Windows Server 2022: What's new?

After around three years of development, Microsoft released Windows Server 2022, the tenth release of its operating system to date, on 18 August 2021. Compared with earlier versions, the update introduces numerous innovations that, among other things, extend functionality and improve security. Beyond these important arguments, there are further reasons to switch to or use the new generation Microsoft Windows Server 2022: these include, for example, provision of updates via Mainstream Support and the Azure Edition with native support for hosting and management of virtual machines in the cloud.

What are the most important new features of Windows Server 2022?

Although Microsoft also equips its operating systems with new features via regular updates, major and potentially fundamental changes usually occur only with a version jump. There are several reasons for this approach — two of the decisive ones being stability and a uniform base configuration as well as setup during installation of the operating system (OS). In line with this strategy, Microsoft Windows Server 2022 contains significant new features from which users benefit even if they do not use the new functions. Some of the most important features of the update to Windows Server 2022 include:

• Activation of secure connections via HTTPS and SSL certificates with TLS 1.3 as standard
• Improved Admin Centre with more security features and other enhancements
• Faster Server Response Time (SRT) through optimised transmission using TCP and UDP protocols
• Higher speed for checking, repairing or synchronising storage media
• More efficient compression for Server Message Block (SMB) and other network protocols
• Integration of Secure DNS via DNS-over-HTTPS for secure communication with nameservers
• Support for AES 256-bit encryption for SMB
• New methods for compressing data during storage replication between source and target servers

Many of the enhancements in Windows Server 2022 are not immediately visible because they operate at a technical level and introduce new security standards or optimise the performance of hardware, protocols and communication. However, they have a measurable effect on performance and notably improve it under heavy load.

What other reasons speak in favour of Microsoft Windows Server 2022?

In general, Windows Server 2022 offers users numerous advantages and more features compared with earlier versions: if you have the choice between different editions when taking out a new contract, you should always choose the latest one. For production systems and contract renewals, however, whether an upgrade from an older Microsoft Server OS to a newer one is worthwhile depends on the individual situation. The decision must take into account a number of factors, to which, depending on the starting point, a higher or lower priority should be assigned:

• Costs charged by the provider for migration and support when updating
• Use for commercial, public or private purposes
• Integration of new standards and technologies for improved performance and security
• Amount of in‑house work and time required for an update in production systems
• Coordination with other steps - for example, a server migration on a fixed date
• Estimated duration of a project over a predictable or open‑ended period

In general, switching is worthwhile for any servers used commercially or for business in the long term, provided it does not result in clearly disproportionate costs, working hours or downtime of an important website. A key reason for this is that the change will become unavoidable at some point, because Microsoft retains Mainstream Support for Windows Server 2019 only until early 2024 and discontinues the paid Extended Support five years later. For long‑term use, Windows Server 2022 is among the versions with Long Term Support (LTS), which the company guarantees until at least the end of 2026.

What hardware requirements does Windows Server 2022 have?

With Microsoft Windows Server 2022 users can choose between two different editions that have different hardware requirements. The first is Server Core, which contains the basic operating system without a graphical user interface. It requires at least an Intel or AMD processor with a clock speed of 1.40 GHz or higher, a network connection with a minimum of 1 Gigabit bandwidth and 512 MB RAM. The requirements increase to 2 GB or more of RAM when the full operating system including a graphical user interface (GUI) is to be installed in one of the Desktop editions.

The choice also affects the required storage on the boot medium - the Server Core editions need at least 32 GB free, while the Desktop variant requires 36 GB on the drive. Like Windows 11 released at the end of 2021, Windows Server 2022 also requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) compatible with the 2.0 standard, which is used for the encryption and verification of data. For security reasons, installation without a TPM or with older 1.x specification chips is only possible via workarounds and requires physical access to the server and the use of a monitor to change critical parameters during setup.

Which editions of Windows Server 2022 does Microsoft offer?

Microsoft offers its customers a total of four different editions optimised for specific environments or purposes. They include:

• Essential with a limited number of users and end devices
• Standard with support for up to two virtual machines under a Hyper‑V host
• Datacenter for complex networks, virtualised data centres or cloud hosting
• Azure Datacenter for integration with the Microsoft Azure platform

All versions also allow the choice between Server Core and the Desktop Edition. The latter primarily offers advantages when there is physical access to the hardware and the server has a screen and input devices. Use on remote machines is also possible and permits the use of remote administration tools such as Virtual Network Computing (VNC) software - however, it does not necessarily provide practical advantages for configuration.

Who should upgrade to Windows Server 2022?

When entering into a new contract (for example for Windows Web hosting), most web hosts only offer the current version of Windows Server. It may be different, however, for virtual servers within an existing system - here the upgrade can be associated with technical difficulties that prevent a rapid update to Windows Server 2022. Another reason for some companies is the protection of existing setups. As a rule, the update generally causes no problems and services such as the IIS web server for a website remain continuously available - however, this cannot be guaranteed for all configurations.

In principle, updating to Windows Server 2022 is worthwhile for all users, because the new features specifically enhance the security of IT infrastructures. In most cases an upgrade will in any event become unavoidable at the latest when Mainstream Support ends in 2024. The only exceptions are short‑term projects that can be completed within a few months or are connected exclusively via an intranet so that no external access is possible. In these cases older versions can also be used if no new features are required and upgrading would lead to additional costs or significant effort.

Our article is based on our own experience and research, and on information from external sources.

Sources & further links on the topic:

https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/windows-server (Official Microsoft website)