The core version of Windows Server 2012 has been enhanced considerably from earlier releases in the number of features it now supports. The primary difference and benefits to the core version of windows is the removal of features utilizing resources other than providing services to the clients. Things like the GUI interface are replaced with a command line, and power shell becomes a key tool for managing the server.
Although the core version now supports .Net frameworks 3.5 and 4.5 and can now host ASP.Net web sites, it does not support SQL Server according to the documentation I have been reading, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj574158.aspx. While this is a disappointment to me, I still find value in the core version, even in an SQL Server environment.
The core version does support running Hyper-V. So, if you are a company that prefers to run your SQL Server installations on top of a virtual machine, the core version of Windows is a good option as the host operating system for your virtual operating systems.
With the continued increase of performance for Intel based servers it is becoming more and more realistic to run virtual machines for even production machines because of the benefits you receive from a virtual machine. Tomorrow we’ll look into that concept further.
Share your Windows Core preferences below or respond by email to btaylor@sswug.org. Get into the conversation.
Cheers,
Ben