Microsoft already committed to twice a year Windows 10 and Office releases, but the company is now taking an additional step of moving Windows Server to a semi-annual release schedule. The move will allow for Microsoft to use the full power of new innovations, and bring Windows Sever customers new features faster (via TechCrunch.)
This new release cycle will also include System Center and Server Core. In addition, Window Sever Standard, and Datacenter customers who are included in the Microsoft Software Assurance program will also be impacted by the new release cycle, having access to the Channel releases as they are made available. Those without these subscriptions will not automatically get the semi annual releases. Customers will also be able to also access these new Windows Server images in Azure or other cloud and hosting environments.
In other news, Microsoft also announced that infrastructure-related roles will be removed from Nano Server. Though still investing in Nano Server, the company mentions that customers will “see the Nano Server images shrink in size by more than 50 percent, further decreasing startup times and improving container density.” Customers who used infrastructure-related roles are being urged to deploy the Server Core installation option ahead of the change.
You can read the full in depth details of these changes by visiting the Microsoft Technet blog.
