10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2012

Here are 10 reasons to give serious consideration to upgrading to Server 2012 sooner rather than later.

1: Freedom of interface choice

A Server Core installation provides security and performance advantages, but in the past, you had to make a commitment: If you installed Server Core, you were stuck in the “dark place” with only the command line as your interface. Windows Server 2012 changes all that. Now we have choices.
The truth that Microsoft realized is that the command line is great for some tasks and the graphical interface is preferable for others. Server 2012 makes the GUI a “feature” — one that can be turned on and off at will. You do it through the Remove Roles Or Features option in Server Manager.

2: Server Manager

Speaking of Server Manager (Figure A), even many of those who dislike the new tile-based interface overall have admitted that the design’s implementation in the new Server Manager is excellent.

Figure A

Server Manager

One of the nicest things about the new Server Manager is the multi-server capabilities, which makes it easy to deploy roles and features remotely to physical and virtual servers. It’s easy to create a server group — a collection of servers that can be managed together. The remote administration improvements let you provision servers without having to make an RDP connection.

3: SMB 3.0

The Server Message Block (SMB) protocol has been significantly improved in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8. The new version of SMB supports new file server features, such as SMB transparent failover , SMB Scale Out, SMB Multichannel, SMB Direct, SMB encryption, VSS for SMB file sharing, SMB directory leasing, and SMB PowerShell. That’s a lot of bang for the buck. It works beautifully with Hyper-V, so that VHD files and virtual machine configuration files can be hosted on SMB 3.0 shares. A SQL system database can be stored on an SMB share, as well, with improvements to performance. 

4: Dynamic Access Control (DAC)

Even though some say Microsoft has shifted the focus away from security in recent years, it would be more accurate to say it has shifted the focus from separate security products to a more “baked in” approach of integrating security into every part of the operating system.
Dynamic Access Control is one such example, helping IT pros create more centralized security models for access to network resources by tagging sensitive data both manually and automatically, based on factors such as the file content or the creator. Then claims based access controls can be applied. 

5: Storage Spaces

Storage is a hot — and complex — topic in the IT world these days. Despite the idea that we’re all going to be storing everything in the public cloud one day, that day is a long way off (and for many organizations concerned about security and reliability, it may never happen). There are myriad solutions for storing data on your network in a way that provides better utilization of storage resources, centralized management, and better scalability, along with security and reliability. Storage area networks (SANs) and network attached storage (NAS) do that, but they can be expensive and difficult to set up.
Storage Spaces is a new feature in Server 2012 that lets you use inexpensive hard drives to create a storage pool, which can then be divided into spaces that are used like physical disks. They can include hot standby drives and use redundancy methods such as 2- or 3-way mirroring or parity. You can add new disks any time, and a space can be larger than the physical capacity of the pool. When you add new drives, the space automatically uses the extra capacity. 

6: Hyper-V Replica

Virtualization is the name of the game in the server world these days, and Hyper-V is Microsoft’s answer to VMware. Although the latter had a big head start, Microsoft’s virtualization platform has been working hard at catching up, and many IT pros now believe it has surpassed its rival in many key areas. With each iteration, the Windows hypervisor gets a little better, and Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 brings a number of new features to the table. One of the most interesting is Hyper-V Replica.
This is a replication mechanism that will be a disaster recovery godsend to SMBs that may not be able to deploy complex and costly replication solutions. It logs changes to the disks in a VM and uses compression to save on bandwidth, replicating from a primary server to a replica server. You can store multiple snapshots of a VM on the replica server and then select the one you want to use. It works with both standalone hosts and clusters in any combination (standalone to standalone, cluster to cluster, standalone to cluster or cluster to standalone).

7: Improvements to VDI

Windows Terminal Services has come a long way, baby, since I first met it in Windows NT TS Edition. Renamed Remote Desktop Services, it has expanded to encompass much more than the ability to RDP into the desktop of a remote machine. Microsoft offered a centralized Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution in Windows Server 2008 R2, but it was still a little rough around the edges. Significant improvements have been made in Server 2012.
You no longer need a dedicated GPU graphics card in the server to use RemoteFX, which vastly improves the quality of graphics over RDP. Instead, you can use a virtualized GPU on standard server hardware. USB over RDP is much better, and the Fair Share feature can manage how CPU, memory, disk space, and bandwidth are allocated among users to thwart bandwidth hogs. 

8: DirectAccess without the hassle factor

DirectAccess was designed to be Microsoft’s “VPN replacement,” a way to create a secure connection from client to corporate network without the performance drain and with a more transparent user experience than a traditional VPN. Not only do users not have to deal with making the VPN work, but administrators get more control over the machines, with the ability to manage them even before users log in. You apply group policy using the same tools you use to manage computers physically located on the corporate network.
So why hasn’t everyone been using DirectAccess with Server 2008 R2 instead of VPNs? One big obstacle was the dependency on IPv6. Plus, it couldn’t be virtualized. Those obstacles are gone now. In Windows Server 2012, DirectAccess works with IPv4 without having to fool with conversion technologies, and the server running DirectAccess at the network edge can now be a Hyper-V virtual machine. The Server 2012 version of DA is also easier to configure, thanks to the new wizard.

9: ReFS

Despite the many advantages NTFS offers over early FAT file systems, it’s been around since 1993, and Windows aficionados have been longing for a new file system for quite some time. Way back in 2004, we were eagerly looking forward to WinFS, but Vista disappointed us by not including it. Likewise, there was speculation early on that a new file system would be introduced with Windows 7, but it didn’t happen.
Windows Server 2012 brings us our long-awaited new file system, ReFS or the Resilient File System. It supports many of the same features as NTFS, although it leaves behind some others, perhaps most notably file compression, EFS, and disk quotas. In return, ReFS gives us data verification and auto correction, and it’s designed to work with Storage Spaces to create shrinkable/expandable logical storage pools. The new file system is all about maximum scalability, supporting up to 16 exabytes in practice. (This is the theoretical maximum in the NTFS specifications, but in the real world, it’s limited to 16 terabytes.) ReFS supports a theoretical limit of 256 zetabytes (more than 270 billion terabytes). That allows for a lot of scaling.

10: Simplified licensing

Anyone who has worked with server licenses might say the very term “simplified licensing” is an oxymoron. But Microsoft really has listened to customers who are confused and frustrated by the complexity involved in finding the right edition and figuring out what it’s really going to cost. Windows Server 2012 is offered in only four editions: Datacenter, Standard, Essentials, and Foundation. The first two are licensed per-processor plus CAL, and the latter two (for small businesses) are licensed per-server with limits on the number of user accounts (15 for Foundation and 25 for Essentials).

Kerala-based Telmoco Launches 7-inch Android Tablet Phone

Telmoco Development Labs Pvt. Ltd., Kerala's first incubated consumer electronics start-up based in Technopark here, has forayed into the retail segment with Attitude Next 6339 a seven-inch Android tablet phone.

The company's new offering was unveiled by Minister for Industries and Information Technology P.K. Kunhalikutty and handed over to Francis Mukkannikal, director of MFJ Communications and Marketing Pvt. Ltd, which will be bringing the product onto retail shelves.
The product will be available in over 400 retail stores in Kerala and over 100 online stores from May 26 onwards at a price of Rs.7,999.

Kunhalikutty said the government was happy to see a consumer electronics company from Technopark developing state-of-the-art products at par with global brands.
It was last year in April that Telmoco launched their first product Attitude Daksha which was touted as a competitor for the central government promoted Aakash tablet computers.

"Daksha's success in the market was overwhelming and we sold over 2,500 tablets. We are constantly researching to bring in latest technological advancements and our Next 6339 is equipped with the latest features along with fully loaded informative and entertaining apps," said C.R. Nijesh, director, Telmoco Development Labs Pvt. Ltd.

Blackberry Announces BlackBerry Messenger For iPhone & Android

BlackBerry announced on Monday at its 2013 BlackBerry Live keynote address that it will finally be releasing it Blackberry Messenger (BBM) for iPhone and Android over the summer. Up until now, the popular BBM service has been exclusively available only on BlackBerry-branded phones. The existing app allows users to bypass calling, text-message and data charges by communicating using text, photos, videos, and voice on WiFi, similar to other popular apps such as iMessage and WhatsApp. By offering this app as a cross-platform service, users of almost all types of smartphones will be able to seamlessly communicate with each other.

“We’re committed to making the BBM experience on other platforms as fully featured as we can,” said BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins. “We’ll start with messaging and groups, but we’ll add voice and screen share later on. … BB10 is such a strong platform that we are confident it can become an independent messaging solution.”

With that said, the app will only allow for messaging functions for iPhone and Android. Heins has obviously alluded to potential updates, but since the app is targeted at the current iOS 6 and Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0), it’s possible that the company is going to wait for phone OS upgrades.

Some say that Blackberry is behind the curve when it comes to this release. Other WiFi-oriented messaging apps exist, and services like Viber already allow for VoIP calls. However, it’s possible that the name “Blackberry” alone will reel in users.

Facebook bans 'social suicide' app Social Roulette

Facebook has blocked an app that offered users a one in six chance of deleting their entire account. Known as Social Roulette, the app was designed to mimic Russian Roulette where a single bullet is loaded into the cylinder of a revolver and well, you know the rest.
A description on the website for Social Routlette said the app may appeal to someone looking to start fresh or perhaps someone looking for a cheap thrill at the expense of their social network. The developer noted that everyone thinks about deleting their account at some point and that it is a completely normal reaction to the overwhelming nature of digital culture.

The app’s developer said it was flagged by an automated system from Facebook that deals with negative user experiences. The social network, on the other hand, said the app violated its platform policies. What policies it violated, however, are a bit sketchy but as some suggest, Facebook sometimes enforces the spirit of the law rather than how it’s written word for word. Eden Zoller from research firm Ovum, however, noted that existing platform policy includes the ability to ban apps that pose a competitive risk to Facebook. Naturally, Facebook wouldn’t want people to delete their profile but if they did, they’d prefer people do it on their own accord.

The app points out that deleting a Facebook account entirely is very difficult but it could successfully remove all posts, apps, friends, photos, likes and games before deactivating the account.

Mobile Payment

With boom in Smartphone market, in near future post of the population in the world will own a handset. Other than its multimedia and connectivity options, the geek gadgets are on the way to become tool for making payments. With NFC (near field communication and Android Beam) the concept is already made its way into mainstream markets. It’s already big in Japan with 55 penetration, as well as emerging markets where cell phones rule. In developed markets, it's likely to be limited to transit and retail transactions.

With about six billion phone subscriptions globally, according to Canada-based IE Market Research Corporation, mobile payments will see a $1 trillion of transaction value by 2016, opening up for new mode of payment.

E-Cigarettes

“Cigarette smoking is injurious to health,” the quote is carried every where from the boxes containing tobacco products to the starting scenes once the theaters roll up curtains. The nicotine addicts try out many ways to combat their addiction like nicotine chewing gum. This is where the technology steps in by offering battery-powered smokes that are ostensibly less toxic than regular cigarettes. They come in both disposable and reusable form.

Though E-cigarettes are only big in US, they will see a 50 percent CAG (Compound Annual Growth) in coming years, depending on regulation and penetration into retail, according to CITI.

Camera Sales Falls as Users Switch to Smartphones

Sales of traditional cameras in the Asia Pacific region, of which New Zealand is a part, have dropped 14% in the last year, according to figures released by Panasonic. Speaking at the regional digital imaging seminar in Bali, Ichiro Kitao, head of the Digital Still Camera business unit, said sales of entry level cameras had declined markedly in 2012, mainly due to the increased uptake of smartphones with built in optical capabilities.

Downloadable apps, such as Facebook and Instagram, gave people another reason to choose their smartphone over a standalone camera, even though the image quality from most smartphones falls below that from a basic camera with a flash and a zoom lens. While total sales of digital still cameras in the region fell from 6.7 million units to 5.8 million, Kitao saw a silver lining in the growth of more sophisticated compact system and mirrorless cameras. Citing total market figures from market research company GFK, the company showed that the mid-market segments of cameras with interchangeable lenses had grown between 12% and 69% year-on-year.

While Panasonic will continue to produce entry level compact digital cameras, the company said it will noticeably shift its strategy to concentrate more on this growth area. Compact system cameras have small bodies, similar in size to compact cameras, but they are also able to use larger, interchangeable lenses, similar to those commonly found on full size digital SLR cameras. Compact system cameras are designed to satisfy the appetite of consumers with higher quality photographic needs, such as parents, intrepid travellers and hobbyists. With this in mind Panasonic announced the launch in New Zealand of new compact system cameras with an array of smartphone compatible features.

The Lumix GF6 is a light, interchangeable lens camera which is designed to appeal to people stepping up from compact cameras or smartphones. It has a range of creative control settings which mimic the filters from popular photographic apps, allowing the user to easily create monochrome or bleach-effect pictures for example.

Connectivity is another major issue and the new GF6 and the more advanced G6 - a digital single lens mirrorless camera - have Near Field Communication or NFC and wireless built in. This means that images shot on the camera can be transferred to an NFC capable smartphone with little more than a "tap and an app". Once transferred to the phone, the user can then share the image to their social network of choice.
More advanced users can also use the app to control the camera remotely via a direct wifi connection. In this mode, the image from the camera is streamed to a smartphone or tablet and the user can simply tap that screen to take pictures from the remote device.

Also on show at the forum, and signalling Panasonic's desire to evolve smartly, were a wearable, over-the-ear camera for recording sports adventures and a digital video camera with the ability to live stream to the internet.