Windows Server Essentials 2019

[nrf 135]

considering the path from whs, whs2012, essentials 2016... essentials 2019 (so called) more money seems to be the trend and with 2019 fewer features

[Jason 84]

Has anyone tried this?

https://www.server-essentials.com/support/articleid/159/how-to-do-an-in-place-upgrade-of-windows-server-essentials-2012-r2-to-windows-server-essentials-2016-on-the-same-hardware

[nrf 135]

doesn't look too bad to me but I didn't go that route

[richu75 15]

Has anyone tried this?

https://www.server-essentials.com/support/articleid/159/how-to-do-an-in-place-upgrade-of-windows-server-essentials-2012-r2-to-windows-server-essentials-2016-on-the-same-hardware

That’s the basic steps for upgrading every ad controller

[Jason 84]

That’s the basic steps for upgrading every ad controller

OK. I didn’t realize that. Have never upgraded an AD controller before. Am hesitant to do it, but may try this on my WSE12R2 box and post back.

[Poppapete 104]

"Windows Server 2019 could likely be the final stand alone version of Windows Server that Microsoft makes available for on-premises customers however, the only thing we can confirm is that Windows Server 2019 is expected to be released in the second half of 2018."

Says ITPro Today.

Time to move on.  Nothing is forever.

[Steve Pitts 7]

Partial apologies for necroing an old thread but I am currently researching my options WRT a Thecus W5000 box running Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials which is starting to show signs of going toes up and the opinions in this thread are exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. Anyone have a 'two years later' update to any of their statements herein? 

 

FWIW I am loathe to try upgrading 'in place' to 2016 Essentials (in fact, I think it won't work because of the Storage Server licensing restrictions) because it feels like a dead-end and also like MS really doesn't want my custom (plus, they keep breaking the client regularly with Windows 10 upgrades which means I have to make fixes to half a dozen different systems to get everything working again). Given that the hardware was never really up to the job anyway and I've never figured a way of backing up the server itself off site reliably (I tried Crashplan/Code42 for a while but the poor little box never caught up with itself and lately the Code42 client started throwing Java exceptions several times a day and I just gave up on it altogether) it feels like now is a good time to move to a completely different solution.

 

The features of the existing server that I really like are the 'set up and forget' implementation of both file history and the client backups - I've regularly done file or directory level restores and even one bare metal rebuild, all without hiccoughs - and the seamless integration with userids (such that I can use a single central admin user to act as the local administrator of all the systems in the household without need to do anything beyond connect). 

 

Any advice/comments most welcome.

[gibster 37]

On 9/7/2018 at 11:45 PM, Jason said:

I’m in same boat. Pretty sure I could migrate entirely to a NAS box of some sort, if I had no use for Plex Media Server video transcoding. Though I’m doing less of it over time, it’s still a need currently.

You could consider getting an NVidia Shield Pro and running Plex Media Server on it while using a NAS for the storage of the actual files. Win/Win

 

Gib