Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials Overview

In addition to the Essentials Dashboard, having Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials also provides some new entries in the Server Manager.

You will now find sections for AD CS, AD DS, DNS, IIS, NAP, Remote Access, Remote Desktop Services, WDS, and Windows Server Essentials Experience.

• AD CS: Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) is an Identity and Access Control security technology that provides customizable services for creating and managing public key certificates used in software security systems that employ public key technologies.
• AD DS: Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) stores directory data and manages communication between users and domains, including user logon processes, authentication, and directory searches. An Active Directory domain controller is a server that is running AD DS.
• DNS: The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical, distributed database that contains mappings of DNS domain names to various types of data, such as Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. DNS allows you to use friendly names, such as www.microsoft.com, to easily locate computers and other resources on a TCP/IP-based network. DNS is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard.
• IIS: Internet Information Services (IIS) provides a secure, easy-to-manage, modular and extensible platform for reliably hosting websites, services and applications.
• NAP: Network Access Protection (NAP) is a new platform that allows network administrators to specify levels of network access based on a client’s identity, the groups to which the client belongs, and the degree to which the client complies with corporate governance policy. If a client is not compliant, NAP provides a mechanism for automatically bringing the client into compliance (a process known as remediation) and then dynamically increasing its level of network access.
• Remote Access:  Remote Access provides seamless connectivity through DirectAccess, VPN, and Web Application Proxy.  DirectAccess provides and Always On and Always Managed experience.  RAS provides traditional VPN services, including site-to-site connectivity.  Web Application Proxy enable the publishing of selected HTTP-and HTTPS-based applications from your corporate network to client devices outside of the corporate network.  Routing provides traditional routing capabilities, including NAT and other connectivity options.
• Remote Desktop Services: Remote Desktop Services enables users to access virtual desktops, session-based desktops, and RemoteApp programs.
• WDS: Windows Deployment Services (WDS) provides a simplified, secure means of rapidly and remotely deploying Windows operating systems to computers over the network.