Windows 2012

[Chewy509]

Just did my first Windows 2012 installation today, and to be honest, I'm not too sure how to describe the experience.

Firstly, joining the domain and promoting it as a DC seemed way too cumbersome, and some operations seemed to take a long time (but the latter could be a result of ESX not playing nice). Installation of WSUS on it was straight forward, but having to modify the GPO later seemed like a missed step as the old WSUS server was retired. (The old WSUS server was taken offline, the old GPO for WSUS remained, and when the new WSUS server was brought online, seeing existing GPO related to WSUS, failed to update the GPO with the new server location).

Overall, an easy experience and in some ways the new server management interface was easy to get around, but having to rely on some of the older tools to get things done (like editing a GPO) seemed like a step backward, no actually similar to the split personality one feels in Win 8 when switching between Metro (or what-ever it's called) and the old desktop interface.

(The server was a secondary DC, WSUS host, AV management host and backup host).

 

[CougTek]

I'l soon fully experience the joy of configuring a bunch of Windows Server 2012 R2 and migrating older Server version to it (among which one Server 2000). I've played with it a little so far, but since it wasn't to be the production installation, I haven't taken too much time on it yet.

I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

 

[Mercutio]

There's quite a lot of "moving shit around just to move it around" in Server 2012, but some tasks are definitely streamlined for new releases vs. old, like setting up VDI, sometihng that was absolutely horrific on Server 2008.