In this article, you can clearly see all the differences between Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard, Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter, and Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials.
You can download the Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard/Datacenter installer from our website!
You can also purchase original product keys for each version in our catalog:
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard – 11.9 €
Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter – 11.8 €
| Feature | Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter | Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard | Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locks and Limitations | |||
| Maximum Number of Users | Based on licenses | Based on licenses | 25 |
| Maximum SMB Connections | 16,777,216 | 16,777,216 | 16,777,216 |
| Maximum RRAS Connections | Unlimited | Unlimited | 50 |
| Maximum IAS Connections | 2,147,483,647 | 2,147,483,647 | 50 |
| Maximum 64-bit Sockets | 64 | 64 | 2 |
| Maximum RAM Volume | 4 ТБ | 4 ТБ | 64 ГБ |
| Server Can Join Domain | ✅ | ✅ | Only for migration |
| DirectAccess | ✅ | ✅ | See documentation |
| Server Roles | |||
| Active Directory Certificate Services | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Active Directory Domain Services | ✅ | ✅ | Mandatory |
| Active Directory Federation Services | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Active Directory Rights Management Services | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Application Server | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| DHCP Server | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| DNS Server | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Fax Server | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| File Services | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Hyper-V | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Network Policy and Access Services | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Print and Document Services | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Remote Access | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Remote Desktop Services | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Remote Desktop Gateway | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Web Services (IIS) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows Deployment Services | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows Essentials | ✅ | ✅ | Default |
| Windows Media Services Support | See documentation for installation options | See documentation for installation options | ✅ |
| WINS Server | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Features | |||
| RODC - Read-Only Domain Controller | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Automatic Virtual Machine Activation | Both guest and host | As guest | As guest |
| Best Practices Analyzer | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| BranchCache Hosted Server | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| BranchCache P2P Cache | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows Control Panel | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| DFS Replication | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Data Deduplication | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| ISCSI Target Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| DirectAccess | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dynamic Memory (in virtualization) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Failover Clustering | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Hot Add/Replace RAM | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| IPAM (IP Address Management) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Microsoft Management Console | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Minimal Server Interface | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Network Load Balancing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Non-volatile Memory Express Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows PowerShell | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Server Core Mode | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Server License Logging | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Server Manager | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| SMB Direct and SMB over RDMA | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Storage Management Service | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Storage Spaces | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Volume Activation Services | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| VSS Integration (Volume Shadow Copy Services) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows Server Update Services | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
