Windows Server rolling release strategy

[dave_the_nerd]

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/..._updates_plus_stable_and_fastmoving_branches/

Who in the heck would use a "fast moving" Windows Server branch?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah seems like a bad idea.... especially if they decide to do like Windows 10 and force updates and reboots. You can't have servers just randomly updating and rebooting willy nilly. I could totally see MS do that too. I wonder if they will be adding all the telemetry stuff too. Wonder what that would mean for healthcare and HIPAA.

 

[Elixer]

They could rename it Windows 10 Arch.

 

[PliotronX]

Yeah seems like a bad idea.... especially if they decide to do like Windows 10 and force updates and reboots. You can't have servers just randomly updating and rebooting willy nilly. I could totally see MS do that too. I wonder if they will be adding all the telemetry stuff too. Wonder what that would mean for healthcare and HIPAA.

Hate to break it to you but 2016 does in fact update and restart during "inactive" hours.. Easy to disable but yeah... Based on how generally terrible the 10 updates are, it will be fun times coming into work and seeing servers "reverting changes" after a failed update. Microsoft definitely chooses ways to secure jobs but its annoying as all get out.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Hate to break it to you but 2016 does in fact update and restart during "inactive" hours.. Easy to disable but yeah... Based on how generally terrible the 10 updates are, it will be fun times coming into work and seeing servers "reverting changes" after a failed update. Microsoft definitely chooses ways to secure jobs but its annoying as all get out.

Lol wow that's brutally bad. If that does not make companies starting thinking about Linux I don't think anything will. People used to laugh at Novell but maybe it will make a come back but with Linux clients. I think that's basically the premise behind Suse, I just never heard of anyone actually using it.

 

[Micrornd]

Guys, you're making a big thing out of nothing.

The stable branch will continue to receive normal revisions, the same as Servers always have (think Server 2008 > Server2008R2 > Server 2012 > Server 2012R2 > Server 2016) and the semi-annual channel will receive new builds and feature updates to keep up with technology and software advances/changes, as the "normal" Windows 10 channel is doing now (think Redstone 1, Redstone 2, Anniversary Update, Creators Update, etc.)

Twice a year updates can only happen if you specifically sign up for that branch of development, it doesn't happen by default or accident. Twice a year also means they will be more stable than the "fast ring" of Windows 10 and never like daily or weekly builds.
And if you have to sign up, well then you accept that chance of instability compared to the normal release (LTSB) of Server 2016.
You can also switch back and forth between types of updates, if you choose.

The "regular" updates of the stable branch of Server 2016 will continue to be as they are now, up to the administrator as to when or if.
And restarts will continue to be as they are now, when the admin decides they should be. They don't happen at random, unless you've failed to properly set up your server.