Windows Server 2016
Markus Erlacher
CEO
itnetX AG
www.itnetx.ch
Bringing the cloud to you
What if you could have the control of the datacenter
and the power of the cloud?
Reduced developer chaos and shadow IT
Simplified, abstracted experience
Added consistency to modern development
One portal, one user experience
Write once, deploy anywhere
Nano Server
Voice of the Customer
 Reboots impact my business
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Why do I have to reboot because of a patch to a component I never use?
When a reboot is required, the systems need to be back in service ASAP
 Server images are too big
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Large images take a long time to install and configure
Transferring images consumes too much network bandwidth
Storing images requires too much disk space
 Infrastructure requires too many resources
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If the OS consumes fewer resources, I can increase my VM density
Higher VM density lowers my costs and increases my efficiency & margins
I want just the components
I need
and nothing more
Microsoft Server Journey
Server Roles/Features
GUI Shell
Windows/
WindowsNT
Full Server
Server Core
Windows NT to
Windows Server
Windows
NT /
2003
Windows
Server 2003
Windows Server 2008
and
Windows Server
2008
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 R2
Minimal Server
Interface
Server Core
Windows Server 2012
and 2012
Windows Server
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows Server 2012 R2
Why we need Nano Server
 Azure
 Patches and reboots interrupt service delivery
 (*VERY large # of servers) * (large OS resource consumption)
 Provisioning large host images competes for network
resources
Why we need Nano Server
 Cloud Platform System (CPS)
 Cloud-in-box running on 1-4 racks using System Center &
Windows Server
 Setup time needs to be shortened
 Patches and reboots result in service disruption
 Fully loaded CPS would live migrate > 16TB for every host OS
patch
 Network capacity could have otherwise gone to business uses
 Reboots: Compute host ~2 minutes / Storage host ~5 minutes
We need server configuration optimized for the
cloud
Nano Server - Next Step in the Cloud Journey
 A new headless, 64-bit only, deployment option for
Windows Server
 Deep refactoring focused on
Basic Client
 CloudOS infrastructure
 Born-in-the-cloud applications
 Follow the Server Core pattern
Nano Server
Experience
Server with Local
Admin Tools
Server Core
Nano Server - Roles & Features
 Zero-footprint model
 Server Roles and Optional Features live outside of Nano Server
 Standalone packages that install like applications
 Key Roles & Features
 Hyper-V, Storage (SoFS), and Clustering
 Core CLR, ASP.NET 5 & PaaS
 Full Windows Server driver support
 Antimalware Built-in
 System Center and Apps Insight agents to follow
Nano Server in Windows Server 2016
 An installation option, like Server Core
 Not listed in Setup because image must be customized with
drivers
 Separate folder on the Windows Server media
 Available since the Windows
Server Technical Preview 2
released at Ignite
Installing Drivers
 For the leanest image, install just the drivers your
hardware requires
 Dism /Add-Driver /driver:<path>
 Nano Server includes a package of all drivers in Server
Core
 Dism /Add-Package /PackagePath:.\packages\Microsoft-NanoServerOEM-Drivers-Package.cab
 To run Nano Server as a VM install
 Dism /Add-Package /PackagePath:.\packagesMicrosoft-NanoServer-
Deploying Nano Server
 Generate a VHD from NanoServer.wim
 Download Convert-WindowsImage.ps1 from the Script
Center:
https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/ConvertWindowsImageps1-0fe23a8f
 Run Convert-WindowsImage.ps1 -Sourcepath <path to wim>
-VHD <path to new VHD file> –VHDformat VHD -Edition 1.
 Dism /Apply-Image
Installing Roles and Features
 Nano Server folder has a Packages sub-folder
 Dism /Add-Package /PackagePath:.\packages\<package>
 Dism /Add-Package /PackagePath:.\packages\enus\<package>
Installing Agents and Tools on Nano Server
 No MSI support in Nano Server
 Current builds of Nano Server require xcopy or custom
PowerShell script
 Nano Server Installer in the works, which will provide
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Install
Uninstall
Inventory
Online and offline installation support
Installing Software on Nano Server
 No MSI support in Nano Server
 Current builds of Nano Server require xcopy or custom
PowerShell script
 Nano Server Installer in the works, which will provide
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Install
Uninstall
Inventory
Online and offline installation support
Demo: Nano Server Deployment
Hyper-V
We are winning
virtualization share
x86 Server Virtualization Share
For The Past 5+ Years
Microsoft
Hyper-V
Server
Q1 CY2008
Q3 CY2009
Q3 CY2012
Q3 CY2014
Change
Windows
Server 2008
Released
Windows
Server 2008 R2
Released
Windows
Server 2012
Released
CURRENT
Since
Hyper-V
Released
0.0%
11.8%
25.9%
30.6%
+30.6 Pts
40.0%
46.6%
51.4%
46.2%
+6.2 Pts
ESX
Source: IDC WW Quarterly Server Virtualization Tracker, December 2014. Hyper-V and ESX + vSphere shares based on percent market share among all x86
new hypervisor deployments (nonpaid and paid). x86 hypervisor shipments include those sold on new servers, new nonpaid hypervisor deployments
aboard new servers, and new hypervisor sales and nonpaid hypervisor deployments on installed base servers. Share gains for Hyper-V and ESX + vSphere
come in part from market share transfers from older products from same vendors.
Security
Challenges in protecting high-value assets
Confidently protect sensitive customer data:
Designed for ‘zero-trust’ environments
Shielded VMs
Spotlight capabilities
Shielded Virtual Machines can only run in
fabrics that are designated as owners of
that virtual machine
Shielded Virtual Machines will need
to be encrypted (by BitLocker or other
means) in order to ensure that only the
designated owners can run this virtual
machine
You can convert a running
Generation 2 virtual machine into a
Shielded Virtual Machine
Host Guardian
Service
Secure Boot Support for Linux
 Providing kernel code integrity protections for Linux guest
operating systems.
 Works with:
• Ubuntu 14.04 and later
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12
Secure Boot Support for Linux
 PowerShell to enable this:
Set-VMFirmware "Ubuntu" -SecureBootTemplate
MicrosoftUEFICertificateAuthority
Resiliency & Availability
Storage and Cluster Resiliency
Virtual Machine Storage Resiliency
 Storage fabric outage no longer means that virtual machine
crash
• Virtual machines pause and resume automatically in
response to storage fabric problems
Virtual Machine Cluster Resiliency
 VMs continue to run even when a node falls out of cluster
membership
 Resiliency to transient failures
 Repeat offenders are “quarantined”
Shared VHDX
Improved Shared VDHX
 Host Based Backup of Shared VHDX
 Online Resize of Shared VHDX
Replica Support for Hot Add of VHDX
 When you add a new virtual hard disk to a virtual machine
that is being replicated – it is automatically added to the
not-replicated set. This set can be updated online.
Set-VMReplication "VMName" -ReplicatedDisks
(Get-VMHardDiskDrive "VMName")
Runtime Memory Resize
 Dynamic memory is great, but more can be done.
 For Windows Server 2016 guests, you can now increase and
decrease the memory assigned to virtual machines while
they are running.
Hot add / remove of network adapters
 Network adapters can be added and removed from
Generation 2 virtual machines while they are running.
Servicing & Upgrades
Rolling Cluster Upgrade
 You can now upgrade a 2012 R2 Hyper-V cluster to
Windows Server 2016 with:
• No new hardware
• No downtime
• The ability to roll-back safely if needed
New VM Upgrade Process
 Windows Server 2016:
• Hyper-V will not automatically upgrade virtual machines
• Upgrading a virtual machine is a manual operation that is
separate from upgrading the host
• Individual virtual machines can be moved back to earlier
versions, until they have been manually upgraded
New VM Upgrade Process
 Windows Server 2016:
 PowerShell only:
Update-VMConfigurationVersion
Changing how we handle VM servicing
 Windows Server 2016:
• VM drivers (integration services) updated when needed
• Require latest available VM drivers for that guest operating
system
• Drivers delivered directly to the guest operating system via
Windows Update
Scale Improvements
Evolving Hyper-V Backup
 New architecture to improve reliability, scale and
performance.
• Decoupling backing up virtual machines from backing up
the underlying storage.
• No longer dependent on hardware snapshots for core
backup functionality, but still able to take advantage of
hardware capabilities when they are present.
Built in change tracking for Backup
 Most Hyper-V backup solutions today implement kernel
level file system filters in order to gain efficiency.
• Makes it hard for backup partners to update to newer
versions of Windows
• Increases the complexity of Hyper-V deployments
 Efficient change tracking for backup is now part of the
platform
VM Configuration Changes
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New virtual machine configuration file
Binary format for efficient performance at scale
Resilient logging for changes
New file extensions
.VMCX and .VMRS
Operations
Production Checkpoints
 Delivers the same Checkpoint experience that you had in
Windows Server 2012 R2 – but now fully supported for
Production Environments
• Uses VSS instead of Saved State to create checkpoint
• Restoring a checkpoint is just like restoring a system backup
PowerShell Direct to Guest OS
 You can now script PowerShell in the Guest OS directly from
the Host OS
 No need to configure PowerShell Remoting
 Or even have network connectivity
 Still need to have guest credentials
Network Adapter Identification
 You can name individual network adapters in the virtual
machine settings – and see the same name inside the guest
operating system.
Add-VMNetworkAdapter
PowerShell -VMName
in host:
“TestVM" -SwitchName "Virtual Switch" -Name "Fred" -Passthru |
Set-VMNetworkAdapter -DeviceNaming on
 PowerShell in guest:
Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty | ?{$_.DisplayName -eq "Hyper-V Network Adapter Name"} |
select Name, DisplayValue
ReFS Accelerated VHDX Operations
 Taking advantage of an intelligent file system for:
• Instant fixed disk creation
• Instant disk merge operations
Isolation
Distributed Storage QoS
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Windows Server 2016:
Leveraging Scale Out File Server to allow you to:
Define IOPs reserves for important virtual hard disks
Define a IOPs reserve and limit that is shared by a group of
virtual machines / virtual hard disks
Host Resource Protection
 Dynamically identify virtual machines that are not “playing
well” and reduce their resource allocation.
Networking
Software Defined Networking
 Bringing Software Defined Networking to the next level
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VXLAN and NVGRE support
Virtual Firewall
Software Load Balancer
Improved Gateways
RDMA using vNICs
And much much more…
One more thing….
Containers
What are Containers
 LXC (Linux Containers) is an operating-system-level
virtualization environment for running multiple
isolated Linux systems (containers) on a single Linux
control host. Containers provide operating systemlevel virtualization through a virtual environment that
has its own process and network space, instead of
creating a full-fledged virtual machine.
Bare-Metal
Virtual Machines
Container Run-time
Container Ecosystem
Container Run-Time
Container Images
Image Repository
Applications
Linux
Application
Frameworks
Containers
Deploying Containers
Requires Hyper-V Hypervisor
Deploying Containers
Deploying Containers
Requires Hyper-V
Hypervisor
Demo: Containers
Software Defined Storage
The (v)Next Level
Current SDS with Server 2012 R2 (1 / 2)
Access point for Hyper-V
Scale-out data access
Data access resiliency
Cluster Shared Volumes
Single consistent namespace
Fast failover
Storage Spaces
Storage pooling
Virtual disks
Data Resiliency
Hardware
- Standard volume hardware
- Fast and efficient networking
- Shared storage enclosures
- SAS SSD
- SAS HDD
Software Defined Storage System
Scale-Out File Server
Shared JBOD Storage
Current SDS with Server 2012 R2 (2 / 2)
Tiered Spaces leverage file system intelligence
File system measures data activity at sub-file granularity
Heat follows files
Admin-controlled file pinning is possible
Hyper-V Nodes
I/O Activity
Accumulates
Heat at Sub-File
Granularity
Data movement
Automated promotion of hot data to SSD tier
Configurable scheduled task
Write-Back Cache (WBC)
Helps smooth effects of write bursts
Uses a small amount of SSD capacity
IO to SSD bypass WBC
Large IO bypass WBC
Complementary
Together, WBC and the SSD tier address data’s short-term and long-term
performance needs
Hot Data
Cold Data
What we hear from
customers…..
I can’t implement a Microsoft Storage Solution because…
“I wanna do HyperConverged”
“Replication on Storage-Level
is missing”
“I don’t trust Microsoft doing
Storage”
Storage Spaces Direct
Storage Spaces Direct at a glance
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Non-Shared Storage (inbox or local attached)
Distributed via new Software Storage Bus
Enables easy scale out
Leverages all the benefits of SMB3.x / RDMA
Storage Spaces Direct logical View
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Scenarios
Hyper-converged
Converged (Disaggregated)
Software Storage Bus Cache
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Cache scoped to local machine
Read and Write cache (see table below)
Automatic configuration when enabling S2D
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Special partition on each caching device
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Leaves 32GB for pool and virtual disks metadata
Round robin binding of SSD to HDD
Storage Configuration
Caching devices
Capacity devices
Caching behavior
SATA SSD + SATA HDD
All SATA SSD
All SATA HDD
Read + Write
NVMe SSD + SATA HDD
All NVMe SSD
All SATA HDD
Read + Write
NVMe SSD + SATA SSD
All NVMe SSD
All SATA SSD
Write only
Caching Devices
Capacity Devices
Software Storage Bus
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Virtual storage bus spanning all nodes
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Clusport: Initiator (virtual HBA)
ClusBlft: Target (virtual disk / enclosures)
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SMB3/SMB Direct transport
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Intelligent I/O Management
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Prioritizing(App vs System)
De-randomization of random IO
Drives sequential IO pattern on rotational
media
Application
Cluster Shared Volumes File System (CSVFS)
File System
File System
Virtual Disks
Virtual Disks
SpacePort
SpacePort
ClusPort
ClusBflt
Physical Devices
Block over SMB
ClusPort
ClusBflt
Physical Devices
Storage Spaces Direct: Requirements
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4 up to 16 Storage Nodes
10 Gbps RDMA
Min. 2 SSD / 1 NMVe per Node (Cache / Journal)
Min. 4 SSD / HDD per Node (capacity)
Supported HW Model (VMs for LAB)
Storage Spaces Direct Development Partners
Cisco UCS C3160 Rack Server
Dell PowerEdge R730xd
Fujitsu Primergy RX2540 M1
HP Apollo 2000 System
Intel® Server Board S2600WT-Based Systems
Lenovo System x3650 M5
Quanta D51PH
Demo
Storage Spaces Direct
Storage Replica
SR is used for DR preparation
Storage Replica at a glance
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Volume based block-level storage replication
synchronous or asynchronous
HW agnostic (any type of source / destination volume)
SMB3 as transport protocol
Leverages RDMA / SMB3 Encryption Multichanneling
I/Os pre-aggregated prior to transfer
Managed via Powershell, cluadmin, ASR
Storage Replica Layer
Source
Destination
SR: Streched Cluster
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Single Cluster, spanning DCs
Asymmetric Storage
Automatic Failover
Synchronous only
Datacenter A
Datacenter B
Streched Cluster
SR: Cluster to Cluster
 Multiple Cluster
 Manual Failover
 Synchronous or Asynchronous
Datacenter A
Cluster A
Datacenter B
Cluster B
SR: Server to Server
 To separate Servers
 Manual Failover
 Synchronous or Asynchronous
Datacenter A
Server A
Datacenter B
Server B
Synchronous workflow
Applications
(local or remote)
1
5
2
Source Server
Node (SR)
t
Data
4
2
Log
Destination Server
Node (SR)
t1
Data
3
Log
Asynchronous workflow
Applications
(local or remote)
1
3
4
Source Server
Node (SR)
t
Data
6
2
Log
Destination Server
Node (SR)
t1
Data
5
Log
Storage Replica: Requirements
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Any volume (SAS, SAN, iSCSI, Local)
<5 ms round trip between sites for synchron mirror
RDMA
Identical size for source / target volume
SSDs for log disks recommended (min. 8GB size)
Identical physical disk geometry (phys. sector size)
Turn on SR write ordering for distributed app data
Demo
Storage Replica
ReFS (Resilient File System)
ReFS - Data Integrity
Metadata Checksums
Storage Spaces 3-way mirror with ReFS
Checksums protect all filesystem metadata
User Data Checksums
Optional checksums protect file data
Checksum Verification
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Occurs on every read of checksum-protected data
During periodic background scrubbing
Healing of Detected Corruption
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Healing occurs as soon as corruption is detected
Healthy version retrieved from Spaces’ alternate versions
(i.e. mirrors or parity data), if available
ReFS uses the healthy version to automatically have
Storage Spaces repair the corruption
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Checksums verified on reads
On checksum mismatch, mirrors are consulted
Good copies used to heal bad mirror
ReFS - Resiliency and Availability
Availability
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ReFS designed to stay online and keep your data accessible when all else fails
• Even when corruptions cannot be healed via Storage Spaces’ resiliency (mirror- and paritygenerated data versions)
Online Repair
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CHKDSK-Like repairs performed without taking the volume offline
No downtime due to repair operations!
On-Volume Backups of Critical Metadata
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Backups of critical metadata are automatically maintained on the volume
Online repair process consults backups if checksum-based repair fails
Provides additional protection for volume-critical metadata, in addition that provided by mirror
and parity spaces
ReFS - Speed and Efficiency
Efficient VM Checkpoints and Backup
VHD(X) checkpoints cleaned up without physical data copies
• Data migrated between parent and child VHD(X) files as a
ReFS metadata operation
• Reduction of I/O to disk
• Increased speed
• Reduces impact of checkpoint clean-up to foreground
workloads
Hyper-V Checkpoint Merging
Accelerated Fixed VHD(X) Creation
Fixed VHD(X) files zeroed with just a metadata operation
• Impact of zeroing I/O to foreground workloads eliminated
• Decreases VM deployment time
Quick Dynamic VHD(X) Expansion
Dynamic VHD(X) files zeroed with a metadata operation
• Impact of zeroing I/O for expanded regions eliminated
• Reduces latency spike for foreground workloads
Hyper-V VHDX Creation / Extension
Storage QoS
Distributed Storage QoS
Mitigate noisy neighbor issues
Monitor end to end storage performance
Deploy at high density with confidence
Storage Quality of Service (QoS)
Control and monitor storage performance
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Rate Limiter
SCALE OUT FILE SERVER
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Policy
Manager
IO Scheduler
Storage QoS Policy Types
Single Instance
Thank you!