Windows Server 2025 Now Available in Public Preview
Microsoft's Windows Server 2025 is now available in public preview — the next milestone toward full release.
Interested organizations can access the public preview via the Evaluation Center here. ISOs of the Datacenter and Standard editions are available for evaluation. Organizations can also test drive Windows Server 2025 using pre-built Azure images. Users will have the option to install the comparatively lightweight Server Core version, which is managed remotely and lacks a GUI, or the complete Server with Desktop Experience, which has the full GUI.
Windows Server 2025 is expected to become generally available sometime this fall as a Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release, meaning it will be eligible for mainstream support benefits for five years, and extended for-pay support for five more.
Microsoft had previously explained that Windows Server 2025 will feature an easier update process, a pay-as-you-go subscription option on top of the usual perpetual license, improvements to Azure Stack HCI, hotpatching, broad availability of SMB over QUIC, and more improvements.
In a blog post, Ian LeGrow, head of Azure Edge + Platform at Microsoft, described a few more enhancements coming to Windows Server 2025, which he described as the "most secure and innovative version yet."
Other features described by LeGrow include:
- New identity management capabilities via Active Directory.
- Support for multisite workloads.
- Azure Arc-enabled multicloud management.
- GPU-related enhancements with the goal of supporting AI workloads.
- New network management features.
- Improved Hyper-V scalability and performance.
"This release delivers advanced security, new Azure hybrid features, a high-performance platform for your existing apps and AI workloads, and a modernized Windows Server experience," LeGrow said.
For more information, visit the Microsoft site.