Microsoft has released Foundation Server 2012. Like Server 2008 R2 it is advertised with the exact same features.Except they do not work as advertised.Foundation server is meant for a small business, very small. 15 user limit, usually sold on single socket E3 or even i5 based hardware. Its perfect for a very small office.Remote Desktop Services was never recommended to be installed on a Domain Controller, but it did work, and it was only a recommendation. For a small office of 2-3 people Foundation was perfect with RDS for remote access to an app or two.Server 2012 is advertised IDENTICALLY to 2008 R2 except now you cannot install RDS on a DC at all. This is all well and good for Server 2012 Standard or Essentials since they come with Hyper-V and a 2 instance license.Foundation does not. So why offer a product with RDS that cannot use RDS?Who is going to buy 2 Foundation servers just so they can run RDS?
If your spending that much money buy a regular Windows server license and 1 server.Of course there are no more Foundation 2008 R2 servers, nor are there downgrade rights since it is sold only with bundled hardware. Once the hardware was sold out so was the licensing.The wheel is going to get very squeaky tomorrow when I call MS.
There are a couple other gems in Foundation 2012 as well. When you install the Routing and Remote Access Role, it practically pleads with you to install DirectAccess. It doesn't alert you until after the fact that a DA server cannot be the Domain Controller as well. Since Foundation has to be the root of any forest, you would have to buy another full Server license (and another machine since you can't virtualize) to be the DA server attached to the Foundation DC. On my install, it wouldn't get rid of the DA role after I installed it and had to reinstall everything to get the settings right.Still, I can't complain too much since Microcenter hooked me up with a seemingly capable i5 server with Foundation preinstalled for only $100 more than the cost of a full Server 2012 license.
Plus we don't need ten more CALs when we make it to 15 users. Dkreym wrote:You are incorrect about Server 2012 Foundation DC's not being able to install RDS.But, a slightly different question. Why do you need RDS in a less than 15 user environment?I would not call taking a brand new OS, completely untested for the most part, and applying something like that a production solution.BTW I tried it and SQL Management Studio Express crashes on install:)As far as why do I want RDS in a small user environment. Not so much RDS as Remote App. Single owner/user.
She runs a fairly successful internet sales operation. Server is in her home, her warehouse she wants to run QB Enterprise on a tablet. Remote App is perfect for that. No VPN or anything else, tablet is a direct LTE connection and it works great without all the other hassles.I found a Win2K8R2 Foundation server still in stock, ordered that and sold the 2012 Foundation server to another customer this morning. Why would you want to have users logging on to a domain controller to run applications anyway?That's a potential security risk.It's not like Windows 2012 standard is that expensive compared to foundation OEM, buy an open license for standard which you can move on to new hardware without needing to repurchase in the long term that's the same cost or cheaper than what foundation costs figuring you won't need to buy a new OS for 10 years.then you have virtualization rights for two instances to do it right and have a separate terminal server + DC as well. First the Management Studio install is a known problem on 2012.
Nice dig but we've been dealing with SQL development for a long long time.Second QuickBooks Online is a far cry from QuickBooks Enterprise for manufacturing.Lastly, the user is not logging into the domain controller. They are running Remote App. This is a single user business. The owner is the only user. We just needed a way to get QB Enterprise served out across the internet for her remote warehouses. There is zero point in setting up two servers for something that is advertised to work in a single product.After a bunch of run around, even though it is not published anywhere, there are downgrade rights. They are not published anywhere, no one at Microsoft knew, but Lenovo just told me this afternoon they do have them.
I can go back to 2008R2. I found that you can get every feature in question running on a Domain Controller with Foundation.
Just install the RDS or other features that complain about running on a DC in advance of promoting the server (there are other links out there about this). My bigger complaints are about the implied 15 RDP client licenses with Foundation. My biggest complaint is that there is M$ left out the WSUS server role on this and Essentials. They came out with a Hotfix for Essentials, that loads on Foundation, but I haven't yet figured out how to get working.
Windows Server 2016 Download
Dell and Microsoft are now delivering global-scale cloud services to your customers' infrastructures with Windows Server 2012 R2 features and enhancements in virtualization; management; storage; networking; virtual desktop infrastructure; access and information protection; web and application platforms; and more. With Windows Server 2012 R2 pre-installed.
Windows Server 2012 Foundation Download
on the highest performing, most innovative Dell™ PowerEdge™ servers ever, you can provide your customers with enterprise-class data center and hybrid cloud solutions that are simple to deploy, cost-effective, application-focused and user-centric. Get the competitive advantage you need to address your customers' needs, while providing unprecedented performance and value. Windows Server 2012 R2 not currently available on Dell PowerEdge VRTXBuild a better solution for your customers and increase your profit with Dell Software Solutions.Demonstrate your expertise by offering a better, more complete solution of hardware, software and services. Dell Software Group offers Windows migration and management tools that can help your customers seamlessly prepare for the move to Windows Server 2012 R2, migrate content efficiently, and effectively secure and manage their new environment.