Schutz argues that the Windows Container tooling with feel “very familiar for Docker developers when they use Powershell – and Powershell users will feel very comfortable there, too”.
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Developers have been begging for container support in Windows Server for some time now, and the introduction of this feature could be the start of Microsoft offering up some serious competition to Linux server software.
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“Windows Server Containers are now part of the Docker open source project”, Neil wrote. Microsoft said the partnership paves the way for the company to deliver container and DevOps features to both Windows Server and Linux users.
Microsoft has released the third technical preview of Windows Server 2016 to beta testers, and for the first time the software comes with Windows Server Containers. That’s obviously a major win for Docker but also for developers who have to deploy their applications on Windows Server. This will allow organizations to package those applications specifically built to run on Windows Server, and Microsoft’s.Net framework, without any loss in performance due to additional layers of virtualization.
Windows Server 2016 will be getting two different kinds of containers, both able to be deployed using Docker APIs and the Docker client.
Like the earlier preview, this release also includes a new build of Nano Server, Microsoft’s take on micro-sized, minimal footprint operating systems like CoreOS and Red Hat Atomic Host. Microsoft promises that future builds will include Hyper-V Containers, optimized for use in virtualized environments. Nano Server will be about 1/20th the size of Windows Server Core, and will consist only of the essential components (Hyper-V, Clustering, Networking, Storage, .Net, Core CLR) – and no UI. In terms of bringing developers onboard, the company announced new “Docker tooling for Visual Studio”, Schutz said. These types of containers will offer higher isolation between containers by running their own copy of the Windows kernel and having memory assigned directly to them.
System Center 2016 adds support for rolling updates and for maintenance windows.
Improvements have also been made to System Center 2016 that make it easier to managed virtualized environments.
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A full breakdown of what’s new in the release is available here, and the official release notes can be viewed here.
