Windows server sac что это

Update March 2018: Microsoft Updated some of the information about the use cases of the Semi-Annual Channel and the LTSC for Windows Server. In short the Semi-Annual Channel releases are focusing on Container innovation and the infrastructure feature and roles are now features and roles of the LTSC.

I was already blogging about the new Windows Server servicing options including the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) and the new Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) options. It seems that there is a lot of confusion about what the purpose and the advantages of the Semi-Annual Channel releases. With that blog post I will try to explain what both servicing options are and when which servicing option should be used. Especially since SAC releases, like Windows Server 1709, will only be available as Windows Server Core. Spoiler alert: Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel releases are not for everyone and everything.

Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC)

The Long-term Servicing Channel is the release model you’re already familiar with (currently called the “Long-term Servicing Branch”) where a new major version of Windows Server is released every 2-3 years. Users are entitled to 5 years of mainstream support, 5 years of extended support, and optionally 6 more years with Premium Assurance. This channel is appropriate for systems that require a longer servicing option and functional stability. Deployments of Windows Server 2016 and earlier versions of Windows Server will not be affected by the new Semi-annual Channel releases. The Long-term Servicing Channel will continue to receive security and non-security updates, but it will not receive the new features and functionality.

Example for Long-Term Servicing Channel releases

• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2016

Long-Term Servicing Channel installation options

• Windows Server Core
• Windows Server with Desktop Experience
• Windows Server Core as a container Image

Use cases for Long-Term Servicing Channel releases

As use cases for the Long-Term Servicing Channel releases you can basically count everything in which need predictable long term support, do not support Windows Server Core and where you don’t use the new features included in the Semi-Annual Servicing Channel releases and you prefer less updating.

• General Purpose File Server – Traditional information worker file server which need long term support
• Legacy Software – Legacy software which do not support server core
• Static Software – Software which does not leverage any of the new features of Semi-Annual Channel releases, which need predictable long term support
• Legacy Hardware – End of life hardware
• SQL Server – Traditional databases with long lifecycles which need predictable long term support
• Active Directory and other infrastructure roles – which benefit from long term support
• Hyper-V and Cluster nodes for Hyper-converged scenarios
• Hyper-V hosts which are benefiting from continuous innovation

Semi-Annual Channel (SAC)

The Semi-annual Channel releases will deliver new functionality for customers who are moving at a “cloud cadence,” such as those on rapid development cycles or service providers keeping up with the latest Hyper-V and Storage investments. Windows Server products in the Semi-annual Channel will have new releases available twice a year, in spring and fall. Each release in this channel will be supported for 18 months from the initial release.

Most of the features introduced in the Semi-annual Channel will be rolled up into the next Long-term Servicing Channel release of Windows Server. The editions, functionality, and supporting content might vary from release to release depending on customer feedback.

The Semi-annual Channel will be available to volume-licensed customers with Software Assurance, as well as via the Azure Marketplace or other cloud/hosting service providers and loyalty programs such as MSDN.

Example for Semi-annual Channel releases

• Windows Server 2016 Nano Server
• Windows Server 1709
• Windows Server 1803

Semi-annual Channel installation options

• Windows Server Core
• Windows Server Core Container Image
• Windows Server Nano Server Container Image

Use cases for Semi-annual Channel releases

Use cases for the Semi-annual Channel releases right now are application and services which leverage new feature very quickly and go with cloud cadence.

• Lift and Shift applications into Containers
• New cloud-based applications
• Applications which can be quickly and easily redeployed
• Linux containers on Windows Server
• Hyper-V and Cluster nodes for Hyper-converged scenarios
• Hyper-V hosts which are benefiting from continuous innovation

Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) vs Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) Overview

To make it a little easier, here is a quick overview of the two servicing channels:

Conclusion

As you can see, Windows Server Semi-annual channel are not designed for everyone. And if you don’t feel comfortable with Windows Server Core (btw you should check out Microsoft Project Honolulu), the fast release cadence or the short support life cycle you should go with the Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel. You will not lose anything you had today, you still will get new versions every 2-3 years with all the options you had today. If you need the fast innovation and you get something out of the new features the Semi-annual channel will provide you with 2 releases a year. But make sure, that your deployment, configuration and management is automated, otherwise you will suffer from the fast release cadence. I have three other very important points I want to make sure you know about:

• Not all your servers have to go with LTSC only or SAC only – as long as you have the right licensing in place you can choose for each server, which ever fits your needs best.
• You don’t have to switch now – you can also decided to go with LTSC today and switch to a SAC release as soon as you benefit from it. You can also switch back to LTSC from SAC if you don’t like it. (With Switch I mean redeploy)
• Upgrades are not in-place – It doesn’t matter which servicing channel you are using, servers need to be redeployed. (Not like in Windows 10 where you can leverage in-place upgrades)

I hope this helps to understand the point about Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) vs Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC). The Semi-Annual Channel releases are a new offer from Microsoft for customers to get their hands on new features much quicker, this offers a huge benefit if you can make use of it. But Microsoft is not forcing you to use SAC, LTSC for some scenarios and customers is still the better option. So both solutions are having huge value in different scenarios.

Tags: Azure, Long-term Servicing Channel, LTSC, Microsoft, Releases, SAC, Semi-annual Channel, Servicing, Servicing Channel, Windows Server, Windows Server 2016 Last modified: March 31, 2018

About the Author / Thomas Maurer

Thomas works as a Principal Program Manager & Chief Evangelist Azure Hybrid at Microsoft (Cloud + AI). He engages with the community and customers around the world to share his knowledge and collect feedback to improve the Azure hybrid cloud and edge platform. Prior to joining the Azure engineering team (Cloud + AI), Thomas was a Lead Architect and Microsoft MVP, to help architect, implement and promote Microsoft cloud technology.

If you want to know more about Thomas, check out his blog: www.thomasmaurer.ch and Twitter: www.twitter.com/thomasmaurer

Понятие канала обслуживания (servicing channel) пришло в серверные операционные системы из Windows 10. На данный момент для серверных ОС Windows есть два канала обслуживания — Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) и Semi-Annual Channel (SAC).

Long-Term Servicing Channel

Изначально каналы обслуживания назывались ветками (branches), соответственно данный канал был известен под названием LTSB (Long-Term Servicing Branch). Этот канал предназначен для систем, которым наиболее важна стабильность и является традиционным для Windows Server подходом к обслуживанию:

• Выпуск новой версии ОС происходит каждые 2-3 года;
• В обновления не входят новые функции и возможности, только исправления и обновления системы безопасности;
• Пять лет основной и пять лет расширенной поддержки.

Операционные системы в канале LTSС ориентированы на традиционные рабочие нагрузки (файловые сервера, сервера приложений, инфраструктурные роли и т.п.). Текущей редакцией для канала LTSC является Windows Server 2019. Выпуски LTSC доступны всем пользователям, независимо от применяемой модели лицензирования. Установка системы возможна в режиме ядра (Server Core) и в режиме сервера с возможностями рабочего стола (Server with Desktop Experience).

 Semi-Annual Channel

Канал SAC предназначен для тех, кому требуется оперативно получать все новейшие возможности операционной системы:

• Новые выпуски доступны ОС два раза в год, весной и осенью;
• Для каждого выпуска предоставляется поддержка в течение 18 месяцев, начиная с даты выпуска;
• Выпуски Windows Server идентифицируются по году и месяцу выпуска, например выпуск от 9-го месяца 2018 года обозначается как Windows Server 1809.

Область применения для SAC — это контейнеры и виртуализация приложений, где ускоренный цикл обновлений приносит наибольшую пользу. Текущей редакцией для канала SAC является Windows Server 1809. Выпуск SAC доступен участникам программы Software Assurance, через Azure Marketplace, а также в рамках различных программ, например Visual Studio Subscriptions. Установка возможно в режиме режиме ядра (Server Core), а также в качестве контейнера (Nano Server).

Для большей наглядности вот табличка различий, взятая с сайта Microsoft.

Картинка с сайта: windowsnotes.ru

Определить текущий канал обслуживания можно с помощью PowerShell, вот такой командой:

Get-ComputerInfo | fl WindowsProductName, WindowsVersion, WindowsInstallationType, OsServerLevel, OsVersion

Для канала LTSC она выдаст такой результат,

Картинка с сайта: windowsnotes.ru

а для SAC — такой.

Картинка с сайта: windowsnotes.ru

Обратите внимание, что название продукта отличается, т.е. по сути Windows Server 2019 версии 1809 и Windows Server 1809 — это две разных операционных системы. Они находятся в разных каналах обслуживания и inplace-upgrade между ними не поддерживается. Для смены канала обслуживания требуется полная переустановка ОС.

Более подробную информацию о каналах обслуживания Windows Server можно найти на сайте Microsoft.

If you just arrived from 2016—possibly in a modified DeLorean—you’re probably wondering why you hear the term Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) across Microsoft’s major product lineup (Windows 10, Office 365 Pro Plus, Windows Server, and System Center). You may also be questioning where familiar terms—such as Current Branch (CB) and Current Branch of Business (CBB)—have gone, and if all of this was part of Microsoft’s grand scheme. The following is an investigation—through a series of announcements that Microsoft has made since Spring 2017—to help you understand how the Semi-Annual Channel came to be and its present state.

It all started with the Windows 10 as a Service model that Microsoft introduced soon after the release of Windows 10. In a nutshell, what Windows as a Service means is that Microsoft will not be releasing a new Windows title like they used to do (Windows XP to Windows Vista to Windows 7 to Windows 8.1). Instead, they will only release periodic updates.

The deployment model is simple. Security updates are delivered to customers every month, invariably across all the branches. For feature updates, there were traditionally two branches. Customers who were supposed to update to the latest feature release as soon as it is released fall under CB. Businesses that wanted to wait for four more months to install the update were under CBB. The option to delay the update for another four months is the only difference between CB and CBB. How do you become eligible for CBB? You need Windows 10 Enterprise with Software Assurance.

And don’t worry, I did not forget LTSB. We’ll talk about that at the end!

Related: The Knowledge You need to Migrate from Exchange to Office 365

The History of SAC

Right around the spring of 2017, after the release of Windows 10 Update 1703 (also known as the Spring Creators Update), Microsoft made a big announcement that Windows was committing to a predictable, twice-per-year feature release schedule, targeting September and March of each year. In the blog post, Microsoft said that they are doing this to align the servicing models for Windows 10, Office 365 Pro Plus, and System Center Configuration Manager for customers—particularly those with Secure Productive Enterprise (now rebranded as Microsoft 365). The same day, on the Office 365 Pro Plus blog, Microsoft announced that they were reducing the Office 365 Pro Plus update cadence from three to two times a year, with semi-annual feature updates to Windows 10 and Office 365 Pro Plus targeted for March and September. The concept of “Semi-Annual” was informally used for the first time in that announcement. A few months later, Microsoft formally introduced Semi-Annual Channel in a blog post. At that time, Microsoft also announced that Semi-Annual Channel had replaced CB and CBB.

Under the new Semi-Annual Channel for Windows 10, the difference between the functional equivalents of CB and CBB was at first vague. But, along with the full availability of Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (1709), Microsoft clarified that CB would be translated to Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted). This is what all home users and most small-business corporate pro users get. CBB translated into a choice to manually defer the update until Microsoft announced the full availability (which is within four months).

Now you know why Semi-Annual Channel gets nuanced under the Windows 10 realm. But, the story doesn’t end there—as you’ll soon read.

Extending Semi-Annual Channel Beyond Windows 10

In June 2017, Microsoft announced that Windows Server was joining the Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) cadence to deliver updates at a faster pace. In October 2017, right around the time Windows 10 Fall Creators Update was released, Windows Server made their first Semi-Annual Channel version (1709) available to customers.

The difference between Windows 10 SAC and Windows Server SAC is an important thing to note here. Unlike Windows 10, Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel releases are not an update to the existing OS. Instead, it is more of a fresh install. For instance, if you want to move from SAC version 1709 to 1803, you will have to run a clean install of 1803. Earlier in the blog, I mentioned that Microsoft committed to the alignment of service models for Windows 10, Office 365 Pro Plus, and System. On February 8, 2018, Microsoft announced (and later made) the first Semi-Annual Channel version of System Center (1801) available.

Conclusion

It is important to note that even though SAC is the general terminology used for updates and version releases across the various products categories, there are differences in the support policies. For example, Office 365 Pro Plus SAC update is only supported for 14 months, while Windows 10, Windows Server, and System Center SAC releases are generally supported for 18 months.

Also, Microsoft announced six more months of Support Extension for the last four Feature Updates of Windows 10. Worth noting is that Microsoft also runs a Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC)—formerly known as Long Term Servicing Branch, or LTSB—for Windows 10, Windows Server, and System Center. An LTSC release happens every three years or so, and it comes with five years of regular support plus five additional years of extended support. You can read more about the extension here.

Leave a comment or reach out to us if you would like to learn more about the role that Volume Licensing and Software Assurance play when it comes to Microsoft Servicing and Support. The experts at Connection are always happy to help!