This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: Microsoft Tech Community - Latest Blogs - .
Heya folks, Ned here again. The three-day Windows Server Summit 2024 just completed and there are great on-demand sessions about Windows Server 2025 and Windows vNext. Some of the most interesting ones for this blog's audience are below, but the whole summit is worth a watch if you're an IT Pro, decision maker, consultant, architect, or C-level.
Next-generation SMB file services | Windows Server Summit 2024 (microsoft.com) – “Radical changes are coming to the Server Message Block (SMB) and file services in Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11. Learn about new security behaviors, new functionality, and new scenarios available to your organization.” Speaker: Ned Pyle
New storage features in Windows Server 2025 | Windows Server Summit 2024 (microsoft.com) - "Explore storage features in Windows Server 2025. We'll showcase exciting new capabilities in the ReFS file system, software-defined storage with Storage Spaces, innovation in Storage-spaces Direct (S2D), and new enhancements for Storage Area Networks (SANs) such as NVMe over Fabrics (NVMeoF). We will also show some of the incredible storage performance enhancements that make upgrading to Windows Server 2025 a must. Come for an overview of everything new, then dive into demos and a look "under the hood" of storage in Windows Server." Speaker: Dan Cuomo
Demo bytes: SSH for Azure Arc, Storage Replica | Windows Server Summit 2024 (microsoft.com) - "Storage Replica was first released in Windows Server 2016 and has come a long way. See how we've improved performance by enhancing logs and compression. Watch demos where we replace DFSR with this modern replication system that will replicate in-use files and protect your organization from disasters." Speaker: Ned Pyle
Windows Server 2025 ReFS booted images for confidential VMs | Windows Server Summit 2024 (microsoft.com) - "The Resilient File System (ReFS) is Microsoft's newest file system, designed to maximize data availability, scale efficiently to large data sets across diverse workloads, and provide integrity against data tampering. There is an initiative in the Windows Storage team to make ReFS the default filesystem for all Windows customers and the first step is to enable ReFS boot so that it can be leveraged by confidential VMs (CVMs). With Windows ReFS support for confidential VMs, we are introducing new features such as data integrity protection and rollback protection for the OS disk to further improve the security posture and protect your data end to end." Speakers: Simran Parkhe, Tina Wu, and Vikas Tikoo
The evolution of Windows authentication | Windows Server Summit 2024 (microsoft.com) – “As the security landscape evolves, Windows must continue to change to protect users and organizations. Foundational to this is user authentication. In Windows Server 2025 and Windows vNext, we have created completely new Kerberos features to minimize use of NTLM in your environments. This session explains and demonstrates IAKerb, Local KDC, IP SPN, and the roadmap to the end of NTLM.” Speaker: Ned Pyle
Hotpatching: Improving server security and productivity | Windows Server Summit 2024 (microsoft.com) – “When it comes to installing securing updates, organizations are often concerned about the potential for business disruption and reduced system availability. This is a thing of the past with Hotpatching! Come see how Hotpatching enables you to apply critical security updates without rebooting your servers, reducing downtime and improving productivity. Hear from the Xbox team, who have successfully adopted Hotpatching for the online gaming platform. Discover what is in store as we expand the service and make it more broadly available.” Speakers: Vishal Bajaj, Viraj Desai, Tim Dreyling
Windows Server 2025 OS security for IT and security pros | Windows Server Summit 2024 (microsoft.com) – “Advancements in security have been a core part of Windows Server 2025 development. Come for an overview of service account hardening, Secured-core, security baselines as a first-class product feature, authentication protocols, and more. Want a deeper dive on NTLM and Kerberos? See The evolution of Windows authentication.” Speakers: Dona Mukherjee, Matthew Reynolds
Windows Server 2025: The upgrade and update experience | Windows Server Summit 2024 (microsoft.com) - "Discover the streamlined upgrade process to Windows Server 2025 in our session. We will cover N-4 media-based upgrades, feature upgrades through Windows Update, and efficient management of feature and quality updates with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). Gain insights into best practices and tools for a smooth transition, ensuring your infrastructure aligns seamlessly with the latest advancements. Don't miss this opportunity for valuable insights, practical tips, and a roadmap to upgrade your Windows Servers effectively." Speakers: Yutong Liao, Harpreet Kaur, Rob Hindman, Riddhi Ameser
What's new in Windows Server 2025 | Windows Server Summit 2024 (microsoft.com) - "Get a closer look at Windows Server 2025. Explore improvements, enhancements, and new capabilities. We'll walk you through the big picture and offer a guide to which Windows Server Summit sessions will help you learn more." Speaker: Elden Christensen
There are 30+ sessions at the Windows Server Summit - I learned all kinds of stuff myself! Dive in.
Until next time,
- Ned Pyle