When will Essentials Role/SKU be added to 2019 Insider Preview flights?

[Deleted]

Is there any expected timeline for when the Essentials Role (and Essentials SKU) will be included in the Windows Server 2019 Insider Preview flights? Very keen to start to understand what has been changed, fixed and/or improved in this aspect of the server platform - and to make sure that some fixes needed to Essentials have come through in 2019.

[#2]

Just seen the announcement about the Essentials SKU and apparent removal of the Essentials Role https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/windowsserver/2018/09/05/windows-server-2019-essentials-update/. Although I can understand much of the rationale here, the removal (if my assumptions are correct) of the excellent Client Backup capability which is both very fast and network efficient for image backups and space-efficient on the server is a major loss for the smaller SMEs and larger Home users. It would be really good if this capability could be separated out as a new role for Server 2019, allowing those using this to move to the latest server with all of its advantages without losing the Client Backup capability.

[#3]

Indeed Andrew; With the removal of the client backup feature this product has no benefit to my SME client's and will be dismissed for a third party utility which we are now exploring.

The only hope is that it ("Essentials Experience") could be added as an independent role for what was an excellent operating system with a broad scope of features in the 2016 Essentials incarnation.

[#4]

Some extracts from the feedback from the community on this announcement as posted over at https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/windowsserver/2018/09/05/windows-server-2019-essentials-update/ showing a depth of feeling around this decision:

1. I use cloud services for most tasks now, but there is one thing where there isn’t a viable alternative yet: Client Backup. This is nicely solved with Essentials Client Backup (in combination with Storage Spaces). Will this be still supported in Windows Server 2019 Essentials? And will it still be possible to use the Client Backup on a Windows Server 2019 Standard Edition by installing Essential tooling? And what will be the solution for client backups in the future when all Essential Edition features are likely to be deprecated in future Windows Server versions?

2. With the release of Server 2019 Essentials, the end of an era has been reached. Gone are the wizards and tools designed for the small business owner.

   * Gone is the Remote Web Access feature.

   * Gone is the Essentials Connector.

   * Gone is Client PC Backup.

   * Gone is Office 365 Integration.

   * Gone, is the Dashboard.

   * Gone, indeed, is the Essentials Role.

   All that remains of Essentials, is the name Essentials and the licensing limits of the Essentials SKU, of 25 client access licenses. What we are presented with, is now more in line with Windows foundation server from several years ago. The first (and last) non-essential Essentials release. Way to go Microsoft!

[#5]

Wheeew, that is a hard cut.
I loved to recommend Microsoft Servers since the Windows Home Server Editions for small business users and families with greater IT needs as usual.
When MS killed its own super child for families, as known as "Windows Home Server", I moved on to the Essentials Edition. More money for MS but less comfort for me and all other ones I recommend the WHS, but in the end most of them migrated to the WSE. The main feature heavily used was and is the superb Client-Backup. It was and is super reliable and worked more as dozend times as a lifesaver.
So now MS is killing the last child for families with greater IT needs. Well, it seems it is time to say goodbye to the servers for home usage.
Whoever decided to get rid off the best features for selecting a solution like WSE, don't know what he did. This game is really over. WSE 2019 makes no sense for me and mostly all other peoples and families I recommended MS servers for their needs. All writings and argueing reminds me how the end of the WHS-Editions were announced. Anyone else here remembering the good old times of WHS and the stripped down WHS 2011? How they pushed us to the WSE2016 and now they taking the best features from the WSE2019. I can't believe that MS is doing this. Cloud is not everything! Many people don't want their data in the cloud, especially families. Some of them want things to be private and to be secured in their home. I still hope that MS makes a turn back. Hope will never die, even when you know there is no hope.
Sad days for me and all who selected WSE2012/2016 for the reliable Client-Backup. The Essential Experience for Standard Servers is also retired. So there is no need to buy an overpriced server for home-usage. Well done guys at Microsoft, well done. Maybe there is some hope? Please!

For questions regarding another reliable Client-Backup Solution. I tried the Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows. Well it is FREE and works like a charm.
https://www.veeam.com/windows-endpoint-server-backup-free.html
Maybe this information helps some other guys, in their search for another client-backup solution.

With sad regards from Germany
Uwe