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Windows Server 2025: Complete Guide with Labs and Practical Explanations

June 25, 2025 • 12 min read by admin

Introduction

Windows Server 2025, released on November 1, 2024, represents Microsoft’s latest Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release, delivering major advancements across security, performance, and hybrid cloud capabilities. This comprehensive guide explores the new features, system requirements, and provides hands-on lab exercises to help you master this cutting-edge server platform.

What’s New in Windows Server 2025

Enhanced Security Features

Windows Server 2025 introduces significant security improvements, including Credential Guard enabled by default on supported devices and enhanced Active Directory Domain Services with new functionalities for optimized domain management.

Key Security Enhancements:

  • Credential Guard by Default: Protects derived domain credentials using virtualization-based security
  • Enhanced SMB Security: SMB over QUIC enables secure access to file shares over the Internet, with SMB security adding hardened firewall defaults, brute force attack prevention, and protections for man-in-the-middle attacks, relay attacks, and spoofing attacks
  • Delegate Managed Service Accounts (dMSA): Unlike traditional service accounts, dMSAs don’t require manual password management since AD automatically handles it
  • Improved NTLM Security: Authentication throttling and enhanced protection mechanisms

Performance and Infrastructure Improvements

Windows Server 2025 delivers major advancements across the board for Hyper-V, GPU integration, Storage Spaces Direct (software defined storage), software-defined networking, and clustering.

Performance Features:

  • Accelerated Networking (AccelNet): Simplifies the management of single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV) for virtual machines hosted on Windows Server 2025 clusters, using the high-performance SR-IOV data path to reduce latency, jitter, and CPU utilization
  • DTrace Integration: Windows Server 2025 comes equipped with DTrace as a native tool for real-time system performance monitoring and troubleshooting
  • Enhanced Hyper-V: Support for up to 2,048 virtual processors and improved GPU partitioning

Hybrid Cloud Capabilities

Hotpatch is now available for Windows Server 2025 machines connected to Azure Arc, allowing OS security updates without restarting your machine. Easy Azure Arc onboarding brings Azure’s powerful capabilities directly into your datacenter.

System Requirements

Minimum Hardware Requirements

Windows Server 2025 requires a 1.4 GHz 64-bit processor with support for x64 instruction set, SLAT, NX, and DEP, along with CMPXCHG16b, LAHF/SAHF, PrefetchW, and SSE4.2 instruction set with POPCNT instruction.

ComponentRequirement
Processor1.4 GHz 64-bit with SSE4.2, POPCNT, SLAT, NX, DEP
Memory512 MB (Server Core), 2 GB (Desktop Experience)
Storage32 GB minimum (64 GB recommended)
NetworkGigabit Ethernet adapter (PCI Express)
GraphicsSuper VGA (1024×768) or higher
FirmwareUEFI 2.3.1c with Secure Boot support

Recommended Specifications

For optimal performance in production environments:

  • Memory: 4 GB minimum (8+ GB recommended)
  • Storage: 100+ GB with SSD for system partition
  • Network: Multiple gigabit adapters for redundancy
  • Processor: Modern multi-core CPU with hardware virtualization

Installation Labs

Lab 1: Installing Windows Server 2025

Objective: Install Windows Server 2025 in a virtual environment

Prerequisites:

  • VMware vSphere, Hyper-V, or VirtualBox
  • 4 GB RAM allocated to VM
  • 60 GB storage
  • Windows Server 2025 ISO (available from Microsoft Evaluation Center)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

  1. Create Virtual Machine: - Name: WS2025-Lab01 - OS Type: Windows Server 2025 - Memory: 4096 MB - Disk: 60 GB (dynamic) - Network: NAT or Bridged
  2. Boot from ISO:
    • Mount Windows Server 2025 ISO
    • Start virtual machine
    • Press any key to boot from CD/DVD
  3. Installation Process:
    • Select language, time format, and keyboard layout
    • Click “Install now”
    • Choose installation edition:
      • Standard: Basic server features
      • Datacenter: Advanced virtualization and storage features
    • Select installation type:
      • Server Core (recommended for production)
      • Desktop Experience (for learning/GUI management)
  4. Disk Configuration:
    • Delete existing partitions (if any)
    • Create new partition using entire disk
    • Allow Windows to create system partitions automatically
  5. Complete Installation:
    • Wait for file copying and installation
    • System will restart automatically
    • Set administrator password (minimum 8 characters with complexity)

Post-Installation Tasks:

# Check system information
Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName, WindowsVersion, OSBuildNumber

# Configure network settings
Get-NetAdapter
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias "Ethernet" -IPAddress 192.168.1.100 -PrefixLength 24 -DefaultGateway 192.168.1.1
Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias "Ethernet" -ServerAddresses 8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4

# Set computer name
Rename-Computer -NewName "WS2025-LAB01" -Restart

Lab 2: Configuring Server Core

Objective: Configure essential settings on Server Core installation

Server Core Benefits:

  • Reduced attack surface
  • Lower resource consumption
  • Faster patching cycles
  • Better security posture

Initial Configuration:

  1. Access Server Configuration Tool: sconfig
  2. Configure Network Settings: # View network adapters Get-NetAdapter | Format-Table Name, InterfaceDescription, LinkSpeed # Configure static IP $adapter = Get-NetAdapter -Name "Ethernet" New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceIndex $adapter.InterfaceIndex -IPAddress 192.168.1.100 -PrefixLength 24 -DefaultGateway 192.168.1.1 # Set DNS servers Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceIndex $adapter.InterfaceIndex -ServerAddresses @("192.168.1.1", "8.8.8.8")
  3. Join Domain (if applicable): # Join domain Add-Computer -DomainName "contoso.com" -Credential (Get-Credential) -Restart
  4. Enable Remote Management: # Enable PowerShell remoting Enable-PSRemoting -Force # Configure Windows Remote Management Set-WSManQuickConfig -Force # Allow remote desktop Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" -Name "fDenyTSConnections" -Value 0 Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop"

Feature Deep Dives and Labs

Lab 3: SMB over QUIC Configuration

Objective: Configure secure file sharing over the internet using SMB over QUIC

What is SMB over QUIC? SMB over QUIC brings the benefits of the QUIC protocol to Server Message Block (SMB), offering improved performance, enhanced security with always-encrypted TLS 1.3 connections, and increased resilience with tolerance for IP address and port changes during transmission.

Prerequisites:

  • Windows Server 2025 with file server role
  • Valid SSL certificate
  • Internet connectivity

Configuration Steps:

  1. Install File Server Role: Install-WindowsFeature -Name FS-FileServer -IncludeManagementTools Install-WindowsFeature -Name FS-SMB1 -IncludeManagementTools
  2. Configure SMB over QUIC: # Enable SMB over QUIC Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMBQUIC $true -Force # Create file share New-Item -Path "C:\Shares\SecureShare" -ItemType Directory New-SmbShare -Name "SecureShare" -Path "C:\Shares\SecureShare" -FullAccess "Everyone" # Configure SMB over QUIC for the share Set-SmbShare -Name "SecureShare" -EncryptData $true -RequireEncryption $true
  3. Certificate Configuration: # Import SSL certificate (replace with your certificate) $cert = Import-Certificate -FilePath "C:\certs\server.crt" -CertStoreLocation "Cert:\LocalMachine\My" # Bind certificate to SMB over QUIC New-SmbServerCertificateMapping -Name "SecureShare" -Thumbprint $cert.Thumbprint -StoreName "My" -StoreLocation "LocalMachine"
  4. Firewall Configuration: # Allow SMB over QUIC through firewall New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SMB over QUIC" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 443 -Action Allow

Testing SMB over QUIC:

# Test from client
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName "server.contoso.com" -Port 443 -InformationLevel Detailed

# Connect to share
net use Z: \\server.contoso.com\SecureShare /persistent:yes

Lab 4: Azure Arc Integration

Objective: Connect Windows Server 2025 to Azure Arc for hybrid management

Azure Arc Benefits:

  • Centralized management across on-premises and cloud
  • Azure security and compliance policies
  • Monitoring and alerting through Azure Monitor
  • Hotpatching capabilities

Setup Steps:

  1. Prerequisites Check: # Verify Azure Arc requirements $osInfo = Get-ComputerInfo Write-Host "OS: $($osInfo.WindowsProductName)" Write-Host "Version: $($osInfo.WindowsVersion)" Write-Host "Azure Arc supported: $($osInfo.WindowsVersion -ge '10.0.20348')"
  2. Install Azure Arc Agent: # Download and install Azure Connected Machine Agent Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://aka.ms/azcmagent-windows" -OutFile "AzureConnectedMachineAgent.msi" msiexec /i "AzureConnectedMachineAgent.msi" /quiet
  3. Connect to Azure: # Generate connection script from Azure portal # Replace with your subscription and resource group details $subscriptionId = "your-subscription-id" $resourceGroup = "your-resource-group" $location = "East US" # Connect server to Azure Arc & "$env:ProgramFiles\AzureConnectedMachineAgent\azcmagent.exe" connect ` --subscription-id $subscriptionId ` --resource-group $resourceGroup ` --location $location ` --tenant-id "your-tenant-id" ` --cloud "AzureCloud"
  4. Verify Connection: # Check connection status & "$env:ProgramFiles\AzureConnectedMachineAgent\azcmagent.exe" show

Lab 5: Hotpatching Configuration

Objective: Configure hotpatching for zero-downtime security updates

Important Note: Hotpatching, currently in preview, will require a monthly subscription for Windows Server 2025 Standard or Datacenter running on physical machines, virtual machines, on-premises, or multicloud servers.

Prerequisites:

  • Azure Arc-enabled server
  • Hotpatching subscription (when available)
  • Internet connectivity

Configuration Steps:

  1. Enable Hotpatching: # Check if hotpatching is available Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 10 # Enable automatic hotpatching (via Azure portal) # This is configured through Azure Arc portal interface
  2. Monitor Hotpatching Status: # Check Windows Update settings Get-WindowsUpdateLog # View hotpatch status Get-WUHistory | Where-Object {$_.Title -like "*hotpatch*"}

Lab 6: Enhanced Active Directory Features

Objective: Explore new Active Directory capabilities in Windows Server 2025

New AD Features:

  • 32k database page size optional feature with Extensible Storage Engine enhancements
  • Improved Name/SID lookup algorithms
  • Enhanced security protocols

Lab Setup:

  1. Install Active Directory Domain Services: # Install AD DS role Install-WindowsFeature -Name AD-Domain-Services -IncludeManagementTools # Import AD DS module Import-Module ADDSDeployment
  2. Promote to Domain Controller: # Create new forest (for lab environment) Install-ADDSForest ` -DomainName "lab.contoso.com" ` -SafeModeAdministratorPassword (ConvertTo-SecureString "P@ssw0rd123!" -AsPlainText -Force) ` -Force
  3. Explore New AD Features: # Check domain functional level Get-ADDomain | Select-Object DomainMode # Verify new database features Get-ADDomainController | Select-Object Name, OperatingSystem, OperatingSystemVersion # Test new SID lookup improvements Measure-Command { 1..100 | ForEach-Object { Get-ADUser -Filter "Name -like '*admin*'" | Select-Object Name, SID } }

Lab 7: Storage and Hyper-V Enhancements

Objective: Configure and test Storage Spaces Direct and Hyper-V improvements

Storage Spaces Direct Configuration:

  1. Prepare Storage: # Check available disks Get-PhysicalDisk | Where-Object CanPool -eq $true # Create storage pool New-StoragePool -FriendlyName "S2D Pool" -StorageSubSystemName "Storage Spaces*" -PhysicalDisks (Get-PhysicalDisk | Where-Object CanPool -eq $true)
  2. Enable Storage Spaces Direct: # Enable S2D (requires multiple nodes in production) Enable-ClusterStorageSpacesDirect -Verbose # Create virtual disk New-VirtualDisk -StoragePoolFriendlyName "S2D Pool" -FriendlyName "VDisk01" -ResiliencySettingName "Mirror" -Size 100GB

Hyper-V Enhancements:

  1. Install Hyper-V Role: Install-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V -IncludeManagementTools -Restart
  2. Create Enhanced VM: # Create VM with new features New-VM -Name "TestVM" -MemoryStartupBytes 2GB -Generation 2 -NewVHDPath "C:\VMs\TestVM.vhdx" -NewVHDSizeBytes 40GB # Configure enhanced networking Add-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName "TestVM" -SwitchName "Default Switch" Set-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName "TestVM" -DeviceNaming On # Enable enhanced session mode Set-VMHost -EnableEnhancedSessionMode $true

Performance Optimization and Monitoring

Lab 8: DTrace Implementation

Objective: Use DTrace for real-time performance monitoring

DTrace is a command-line utility that enables users to monitor and troubleshoot their system’s performance in real-time.

DTrace Basic Usage:

  1. Install DTrace: # DTrace is included in Windows Server 2025 dtrace -l | Select-String "syscall"
  2. System Call Monitoring: # Monitor system calls by process dtrace -n "syscall:::entry { @[execname] = count(); }" # Track file system operations dtrace -n "fbt:ntfs:*:entry { printf("%s called by %s", probefunc, execname); }"
  3. Performance Analysis: # Monitor CPU usage dtrace -n "profile-1001 { @[execname] = count(); }" # Track memory allocations dtrace -n "pid$target:kernel32:VirtualAlloc:entry { printf("Alloc: %d bytes", arg1); }" -p <pid>

Lab 9: Advanced Networking Configuration

Objective: Configure advanced networking features including SR-IOV

SR-IOV Configuration:

  1. Enable SR-IOV: # Check SR-IOV support Get-NetAdapterSriov # Enable SR-IOV on network adapter Enable-NetAdapterSriov -Name "Ethernet" # Create virtual switch with SR-IOV New-VMSwitch -Name "SR-IOV Switch" -NetAdapterName "Ethernet" -EnableIov $true
  2. Configure VM for SR-IOV: # Add SR-IOV enabled network adapter to VM Add-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName "TestVM" -SwitchName "SR-IOV Switch" -DeviceNaming On Set-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName "TestVM" -IovWeight 100

Software Defined Networking (SDN):

  1. Network Controller Setup: # Install Network Controller roleInstall-WindowsFeature -Name NetworkController -IncludeManagementTools# Configure Network Controller clusterInstall-NetworkController -Node @("NC01", "NC02", "NC03") -ClusterAuthentication Kerberos -ManagementSecurityGroup "CONTOSO\NCAdmins"

Security Configuration Labs

Lab 10: Enhanced Security Features

Objective: Configure advanced security features in Windows Server 2025

Credential Guard Configuration:

  1. Verify Credential Guard Status: # Check if Credential Guard is enabled Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_DeviceGuard -Namespace root\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceGuard # Verify virtualization-based security Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object DeviceGuardSmartStatus, DeviceGuardRequiredSecurityProperties
  2. Configure Group Policy (if not enabled by default): Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Device Guard - Turn On Virtualization Based Security: Enabled - Select Platform Security Level: Secure Boot and DMA Protection - Credential Guard Configuration: Enabled with UEFI lock

SMB Security Hardening:

  1. Configure SMB Security: # Enable SMB signing Set-SmbServerConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $true -EnableSecuritySignature $true -Force # Disable SMB1 Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol # Configure SMB encryption Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EncryptData $true -Force # Set minimum SMB version Set-SmbServerConfiguration -MinSMBVersionAllowed 3.0.2 -Force
  2. Firewall Hardening: # Create restrictive SMB firewall rules New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SMB-In-Restricted" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 445 -RemoteAddress "192.168.1.0/24" -Action Allow # Block SMB from internet New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-SMB-Internet" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 445 -RemoteAddress "0.0.0.0/0" -Action Block

Troubleshooting and Best Practices

Common Issues and Solutions

  1. Installation Issues:
    • Boot issues may occur after installing Windows Server 2025 on systems in iSCSI environments, with “boot device inaccessible” errors showing up on affected systems
    • Solution: Ensure proper iSCSI initiator configuration before installation
  2. Performance Issues:
    • Use DTrace for real-time performance analysis
    • Monitor memory usage with enhanced tools
    • Check storage performance with Storage Spaces Direct
  3. Network Connectivity:
    • Verify SMB over QUIC certificate configuration
    • Check firewall rules for new protocols
    • Test Azure Arc connectivity

Best Practices

  1. Security:
    • Always use Server Core for production environments
    • Enable Credential Guard on all domain controllers
    • Implement SMB encryption for all file shares
    • Regular security audits with enhanced AD logging
  2. Performance:
    • Use Storage Spaces Direct for high-performance storage
    • Implement SR-IOV for VM networking
    • Configure hotpatching to minimize downtime
    • Monitor with DTrace and Azure Arc insights
  3. Management:
    • Leverage Azure Arc for hybrid management
    • Use Windows Admin Center for GUI-based management
    • Implement Infrastructure as Code with PowerShell DSC
    • Regular backup and disaster recovery testing

Migration Planning

Upgrade Paths

Customers who move to Windows Server 2025 are able to use Windows Update to upgrade to future Windows Server versions. In-place upgrades are supported from Windows Server 2012 R2 or higher.

Supported Upgrade Paths:

  • Windows Server 2019 → Windows Server 2025 (in-place)
  • Windows Server 2022 → Windows Server 2025 (in-place)
  • Windows Server 2016 → Windows Server 2025 (in-place)
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 → Windows Server 2025 (in-place)

Migration Checklist:

  1. Pre-Migration: # Check current system Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName, WindowsVersion # Verify hardware compatibility Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Processor | Select-Object Name, AddressWidth Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_PhysicalMemory | Measure-Object -Property Capacity -Sum
  2. Compatibility Testing:
    • Test all applications in lab environment
    • Verify third-party software compatibility
    • Check custom scripts and automation
  3. Backup Strategy: # Create system backup wbadmin start backup -backupTarget:D: -include:C: -allCritical -quiet # Export system configuration Export-Module -Name * -Path "C:\Backup\Modules"

Conclusion

Windows Server 2025 represents a significant advancement in server technology, offering enhanced security, improved performance, and seamless hybrid cloud integration. The new features like SMB over QUIC, hotpatching, enhanced Active Directory, and native DTrace support make it an compelling platform for modern IT infrastructure.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Security First: Windows Server 2025 stands out with a suite of security features designed to safeguard your data and infrastructure with Active Directory improvements and enhanced SMB security
  2. Hybrid-Ready: Azure Arc integration and hotpatching capabilities bridge on-premises and cloud environments seamlessly
  3. Performance Optimized: SR-IOV, Storage Spaces Direct improvements, and DTrace monitoring provide enterprise-grade performance
  4. Future-Proof: Support for AI workloads, GPU partitioning, and modern hardware ensures long-term viability

Next Steps:

  • Download the 180-day evaluation from Microsoft Evaluation Center
  • Set up a lab environment to test new features
  • Plan migration strategy for existing infrastructure
  • Train IT staff on new capabilities and management tools

Windows Server 2025 is more than just an operating system upgrade—it’s a platform transformation that prepares organizations for the future of hybrid computing while delivering immediate benefits in security, performance, and operational efficiency.

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