Giving some thought to Windows Nano Server & Containers
As we wait for features in Windows Server Next to be firmed down, some new technologies have been creeping into the mix, namely Windows Nano Server, Hyper-V Container, Windows Server Container, and Docker Container technologies.
I have been attempting to lean what is new, most importantly, what is relevant to my readership and blog focus with respect to these new ‘new’.
Windows Nano Server
In early April, Microsoft’s Jeff Snover announced Windows Nano Server.
According to Microsoft, Windows Nano server is
a purpose-built operating system designed to run born-in-the-cloud applications and containers. As customers adopt modern applications and next-generation cloud technologies, they need an OS that delivers speed, agility and lower resource consumption.
Nano Server is a deeply refactored version of Windows Server with a small footprint and remotely managed installation, optimized for the cloud and a DevOps workflow. It is designed for fewer patch and update events, faster restarts, better resource utilization and tighter security. Informed directly by our learnings from building and managing some of the world’s largest hyperscale cloud environments, and available in the next version of Windows Server, Nano Server focuses on two scenarios:
Nano Server will allow customers to install just the components they require and nothing more. The initial results are promising. Based on the current builds, compared to Server, Nano Server has:
In plain English, this is a stripped-bare version of Windows Server, without the GUI, x86 (32-bit) support, and with a lot of stuff stripped out.
It is built mainly for cloud – private, hybrid and public – operations, and managed through PowerShell.
While there isn’t a lot of information available for it, and despite watching this this interview Snover had at the recent Microsoft BUILD event, my takeaway is still that.
Moreover, until more is learnt, and management schemes are perfected, I cannot get very excited about it.
SMB Impact
Minimal. Despite the potential, cogent information isn’t available. Moreover, the target demographic for this product isn’t the SMB space.
Midmarket Impact
The potential for the upper midmarket that relies on, or is moving operations to clouds, could be huge. However, managing it might be a nightmare for early adopters.
Windows and Hyper-V Container technologies
Aaah, Containers.
The rise of containerization technologies as a whole, and for Windows in particular, have caused me to devote more time to learning about it that I wanted to. \i had studiously ignored it when it was only for non-Windows platform, and even since the announcement of a compact between Docker – the primary purveryor of container technologies for those afore-mentioned non-Windows operating systems, and Microsoft was announced, I did not pay attention: we don’t do any *nix OS, nor do we support it.
However, containers are now a Windows thing, so, we’re definitely interested.
SMB Impact
Minimal, for now.
Midmarket impact
Same as above.
Docker Container technologies currently target Linux operating systems.
Apart from management concerns, I have wondered how containers differ from virtual machines. This article, Containers vs. virtual machines: How to tell which is the right choice for your enterprise, speaks to the basic differences between them.
Suffice it to say, more reading on these issues, are in my future.
John Obeto is CEO of Blackfriars Capital
© 2002 – 2015, John Obeto for Blackground Media Unlimited
