Windows Server 2025 has officially made its debut, bringing with it a host of significant changes aimed at enhancing the experience for system administrators. Among the most noteworthy updates are enhancements to Active Directory Domain Services, which now features a larger database page size of 32k, a substantial increase from the previous 8k limit established in Windows 2000. This improvement is expected to alleviate some of the scalability constraints that administrators have faced.
Key Updates and Changes
The latest iteration of Windows Server, succeeding the 2022 version, is available in several editions: Standard, Datacenter, and Datacenter: Azure. Originally referred to as Windows Server vNext, it was rebranded to Windows Server 2025 in January 2024. For organizations still operating on earlier versions, upgrades are possible from as far back as Windows Server 2012 R2.
In addition to the Active Directory enhancements, Windows Server 2025 introduces a variety of updates across networking and security. Notable changes include:
- Modifications to Software Defined Networking (SDN)
- Enhanced security protocols for Server Message Block (SMB)
- Improvements in virtualization capabilities
However, with progress comes the inevitable farewell to some familiar features. Administrators will need to bid adieu to WordPad, with Microsoft suggesting alternatives like Word or Notepad. The SMTP service has also been retired, and the IIS 6 management console is no longer supported. Furthermore, the removal of the Windows PowerShell 2.0 engine necessitates a migration to PowerShell 5 or later.
Several features have been placed on notice, indicating they will no longer receive development support. These include:
- All versions of NTLM
- The Computer Browser driver and service
- VBScript
On the hardware front, Windows Server 2025 is compatible with nearly any 64-bit processor that operates at a minimum of 1.4 GHz and supports the x64 instruction set. Additional requirements include support for the POPCNT instruction and the SSE4.2 instruction set. Secure boot and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) are only necessary for certain features.
As with any new release, Windows Server 2025 does come with its share of known issues. These range from minor inconveniences, such as English text appearing during installation in non-English environments, to more serious concerns like a “boot device inaccessible” error in some iSCSI setups. There may also be complications when running on servers equipped with 256 or more logical processors. However, given the cautious nature of most administrators, it is likely they will thoroughly evaluate the new release before integrating it into production workloads.
For those still utilizing Windows Server 2022, rest assured that it will remain under mainstream support until October 13, 2026. Meanwhile, Windows Server 2025 is set to receive mainstream support until October 9, 2029, followed by extended support lasting until October 10, 2034.
