Many administrators still consider Windows Server 2016 a novel operating system for their business requirements. Windows dedicated server 2016 accompanies a lot of enhanced features for the betterment of workflow of any organization. However, there are certain unannounced features that went off the radar. Through this post, we have tried to shed some light on these 5 unpredicted features of Windows server 2016. Hyper-V Security: There are many improved virtualization capabilities added to Hyper-V features set by Microsoft in Windows Server 2016. Some of the features worth mentioning are nested host virtual machines, improved software-designed network quality of service, and several performance-based features. Additionally, the security-based features are also enhanced to defend the virtual machines from vulnerabilities. The shielded virtual machine option protects the virtual machine from administrator tampering using a combination of Trusted Platform Module, disk encryption with BitLocker, Secure Boot and another new server role introduced as Host Guardian Service (HGS). Also, another robust version called the encryption supported VMs offers encryption to data and communication and enable constant administrative access. IP Address Management: IP Address Management (IPAM) has been introduced in Windows Server 2012 by Microsoft and later to enhance the IPAM they included domain name system (DNS) in Windows server 2016. Even though IPAM fails to be on the priority list of the administrator, it still is one of the critical features of windows dedicated server because of the security concerns. IPAM integrates with multiple Active Directory structures in Windows Server 2016 to manage both DNS and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol services. The functionality brings network addressing into a single management window and offers the automated tools to the IT staff to handle IP security efficiently. Server Manager: Server manager supports the administrators to install various roles and features in Windows Server 2016. Server Core is the new default server installation option in Windows Server 2016. Server Manager remains a more collective choice over PowerShell and command line. Server Manager supports remote installation and configuration just as the GUI on the server. Microsoft has thus included the Server Manager in the GUI version of Windows Server 2016 which eliminates the requirement of third-party software or installation process. There are usually one or two management servers provided by Server Manager along with a GUI to have a control over the collection of Server Core installed on the system without the burden of learning PowerShell. Resilient File System (ReFS): Changing requirements in the dedicated windows hosting have spurred the development of a new file system called Resilient File System (ReFS). Till date, Microsoft has consistently used NTFS as the default file system for Windows Server. ReFs have been designed to improve the key areas of data storage with automatic integrity checking, better security with data removal scrubbing and data recovery from corruption. This leaves ReFS with a more considerable impact on its virtualization support. Windows Server 2016 includes ReFS 3.1 to increase the capacity for both the file and volume size. The boost in sizes will be from terabyte to petabyte which will help organizations shift to ReFS as the default choice to virtualize large-scaled workloads. PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment: Microsoft enhances the capabilities of PowerShell with each release of Windows Server. Even though with all the supported remote GUI users are capable of performing a lot of tasks, still they require PowerShell to control and manage certain features and functions. Not only for scripting but for various other controlled settings PowerShell ISE is used, basically to develop and test the PowerShell commands. The ISE accompanies breakpoint function, step commands, and other debugging features. The PowerShell ISE helps the admins to recognize new users. Another key feature of PowerShell ISE includes syntax coloring. This feature is used for different commands and is of no use while working with large PowerShell scripts or commands. So, I’m pretty sure that you must have been wondering about these features. Now that you have discovered them, you might want to use them as well. Also, if you are looking for Windows dedicated hosting in India, you can contact i2k2 Networks, a leading dedicated server hosting company that offers dedicated servers for large enterprises and high traffic websites. Call us at +91-120-466 3031 /+91-9711774040 or reach us by filling out our contact form.