Processor and Memory Support
| Processor/Memory Feature |
Windows Server 2008 R2 |
Windows Server 2012 |
| Logical processors on hardware |
64 |
320 |
| Physical memory |
1 TB |
4 TB |
| Virtual processors per host |
512 |
2,048 |
| Virtual processors per virtual machine |
4 |
64 |
| Memory per virtual machine |
64 GB |
1 TB |
| Active virtual machines |
384 |
1,024 |
| Maximum cluster nodes |
16 |
64 |
| Maximum cluster virtual machines |
1,000 |
8,000 |
Network
| Network Feature |
Windows Server 2008 R2 |
Windows Server 2012 |
| NIC Teaming |
Yes, through partners |
Yes, Windows NIC Teaming in box |
| VLAN Tagging |
Yes |
Yes |
| MAC spoofing protection |
Yes, with R2 SP1 |
Yes |
| ARP spoofing protection |
Yes, with R2 SP1 |
Yes |
| SR-IOV networking |
No |
Yes |
| Network QoS |
No |
Yes |
| Network metering |
No |
Yes |
| Network monitor modes |
No |
Yes |
| IPsec task offload |
No |
Yes |
| VM Trunk Mode |
No |
Yes |
Storage
| Storage Feature |
Windows Server 2008 R2 |
Windows Server 2012 |
| Live storage migration |
No, quick storage migration through System Center Virtual Machine Manager |
Yes, with no limits (as many as the hardware will allow) |
| Virtual machines on file storage |
No |
Yes, Server Message Block 3.0 (SMB3) |
| Guest Fibre Channel |
No |
Yes |
| Virtual disk format |
VHD up to 2 TB |
VHD up to 2 TB VHDX up to 64 TB |
| Virtual machine guest clustering |
Yes, through iSCSI |
Yes, through iSCSI, Fibre Channel, or Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) |
| Native 4 KB disk support |
No |
Yes |
| Live virtual hard disk merge |
No, offline |
Yes |
| Live new parent |
No |
Yes |
| Secure offloaded data transfer |
No |
Yes |
Manageability
| Manageability Feature |
Windows Server 2008 R2 |
Windows Server 2012 |
| Hyper-V PowerShell |
No |
Yes |
| Network PowerShell |
No |
Yes |
| Storage PowerShell |
No |
Yes |
| REST APIs |
No |
Yes |
| SCONFIG |
Yes |
Yes |
| Enable/Disable shell |
No, server core at operating system setup |
Yes |
| VMConnect support for RemoteFX |
No |
Yes |
