In case you are unaware, Microsoft has been offering IT, admins, a way to manage Windows PCs and services via an app known as Windows Admin Center since 2018. More recently, the company has been working on a major overall of the app, known as Windows Admin Center v2 and also as "Modernized Gateway". The first public preview of this version launched in December 2023 in a public preview.
Today in a blog post, Microsoft announced that a new build of Windows Admin Center v2 is now available, again as a public preview release. As a result, Microsoft does not recommend IT admins install this build in their production environments. The blog post also says this new v2 build is not compatible with the generally available version of Windows Admin Center version 2311, or with any previously released versions.
Some of the new features in this build include a backend update from .NET Core 6 to .NET Core 8. Microsoft says this will offer better security. It adds:
This also includes support for HTTP 2, reducing latency and enhancing the responsiveness of Windows Admin Center. Combined with improved performance, providing faster load times, you’ll be able to get your tasks done more quickly and efficiently.
Another big change is that the virtual machine tool has gotten some big improvements as well. Among other things, the runtime pipeline has been taken out to improve its responsiveness. Also, the columns have been reduced in the default view, although its Detailed Mode” toggle can be clicked so you can see the older version. Finally, the Azure Site Recovery integration experience has been refreshed.
Other new features include an updated installer, a new data migration flow, and some UI changes to the settings. Microsoft says that we can expect the Windows Admin Center v2 update to finally become generally available sometime before the end of 2024.