So Windows Server Insiders is only the Core Version. How About Next Month the Full Server Is Avail..

[James Gibbons]

We all understand that Microsoft wants everybody to use Server Core and we understand that in production when at all possible we will use Server Core if it is possible, i.e. (all the programs that we need are able to run in Core), however, when we are testing software (NOT in production) it makes sense that the full version is available so that our in house software could be tested with the new product.  Most of our enterprise software does not run on a core box, therefore, it is impossible to test it with the new version of Windows Server Insiders..... Please ask the Server team, I was under the impression that Edge would be added to Windows Server 2016 R2, now it looks like we won't have a browser at all.  Which makes sense if this was for production, once again, this is to test, so it is not being used in production and Server Core (is fun for us I.T. administrators), but it's not fun for anyone else especially developers who have not built their software to run in server core yet.  Thanks....

[#2]

I guess the full version is in Octomber, until then, we have the preview available since then. It is moving faster then WS 2016, that is for sure, and there are some glitches, like explorer.exe restarted about two times. The download is up for grabs and this means Microsoft has listened to their customers, Who stated pretty clearly that the GUI on Windows Server is still necessary, at least on LTSB releases. Flash Player seems present, but the the ways to enable it from WS 2016 do not work. I would be curious if anyone can try installing a scanner on it, WS 2016 had some restrictions on it.

[#3]

Windows Server 2019 preview is now available in the Insiders program, including with a desktop install option.  Learn more here:
https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/windowsserver/2018/03/20/introducing-windows-server-2019-now-availa...

Thanks!
Elden

[#4]

Will the Desktop Experience continue to be supported in Windows Server Insider builds going forward? Or only until Windows Server 2019 actually ships?

[#5]

Unlikely that GUI is just for the betas. There are previews of RDS roles, I do not believe thoose will work without a GUI.

[#6]

Hey folks,

Thanks for the note. We've been watching carefully as the industry changes and transforms to embrace new application models such as containers and others. We've also been listening to you as you adopt the Long Term Servicing Channel and the Semi-Annual Channel releases.

Here's the short answer: The summary is that customer adoption of SAC is almost entirely containers. SAC adoption on hardware was minimal as most people can’t churn their hardware that quickly. For that reason, we pivoted the SAC releases to containers and application innovation since they can easily take a new change, update a container and publish as part of their CI/CD pipeline. Since containers have no GUI, SAC is Server Core and Nano Server. It literally makes no sense to release a SAC build with a GUI. That's why only LTSC includes GUI.

For a detailed explanation, see this blog:
https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/windowsserver/2018/03/29/windows-server-semi-annual-channel-update/

[#7]

Hey Jeff,

Thanks for your explanation - can I suggest another view?

It sounds like you're saying that the majority of deployments for SAC was for a new(ish) use case (containers). I can understand that deployments to physical hardware would be slow - that would probably follow a buying cycle.

Doesn't your conclusion ignore the number of customers who deploy to virtual machines? That's got to be a very significant opportunity group. They aren't constrained by a buying cycle and yet you've noted that they didn't deploy in significant numbers.

Isn't it possible that you didn't see significant take-up amongst your installed base because they aren't drawn by the feature set of SAC? Isn't it possible that the lack of GUI constrains the appeal across your (presumably enormous) installed base?

For myself, if SAC included the desktop experience and RDS we'd have deployed it by now. I wouldn't want you to think we simply move too slowly to make use of SAC and therefore we can be safely disregarded.

RDS on Window Server 2016 has issues and we're having to wait 2 years to move them forward. If I could get progress on that earlier I'd be overjoyed. For that reason it 'literally makes a lot of sense to include the GUI' on SAC.