When Microsoft announced that the next version of its Windows Server product would be titled Windows Home Server 2012, the company didn"t state at the time how many versions of the OS it would provide. Today, Microsoft finally provided that information, revealing four different versions of the operating system.
The official Windows Server 2012 page shows all four versions along with a brief description of each feature. The pricing ranges from $425 for Essentials up to $4.809 for the Datacenter SKU. One of the versions, Foundation, has no price listed, with Microsoft saying it is just for OEM businesses.
ZDNet.com reports that having four SKUs of Windows Server 2012 is a sharp drop compared to the 12 SKUs that businesses could purchase for Windows Server 2008 R2. More details have been revealed in a PDF file from Microsoft.
One SKU that"s missing on the list is the Small Business Server version. The PDF FAQ states that the current version, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Premium Add-on, " ... will be the final such Windows Server offering."
There"s also no word on the future of Windows Home Server. For the past several months, Microsoft has been silent about the status of its Home Server business. The last version was released in March 2011. Update: Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Home Server is discontinued.
Via: ZDNet
Source: Windows Server website