Increasing Server, Storage, and Network Availability: Scenario Overview

Applies To: Windows Server 2012

Server Availability in Windows Server 2012 provides a collection of experiences that are designed to improve availability, performance, and reliability at the single-server and multiple-server (scale-up and scale-out) levels.

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The experiences in Server Availability include the following:

• Improved NTFS availability   Install and configure large volumes that are resilient against downtime caused by potential file corruption.

• File server for scale-out application data   Deploy server applications, such as Microsoft SQL Server and Hyper-V, on continuously available file servers.

• Continuously available DHCP service   Improve network availability by using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) failover services.

• Network failure resilience   Use Load Balancing and Failover to aggregate bandwidth and maximize network reliability.

• Continuously available block storage for server applications   Create continuously available block storage for server applications by using iSCSI Transparent Failover.

• Fast and efficient file servers for server applications   Improve network and file performance by using Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) and SMB Direct.

• Network performance and availability for Windows file servers   Take advantage of all available network bandwidth by using SMB Multichannel.

• Storage spaces   Enable cost-effective and flexible storage solutions for business critical deployments.

• Offloaded data transfers   Move data quickly between storage devices by using Offloaded Data Transfer.

• Storage mobility for virtual machines   Move virtual hard disks to other locations with no downtime.

• Direct connections for virtualized workloads to Fibre Channel-based storage   Provide server applications with access to Fibre Channel-based storage directly from a guest operating system.

• Continuously available file servers for heterogeneous environments   Create continuously available Network File System (NFS) file shares by using NFS transparent failover.

• Data protection   Protect your application data by using SMB Volume Shadow Copy for remote file shares.

• Hyper-V over SMB   Enable virtual machines to reside on an SMB file shares, giving you the power to design new flexible storage solutions for your virtual or cloud infrastructure.

In this scenario

Use the following links to help understand the Server Availability experiences:

• Deploying Fast and Efficient File Servers for Server Applications

• Scale-Out File Server for Application Data Overview

• Step-by-Step: Configure DHCP for Failover

• NIC Teaming Overview

• iSCSI Target Server Overview

• What's New in Failover Clustering in Windows Server 2012 [redirected]

• Network Performance and Availability

• Install SQL Server with SMB fileshare as a storage option

• Application Compatibility and API Support for SMB 3.0, CSVFS, and ReFS

• Hyper-V Virtual Fibre Channel Overview

• Configure Live Migration and Migrating Virtual Machines without Failover Clustering

• Protect Data on Remote SMB File Shares using VSS

• Deploy Hyper-V over SMB

• Windows Offloaded Data Transfers Overview

See also

Use the links in the following table to learn more about Server Availability.