTLM authentication by exclusively using Kerberos and certificate based authentication. There are no changes required by the user, or deployment tools, to take advantage of this security enhancement. It also allows failover clusters to be deployed in environments where NTLM has been disabled. Shielded virtual machines: Offline mode, VMConnect and Shielded Linux support You can now run shielded virtual machines on machines with intermittent connectivity to the Host Guardian Service by leveraging the new fallback HGS and offline mode features. Fallback HGS allows you to configure a second set of URLs for Hyper-V to try if it can’t reach your primary HGS server. To see how this can be used in a branch-office scenario, see Improved branch office support for shielded VMs in Windows Server, version 1709 on our blog. Offline mode allows you to continue to start up your shielded VMs, even if HGS can’t be reached, as long as the VM has started successfully once, and the host’s security configuration has not changed. (To enable offline mode, run the following command on the Host Guardian Service: Set-HgsKeyProtectionConfiguration –AllowKeyMaterialCaching.) We’ve also made it easier to troubleshoot your shielded virtual machines by enabling support for VMConnect Enhanced Session Mode and PowerShell Direct. These tools are particularly useful if you’ve lost network connectivity to your VM and need to update its configuration to restore access. These features do not need to be configured, and they will automatically become available when a shielded VM is placed on a Hyper-V host running build 17040 or later. For customers who run mixed-OS environments, we now support running Ubuntu, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server inside shielded virtual machines. Try it out—Create a Linux shielded VM template disk—and send us your feedback in the Feedback Hub. Encrypted Network in SDN Network traffic going out from a VM host can be snooped on and/or manipulated by anyone with access to the physical fabric. While shielded VMs protect VM data from theft and manipulation, similar protection is required for network traffic to and from a VM. While the tenant can setup protection such as IPSEC, this is difficult due to configuration complexity and heterogeneous environments. Encrypted Networks is a feature which provides simple to configure DTLS-based encryption using the Network Controller to manage the end-to-end encryption and protect data as it travels through the wires and network devices between the hosts It is configured by the Administrator on a per-subnet basis. This enables the VM to VM traffic within the VM subnet to be automatically encrypted as it leaves the host and prevents snooping and manipulation of traffic on the wire. This is done without requiring any configuration changes in the VMs themselves. Try it out—Configure Encryption for a Virtual Subnet—and send us your feedback in the Feedback Hub. Software Defined Datacenter If you are using Storage Spaces Direct, take a look at performance history for Storage Spaces Direct. Performance history for Storage Spaces Direct Administrators of Storage Spaces Direct can now get easy access to historical performance and capacity data from their cluster. Did CPU usage spike last night? When did this drive become slow? Which virtual machine used the most memory last month? Is network activity trending up or down? The cluster is pushing 1,000,000 IOPS – is that my new record? Previously, you’d need external tooling to answer these questions. No more! Previously, you’d need external tooling to answer these questions. No more! Beautiful new charts in Project Honolulu (and new PowerShell cmdlets, for those so inclined) empower you to answer these questions. There’s nothing to install, configure, or start – it’s built-in and always-on. Learn more at https://aka.ms/clusterperformancehistory. Available Content Windows Server 2019 Build 17623 is available in ISO format in 18 languages. This build and all future pre-release builds will require use of activation keys during setup. The following keys allow for unlimited activations: Datacenter Edition 6XBNX-4JQGW-QX6QG-74P76-72V67 Standard Edition MFY9F-XBN2F-TYFMP-CCV49-RMYVH Windows Server vNext Semi-Annual Build 17623 The Server Core Edition is available in English only, in ISO or VHDX format. The images are pre-keyed - no need to enter a key during setup. Symbols are available on the public symbol server – see Update on Microsoft’s Symbol Server blog post and Using the Microsoft Symbol Server. As before, matching Windows Server container images will be available via Docker Hub. For more information about Windows Server containers and Insider builds, click here. This build will expire July 2nd, 2018 How to Download To obtain the Insider software downloads, registered Insiders may navigate directly to the Windows Server Insider Preview download page. If you have not yet registered as an Insider, see GETTING STARTED WITH SERVER on the Windows Insiders for Business portal. It's all about your feedback! The most important part of a frequent release cycle is to hear what’s working and what needs to be improved, so your feedback is extremely valued. Use your registered Windows 10 Insider device and use the Feedback Hub application. In the app, choose the Server category and then the appropriate subcategory for your feedback. Please indicate what build number you are providing feedback on. We also encourage you to visit the Windows Server Insiders space on the Microsoft Tech Communities forum to collaborate, share and learn from experts. Known issues In‑place OS upgrade: Domain Controllers. During an in-place OS upgrade, Active Directory (AD) Domain Controllers (DC) might not be upgraded correctly. So, back up any AD DCs before performing an in-place OS upgrade. Editing or creating policies for AppLocker can cause the MMC snap-in to crash when generated rules for a packaged app. After upgrading the operating system, the AppX database may have corrupted entries, which causes problems for components that use those entries. Testing of the Windows core may fail because of a timeout while attempting to load the test libraries Terms of Use All pre-release software made available to you via the Windows Server Insider program are governed by the Insider Terms of Use, which takes precedence over any license agreement that may be in the product.
Announcing Windows Server Preview Build 26280
Announcing Windows Server Preview Build 26280 Hello Windows Server Insiders! Today we are pleased to release a new build of the next Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) Preview that contains both the Desktop Experience and Server Core installation options for Datacenter and Standard editions, Annual Channel for Container Host and Azure Edition (for VM evaluation only). Branding has been updated for the upcoming release, Windows Server 2025, in this preview - when reporting issues please refer to Windows Server 2025 preview. If you signed up for Server Flighting, you should receive this new build automatically. What's New Windows Admin Center (WAC) Beginning with build 26252, Windows Server 2025 preview customers can download and install Windows Admin Center right from the Windows Server Desktop using the in-OS app that takes care of downloading and guides you through the installation process. Note: You must be running a desktop version of Windows Server 2025 Datacenter or Standard preview to access this feature. Windows Server Flighting is here!! If you signed up for Server Flighting, you should receive this new build automatically later today. For more information, see Welcome to Windows Insider flighting on Windows Server - Microsoft Community Hub The new Feedback Hub app is now available for Server Desktop users! The app should automatically update with the latest version, but if it does not, simply Check for updates in the app’s settings tab. Known Issues [NEW] Sysprep unable to generalize images. There is a known issue in build 26280.5000 that prevents images from being generalized via sysprep. The issue is understood and will be fixed in a future release. Flighting: The label for this flight may incorrectly reference Windows 11. However, when selected, the package installed is the Windows Server update. Please ignore the label and proceed with installing your flight. This issue will be addressed in a future release. WinPE - Powershell Scripts: Applying the WinPE-Powershell optional component does not properly install Powershell in WinPE. As a result, Powershell cmdlets will fail. Customers who are dependent on Powershell in WinPE should not use this build. If you are validating upgrades from Windows Server 2019 or 2022, we do not recommend that you use this build as intermittent upgrade failures have been identified for this build. This build has an issue where archiving eventlogs with "wevetutil al" command causes the Windows Event Log service to crash, and the archive operation to fail. The service must be restarted by executing "Start-Service EventLog" from an administrative command line prompt. If you have Secure Launch/DRTM code path enabled, we do not recommend that you install this build. Available Downloads Downloads to certain countries may not be available. See Microsoft suspends new sales in Russia - Microsoft On the Issues. Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel Preview in ISO format in 18 languages, and in VHDX format in English only. Windows Server Datacenter Azure Edition Preview in ISO and VHDX format, English only. Microsoft Server Languages and Optional Features Preview Keys: Keys are valid for preview builds only Server Standard: MFY9F-XBN2F-TYFMP-CCV49-RMYVH Datacenter: 2KNJJ-33Y9H-2GXGX-KMQWH-G6H67 Azure Edition does not accept a key Symbols: Available on the public symbol server – see Using the Microsoft Symbol Server. Expiration: This Windows Server Preview will expire September 15, 2025. How to Download Registered Insiders may navigate directly to the Windows Server Insider Preview download page. If you have not yet registered as an Insider, see GETTING STARTED WITH SERVER on the Windows Insiders for Business portal. We value your feedback! The most important part of the release cycle is to hear what's working and what needs to be improved, so your feedback is extremely valued. Beginning with Insider build 26063, please use the new Feedback Hub app for Windows Server if you are running a Desktop version of Server. If you are using a Core edition, or if you are unable to use the Feedback Hub app, you can use your registered Windows 10 or Windows 11 Insider device and use the Feedback Hub application. In the app, choose the Windows Server category and then the appropriate subcategory for your feedback. In the title of the Feedback, please indicate the build number you are providing feedback on as shown below to ensure that your issue is attributed to the right version: [Server #####] Title of my feedback See Give Feedback on Windows Server via Feedback Hub for specifics. The Windows Server Insiders space on the Microsoft Tech Communities supports preview builds of the next version of Windows Server. Use the forum to collaborate, share and learn from experts. For versions that have been released to general availability in market, try the Windows Server for IT Pro forum or contact Support for Business. Diagnostic and Usage Information Microsoft collects this information over the internet to help keep Windows secure and up to date, troubleshoot problems, and make product improvements. Microsoft server operating systems can be configured to turn diagnostic data off, send Required diagnostic data, or send Optional diagnostic data. During previews, Microsoft asks that you change the default setting to Optional to provide the best automatic feedback and help us improve the final product. Administrators can change the level of information collection through Settings. For details, see http://aka.ms/winserverdata. Also see the Microsoft Privacy Statement. Terms of Use This is pre-release software - it is provided for use "as-is" and is not supported in production environments. Users are responsible for installing any updates that may be made available from Windows Update. All pre-release software made available to you via the Windows Server Insider program is governed by the Insider Terms of Use.Announcing Windows Server Preview Build 25151
Hello Windows Server Insiders! Today we are pleased to release a new build of the next Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) Preview that contains both the Desktop Experience and Server Core installation options for Datacenter and Standard editions. Branding has not yet been updated and remains as Windows Server 2022 in this preview - when reporting issues please refer to "VNext" rather than Windows Server 2022 which is currently in market. We also encourage you to try Windows Server Vnext Datacenter: Azure Edition build 25120 on the Microsoft Server Operating Systems Preview offer on Azure. For additional information, see Preview: Windows Server VNext Datacenter (Azure Edition) for Azure Automanage on Microsoft Docs. What's New Windows Server 2022 containers work on VNext builds Starting with Windows Server 2022, we enabled the ability to run Windows Server 2022 containers on newer host versions with the goal of enabling customers to run Windows Server 2022 containers on the next version of Windows Server. We’d like your help in testing out your Windows Server 2022 container workloads on the latest Windows Server VNext Insider builds. Expanding test coverage to include customer workloads will help us better ensure compatibility across versions prior to the release of the next version of Windows Server. If you encounter any issues, please reach out to the Windows container product team directly. Manage Windows Servers with WAC, ARC, and Automanage – inform popup A new pop-up will display on the desktop after logging onto the server. Its purpose is to help point users to more information on how WAC, ARC, and Automanage work together, or in isolation, to assist with hybrid management of their servers. We'd appreciate feedback on the text itself (is it clear, does it make sense, is it easy to read, does it effectively promote the three major technologies in a sensical, better-together story, etc.) Feedback on the content in the link would also be greatly appreciated, including System Center which is also discussed there. Thank you for evaluating Windows Server! Local Administrator Password Solution Local Administrator Password Solution (aka "LAPS) was announced last week for Windows Insider Preview Build 25145, and is now available in this week’s Windows Server Insider build. You can use the new Windows Server Insider build to try out the new DSRM account password backup feature on an Active Directory domain controller. The legacy Local Administrator Password Solution product (aka “LAPS”) is now a native part of Windows Server and includes many new features: Feature documentation is not yet available, however if you have used the legacy LAPS product then much of the features in this new version will be familiar to you. Here is a short how-to to help you get started on the basic Active Directory domain controller LAPS DSRM scenario: Ensure your Active Directory domain is at Windows Server 2016 Domain Functional Level or higher. Extend your Active Directory schema by running the Update-LapsADSchema cmdlet in the new LAPS PowerShell module. Add the necessary permissions on your domain controller’s OU by running the Set-LapsADComputerSelfPermission cmdlet. Add a new LAPS Group Policy object and enable the “Configure password backup directory” setting and configure it as follows: Set “Configure password backup directory” to “Active Directory”. Set “Enable password encryption” to “Enabled” Set “Enable password backup for DSRM accounts” to “Enabled” The domain controller will process the policy at the next GPO refresh interval. Run “gpupdate /target:computer /force” to avoid waiting. (The Invoke-LapsPolicyProcessing cmdlet may be used for this same purpose.) Once the domain controller has backed up a new password (look for the 10018 event in the event log – see below), run the Get-LapsADPassword cmdlet to retrieve the newly stored DSRM password (by default you must be running as a domain administrator). To get to this new Group Policy, open the Group Policy editor and navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > LAPS. You can retrieve detailed status via the new built-in event logging: Note: the feature is fully functional for Active Directory domain-joined clients and domain controllers, but Azure Active Directory support is limited for now to a small set of Insiders. We will make an announcement once Azure Active Directory support is more broadly available. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Security and Privacy -> Attack Surface Reduction. Available Downloads Downloads to certain countries may not be available. See Microsoft suspends new sales in Russia - Microsoft On the Issues Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel Preview in ISO format in 18 languages, and in VHDX format in English only. Microsoft Server Languages and Optional Features Preview Keys: Keys are valid for preview builds only. Server Standard: MFY9F-XBN2F-TYFMP-CCV49-RMYVH Datacenter: 2KNJJ-33Y9H-2GXGX-KMQWH-G6H67 Symbols: available on the public symbol server – see Using the Microsoft Symbol Server. Expiration: This Windows Server Preview will expire September 15, 2022. How to Download Registered Insiders may navigate directly to the Windows Server Insider Preview download page. If you have not yet registered as an Insider, see GETTING STARTED WITH SERVER on the Windows Insiders for Business portal. We value your feedback! The most important part of the release cycle is to hear what's working and what needs to be improved, so your feedback is extremely valued. For Windows Server, use your registered Windows 10 or Windows 11 Insider device and use the Feedback Hub application. In the app, choose the Windows Server category and then the appropriate subcategory for your feedback. In the title of the Feedback, please indicate the build number you are providing feedback on as shown below to ensure that your issue is attributed to the right version: [Server #####] Title of my feedback See Give Feedback on Windows Server via Feedback Hub for specifics. We also encourage you to visit the Windows Server Insiders space on the Microsoft Tech Communities forum to collaborate, share and learn from experts. The Insider forum supports pre-release builds of the next version of Windows Server. For versions that have been released to general availability in market, try the Windows Server for IT Pro forum or contact Support for Business. Diagnostic and Usage Information Microsoft collects this information over the internet to help keep Windows secure and up to date, troubleshoot problems, and make product improvements. Microsoft server operating systems can be configured to turn diagnostic data off, send Required diagnostic data, or send Optional diagnostic data. During previews, Microsoft asks that you change the default setting to Optional to provide the best automatic feedback and help us improve the final product. Administrators can change the level of information collection through Settings. For details, see http://aka.ms/winserverdata. Also see the Microsoft Privacy Statement. Terms of Use This is pre-release software - it is provided for use "as-is" and is not supported in production environments. Users are responsible for installing any updates that may be made available from Windows Update. All pre-release software made available to you via the Windows Server Insider program is governed by the Insider Terms of Use.
