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Windows 2025 FAQ |
Updated: 20 October 2024
a) List of Roles that Windows 2025 Standard or Datacenter editions supports
| Role | Description | Step by Step Guides |
|---|---|---|
| Active Directory Certificate Services | Create a Certificate authority to manage certificates for users and computers | Certificate Services |
| Active Directory Domain Services | Create a Domain Controller for a domain to manage users, groups, computers for an organisation | Domain Services |
| Active Directory Federation Services | Create a simple federation and single sign on service to access
web sites and applications. See also Password Hash Sync. |
Federation Services |
| Active Directory Lightweight Directory Service | Create an LDAP database to store application specific attributes and values | LDS |
| Active Directory Rights Management Service | Create a secure rights management datastore to authorize users to certain information | RMS |
| Device Health Attestation | Accessess device health for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile devices. | Device Health |
| DHCP Server | Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - Provide IP addresses to local subnets | DHCP |
| DNS Server | Domain Name Service - Provide name resolution for TCP/IP networks | DNS |
| Fax Server | Provide facsimile services on this computer over a telephone network | Fax Server |
| File and Storage Services | Manage and store documents and files on this server | File and Storage |
| File and iSCSI Services | Manage file servers and storage using File server, Branchcache, Data deduplication, DFS namespace and replication, File Server Resource Manager,
|
iSCSI |
| Storage Services | Storage management functionality | Storage |
| Host Guardian Service | Enables shielded virtual machines using Attestation and Key Protection services | Guardian Service |
| Hyper-V | Server Virtualisation | Hyper-V |
| Network Controller | This provides the point of automation for continual configuration and monitoring of various network services.(New for 2019) | Network Controller |
| Network Policy and Access Service | Provide NPA, R&RA, HRA and HCAP services to protect and maintain your network | NPAS Services |
| Print and Document Services | Provide central printing and remote scanning services | Printing |
| Remote Access | Seamless connectibity and Always on or manager experience with DirectAccess, VPN and Web application proxy. | Remote Access |
| Remote Desktop Services | Provide remote login facilities to applications | RDS |
| Volume Activation Services | Key Management service for Windows and Office application activation | Activation |
| Web Server (IIS) | Web server including ASP, ASP.Net CGI | Web Server |
| Windows Deployment Services | Deploy windows to clients | Deployment Services |
| Windows Server Update Services | Deploy regular security and bug fixes to clients | Update Services |
b) List of Features in Windows 2025
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| .NET Framework 3.5 Features | Microsoft .NET Framework, XPS Viewer and WCF Activation |
| .NET Framework 4.8 Features | Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8. See .NET for more recent releases |
| Background Intelligent Transfer Service | Recieve files from clients using BITS |
| Bitlocker Drive Encryption | Encrypt entire drives for data protection |
| Bitlocker Network Unlock | Use a network based key protector for auto unlock system drives in a domain. |
| Branch Cache | Configure a hosted cache or branch cache content server for HTTP or BITS. |
| Client for NFS | Enable access to files on Unix based NFS file systems. |
| Containers | To create and manage Windows Server Containers |
| Data Center Bridging | Provide standards for hardware based bandwidth and transport reliability. |
| Direct Play | New for 2012 R2 - Direct play features |
| Enhanced Storage | For access to additional functions for Enhanced Storage devices. |
| Failover Clustering | Provide high availability for servers. See link. |
| Group Policy Management | Enable GPMC tool for group policy management |
| Host Guardian Hyper-V Support | Provide features for Shielded Virtual Machines. |
| I/O Quality of Service | New feature to configure QoS settings such as max I/O and bandwidth limits on applications |
| IIS Hostable Web Core | A cut down web server. |
| Internet Printing Client | Enable IPP printing via the web |
| IP Address Management (IPAM) Server | Provide central framework for managing IP such as DHCP and DNS. |
| LPR Port Monitor | Enable Line Printer Remote port monitoring used by Unix devices |
| Management oData IIS Extension | Provide Powershell cmdlets through ODATA based web service under IIS. |
| Media Foundation | Windows Media foundation, Media SDK and DirectShow for media files. |
| Message Queuing | Enable message queuing between computers, http, DCOM and remotely. |
| Multipath I/O | Provide muliple support paths to devices using a Device Specific Module. |
| Multipoint Connector | Allows your machine to be managed by a Multipoint Manager and Dashboard apps |
| Network Load Balancing | Provide IP load balancing across 2 or more computers for services such as IIS |
| Network Virtualisation | Provides overlays of virtual networks on the same physical network. |
| Peer Name Resolution Protocol | Provide name resolution for applications across computers |
| Quality Windows Audio Visual Experience | Provides QoS for streaming audio and video files over network |
| RAS Connection Manager Admin Kit | Tool to create profiles for remote services and networks. |
| Remote Assistance | Enable remote assistance tools to allow other users help to resolve problems |
| Remote Differential Compression | Computes and transmits differences between objects over the network |
| Remote Server Administration Tools | Enables tools to manage Domain, DNS, DHCP and other roles and features |
| RPC over HTTP Protocol | Enables Remote Procedure Calls over HTTP for access to Exchange using Outlook over internet |
| Setup and Boot Event Collection | Collection and logging of setup and boot events from other computers |
| Simple TCP/IP Services | Provides some simple TCP/IP services e.g. Char Gen, Daytime, Discard, Echo, Quote of the Day |
| SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support | Support for SMB 1.0, CIFS and Computer Browsing |
| SMB Bandwidth Limit | To track SMB traffic per category and limit traffic for those categories. |
| SMTP Server | Simple Mail Transport Protocol server for delivering email for another application |
| SNMP Service | Simple Network Management Protocol for providing system information over network |
| Software Load Balancer | Provides balancing of network resources (new for 2019) |
| Software Migration Service | Manages storage migration by using SMS Proxy service.(new for 2019) |
| Software Migration Service Proxy | Run inventory, transfer and cutover for storage migration (new for 2019) |
| Storage Replica | Allows replication of data for storage (new for 2019) |
| System Data Archiver | Collect and store Windows system data (new for 2019) |
| System Insights | Manage to run analytics of Windows system data (new for 2019) |
| Telnet client | Command line telnet tool to remote systems |
| TFTP Client | Trivial File Transfer Protocol client to access TFTP servers |
| VM Shielding Tools for Fabric Management | Provide Shielded VM utilities |
| WebDAV Redirector | New feature to enable Windows programs to manage Internet-based files. |
| Windows Biometric Framework | Allows fingerprint devices to be used to logon to Windows |
| Windows Identity Foundation 3.5 | Provides a set of .NET Framework classes for claims based identity in .NET apps. |
| Windows Internal Database | Relational data store used by UDDI, AD RMS, Windows Update service etc |
| Windows Powershell | Install Powershell command line and scripting tool |
| Windows Process Activation Service | Generalises the IIS process model for WCF applications |
| Windows Search Service | Provides fast file searches on a server. |
| Windows Server Backup | Install new Windows Backup tool. See link |
| Windows Server Migration Tools | Tools to allow migration of roles, settings, files, shares from earlier versions of Windows to 2019. |
| Windows Standards-Based Storage Management | Ability to discover and manager storeage devices using the SMI-S standard. |
| Windows Subsystem for Linux | Provide environment to run native user-mode Linux shells and tools. (new for 2019) |
| Windows TIFF Filter | Perform OCR on TIFF 6.0 compliant files for indexing and searching |
| WinRM IIS Extension | Allow management requests via WinRM from clients |
| WINS Server | Windows Internet Naming Service for Netbios names |
| Wireless LAN Service | Configures and starts the WLAN service |
| WoW64 Support | Allows Wow64 to support 32 bit applications on Server Core installations. |
| XPS Viewer | Install XPS Viewer application to view XPS files |
| DataCenter only features | |
| Host Guardian Hyper-V Support | Features for Shielded Virtual Machines on Hyper-V |
| Software Load Balancer | New feature to provide Software based load balancing of network resources. |
| Storage Replica | Provide facility replicate data for storage |
c) Settings, Apps and Features, Optional Features.
| Optional Feature | Description |
| Downlevel NLS Sorting Version | |
| Internet Explorer 11 | Web browser. See also new Edge browser. |
| Math Recognizer | Math input panel, control and recognizer |
| Microsoft Paint | Paint app |
| Notepad | Text editor |
| OpenSSH Client | OpenSSH based secured shell client |
| OpenSSH Server | OpenSSH based secured shell server for remote access. |
| Steps Recorder | Records steps of a task for replaying later |
| Windows Media Player | Music and video player. |
| Windows PowerShell Integrated Scipting Environment | PowerShell and Editor |
| WordPad | Rich Text editor |
| XPS Viewer | XPS file viewer |
d) Additional Server Applications
| Application | Description | Step by Step Guides |
|---|---|---|
| SQL Server | Full relational database application | Install SQL |
| MDT server | Windows deployment toolkit | Install MDT |
| Exchange Server | Full On premise E-mail service | Install Exchange 2019 |
| Sharepoint Server | Document and sharing content system | Install Sharepoint |
| System Center | Suite of products for configuration, operation, service, VMs, and endpoint protection. | EndPoint Manager |
| Azure AD Connect | Hybrid connection between on premise setup and Microsoft's Azure AD and Office 365 | AD Connect |
| Windows Admin Centre | Remote web-based admin tools | Download WAC |
| Azure CLI | Azure command line tools | Download AZ |