Microsoft leak reveals new Windows 10 Workstation edition for power users

[Arthur]

Yet another Windows 10 edition.

 

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/5/15739192/microsoft-windows-10-pro-for-workstations-advanced-pcs-features

 

It’s been more than 20 years since Microsoft used the Workstation branding in its Windows 4.0 Workstation edition, but it appears the company is ready to bring it back. Twitter users @AndItsTito and @GrandMofongo have discovered references to a new edition of Windows 10 in a build Microsoft accidentally released to testers last week. Described as "Windows 10 Pro for Advanced PCs", the new version appears to cater for significant hardware demands.

 

In a leaked slide, Microsoft describes the edition as “Windows 10 Pro for Workstation” with four main capabilities:

 

• Workstation mode: Microsoft plans to optimize the OS by identifying “typical compute and graphics intensive workloads” to provide peak performance and reliability when Workstation mode is enabled.
  
• Resilient file system: Microsoft’s file system successor to NTFS, dubbed ReFS, is enabled in this new version, with support for fault-tolerance, optimized for large data volumes, and auto-correcting.
  
• Faster file handling: As workstation machines are typically used for large data volumes across networks, Microsoft is including the SMBDirect protocol for file sharing and high throughput, low latency, and low CPU utilization when accessing network shares.
  
• Expanded hardware support: Microsoft is also planning to allow Windows 10 Pro for Workstation on machines with up to 4 CPUs and a memory limit of 6TB. Windows 10 Pro currently only supports 2 CPUs.
  

Microsoft is clearly targeting this new edition of Windows 10 to power users who are processing mass amounts of data each day. This will likely be used mostly in enterprise scenarios, and the software giant appears to still be working on the exact feature set and naming.

[Michael]

You'd think Enterprise/Education should do all the above anyway, clearly not!?

[DJ-1701]

You'd think Enterprise/Education should do all the above anyway, clearly not!?

 

Well, I assume this would be for a non-Enterprise/Education environment? So say a small graphics team or any of us geeks that want UNLIMITED POWER!

[FN-GM]

They had it right with Windows XP Home & Pro version!

 

It is a joke now!

[Michael]

But the last paragraph mentions 'enterprise scenarios'?

[DJ-1701]

But the last paragraph mentions 'enterprise scenarios'?

 

That is an assumption by The Verge though, not a Microsoft statement.

[FreelanceX]

ReFS is available right now in Windows 10. You can format any non-system data drive with it. So I would take this with a pinch of salt.

[Arthur]

You can format any non-system data drive with it.

Perhaps with the "Advanced PCs" edition you will be able to have a ReFS system volume?

[FreelanceX]

Perhaps with the "Advanced PCs" edition you will be able to have a ReFS system volume?

 

Id say that is unlikely. ReFS doesn't even support system/boot drives on Server 2016 RTM, or on the current internal RS2 builds.

 

ReFS has parts (that NTFS has) missing which prevent boot/system drive support at present.

 

Before we see any version of Win 10 supporting that, you will see it on the server builds first.

[david_1152]

Gosh, maybe I'm old but for me it was always NT 3.51 Workstation. I put a NT server in here back in the day, and workstation was for exactly what it was called - for the workstations.

 

Made for a solid system we ran for ages before moving to 4. Oh hum. Feeling old now.

 

Dave

[2ilent8cho]

What next, Windows 10 Government Edition? When will Microsoft wake up and understand all these SKU's are just annoying.

[Arthur]

What next, Windows 10 Government Edition?

Microsoft already make a government edition for China. It would be interesting to see if they make another version for the UK government.

 

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2017/05/23/announcing-windows-10-china-government-edition-new-surface-pro

[Michael]

Windows 10 - Cover Up Edition

[Sheridan]

I've got my fingers crossed for 'Windows 10 - Working Edition'

 

Might be waiting a while though....

[Arthur]

Microsoft to remove full ReFS support from Windows 10 Pro, push Workstation SKU

 

In the Fall Creators Update, Microsoft is removing the ability to create volumes using its new ReFS file system from Windows 10 Pro. Existing volumes will continue to work, but Pro will no longer be able to create new ones.

 

After rumors in June, Microsoft confirmed last week that it was producing yet another variant of Windows 10: Pro for Workstations. The main features of this build are that it lifts certain limits found in regular Pro: up to four processors (compared to two in Pro) and 6TB of RAM (compared to 2TB). It also has support for certain exotic server-grade hardware, including non-volatile main memory and high-speed network adaptors.

 

Microsoft is promoting one final feature in Pro for Workstations: its new, modern file system, ReFS ("resilient file system"). ReFS—like modern file systems on other platforms such as Oracle's ZFS and Linux's btrfs—includes integrated checksums to detect data corruption. Combined with Storage Spaces, it can automatically reconstruct damaged data from software-defined arrays.

 

Promoting this as a feature of Pro for Workstations was, however, a little odd; current Windows 10 Pro already supports ReFS and can be used to create ReFS volumes on Storage Spaces. Windows machines must still use the traditional NTFS file system for certain roles, as ReFS isn't yet bootable—something that remains true even in Pro for Workstations. But the file system itself works and is supported.

 

However, Twitter user Tero Alhonen spotted that the list of features removed or deprecated in the Fall Creators Update now includes the creation of ReFS volumes in Windows 10 Pro. Windows 10 Enterprise (available only to volume license customers) and Windows 10 Pro for Workstations will be the only versions of Windows 10 to retain the ability to create ReFS volumes.

[round2it]

I have not even looked at windows 10 yet due to the huge number of builds, it is so confusing just have one that works then I will look into it as from reading the forum every build breaks something I do not have the time