Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition on Azure Cloud Platform

Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition on Azure Cloud Platform is a game-changer for businesses looking to modernize their infrastructure. It's built on the latest Azure cloud platform, providing unparalleled scalability and reliability.

With Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition, you can take advantage of Azure's global reach and high availability features, ensuring your applications are always up and running. This means you can say goodbye to downtime and hello to increased productivity.

Azure Edition also enables you to easily integrate with other Azure services, such as Azure Active Directory and Azure Storage, making it a breeze to manage and secure your infrastructure. This level of integration is a major advantage over traditional on-premises solutions.

By running Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition on Azure Cloud Platform, you can enjoy significant cost savings, thanks to the pay-as-you-go pricing model and reduced need for on-premises hardware.

Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition brings several exciting new features to the table. One of the standout features is Automanage for Windows Server, which offers a unique combination of features not available on Standard or Datacenter editions.

SMB over QUIC provides encrypted access to SMB file shares without the need for a VPN, using the TLS 1.3 protocol and certificates rather than public key infrastructure authentication. This means administrators can't turn off encryption in the settings.

Hot patching is another exclusive feature of the Datacenter Azure edition, allowing administrators to patch Windows Server 2022 Datacenter Azure virtual machines without the need for a reboot, resulting in reduced downtime.

Azure Edition VMs can take advantage of Azure networking features like SMB over QUIC, which is the next generation of SMB with built-in compression and encryption, making cloud file shares as secure as those on a local network.

Windows Server 2022 Datacenter Azure edition offers several new features not available on either the Standard or Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2022, including Automanage for Windows Server.

This exclusive combination of features provides a unique set of capabilities for administrators.

SMB over QUIC provides encrypted access to SMB file shares without the need for a VPN, using the TLS 1.3 protocol and certificates for authentication.

Hot patching is another feature unique to the Windows Server 2022 Datacenter Azure edition, allowing administrators to patch virtual machines without the reboot typically required, resulting in downtime.

The Datacenter Azure edition supports an extended network into Azure, so virtual machines retain their IP address during a migration from the data center into Microsoft's cloud.

In April 2022, Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition was made available on Azure. This edition is a significant update to the Windows Server family.

John H, a customer, reached out to Microsoft for clarification on licensing for Windows Server 2022 DC: Azure Edition on AS-HCI 21H2. He wanted to know if it would charge per VM on the same Azure subscription as their AS-HCI, or if it was a no-cost benefit of running Windows Server VMs on Azure Stack HCI.

The answer to John's question is not explicitly stated in the provided article section. However, it is clear that Microsoft did respond to his inquiry, as indicated by the "Reply" notation.

With Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition, you can extend your on-premises network to Azure using Azure Extended Networking, which allows you to maintain the same private IP addresses for your virtual machines.

This feature is especially useful for scenarios where it's not feasible to change the IP address and connect the systems directly to existing subnets in Azure. You'll need to set up a pair of virtual appliances, one on-premises and one in the cloud, to create a bidirectional VXLAN tunnel.

Azure Edition VMs can also take advantage of some Azure networking features, such as SMB over QUIC, which provides built-in compression and encryption for secure cloud file shares.

Azure Extended Networking is a feature designed to help you move applications and workloads from on-premises to the cloud while maintaining the same IP addresses associated with virtual machines.

It works by extending an existing on-premises subnet into Azure, allowing virtual machines to keep their private IP addresses. This is made possible through a bidirectional VXLAN tunnel between two Windows Server 2022 virtual appliances.

A virtual appliance must be running on-premises, while the other must be running in the cloud with Datacenter Azure Edition. Each subnet to be extended requires a pair of these virtual appliances.

This allows you to keep your existing private IP addresses in use on-premises even in Azure, all in a transparent way for your applications. However, it's recommended to use this feature only when necessary, as it's always better to modify the IP address and connect directly to existing Azure subnets if possible.

Networking has become a crucial aspect of our digital lives, and ensuring the security of our online connections is vital. SMB over QUIC is a new feature that allows for secure and encrypted connections, built into Windows 11.

With SMB over QUIC, users can enjoy a more secure cloud file share experience, similar to what they would have on their own networks. This feature is now available on Azure Stack HCI, making it possible to move away from VPNs for remote workers.

Azure Edition VMs can take advantage of SMB over QUIC, regardless of whether they're using the Core or Desktop experience GUI. This feature is only available in Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition.

Microsoft deprecated features in Windows Server 2022, including the Internet Storage Name Service, which was used to find and work with iSCSI systems on the network.

The Internet Storage Name Service has been removed, making it harder to manage iSCSI systems.

Microsoft also stopped developing the guarded fabric and shielded virtual machines introduced with Windows Server 2016, but will continue to support them.

This means that administrators won't see new features or improvements for these virtual machines.

The Server Configuration tool (sconfig) will no longer be developed, and will eventually be removed from future Windows server versions.

For now, it will still run upon sign-in, but PowerShell will be the default shell instead of the command prompt.

The Windows Deployment Services boot.wim image deployment and the Local Security Authority Remote Protocol interface used to connect to Encrypting File System encrypted files over the network have also been deprecated.