Windows Server Essentials (formerly Small Business Server or SBS) is an integrated server suite from

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

for businesses with no more than 25 users or 50 devices. It includes

Windows Server Windows Server (formerly Windows NT Server) is a brand name for Server (computing), server-oriented releases of the Windows NT operating system (OS) that have been developed by Microsoft since 1993. The first release under this brand name i ...

, Exchange Server,

Windows SharePoint Services SharePoint is a collection of enterprise content management and knowledge management tools developed by Microsoft. Launched in 2001, it was initially bundled with Windows Server as Windows SharePoint Server, then renamed to Microsoft Office Sh ...

, and

Microsoft Outlook Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager software system from Microsoft, available as a part of the Microsoft 365 software suites. Primarily popular as an email client for businesses, Outlook also includes functions such as Calendari ...

. Application server technologies are tightly integrated to provide and offer management benefits such as integrated setup, enhanced monitoring, Remote Web Workplace, a unified management console, and remote access. Starting with Windows Server Essentials 2022, this product is only available through OEM providers. This product offers the same licensing terms and restrictions regarding the number of users/devices and cores; however, it also offers the same features as Windows Server Standard 2022.

History

As Small Business Server

Initially, Microsoft marketed the Small Business Server (SBS) an edition of

Microsoft BackOffice Server Microsoft BackOffice Server is a discontinued computer software package featuring Windows NT Server and other Microsoft server products that ran on NT Server. It was marketed during the 1990s and early 2000s for use in branch operations and for ...

. With the release of

Windows 2000 Windows 2000 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft, targeting the server and business markets. It is the direct successor to Windows NT 4.0, and was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RT ...

, however, Microsoft spun off Small Business Server 2000 as a separate offering. Until this point, the Premium editions of SBS included SQL Server,

ISA Server Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway (Forefront TMG), formerly known as Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA Server), is a discontinued network router, firewall, antivirus program, VPN server and web cache from M ...

, and FrontPage. SBS 2003 and later all bear the "Windows" brand and are editions of

. SBS 2008 came with an edition of

Windows Server 2008 Windows Server 2008, codenamed "Longhorn Server" (alternatives: "Windows Vista Server" or "Windows Server Vista"), is the seventh major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server b ...

bears the name ''Windows Server 2008 for Windows Essential Server Solutions'' ("WinWESS"), also known as Windows Server 2008 Standard FE. This edition of Windows Server 2008 is available outside the product suite, supporting a maximum of 15 Client Access Licenses. SBS 2008 Premium edition does not include

but includes SQL Server 2008. Those upgrading to SBS 2008 Premium edition via Software Assurance were compensated with a free license for the latest version of ISA Server. In December 2008, Microsoft also introduced a

Windows Essential Business Server Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (code named ''Centro'') was Microsoft's Server (computing), server offering for mid-size businesses (up to a maximum of 300 Users and/or Devices). It was released to manufacturing on 15 September 2008 and wa ...

product aimed at medium-sized businesses, but this was discontinued in June 2010 due to low demand. SBS 2011 was available in Essentials, Standard, and Premium editions. The Essentials edition is a scaled down version for 1 to 25 users; the other editions are based on the

codebase and include Exchange Server,

, and

in addition to what comes with Windows Server.

As Windows Server Essentials

Starting with

Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012, codenamed "Windows Server 8", is the ninth major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It is the server version of Windows based on Windows ...

, Microsoft renamed SBS to Windows Server Essentials. Four versions of Windows Server Essentials were released along with their Windows Server siblings: 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, and 2019. Windows Server 2019 Essentials removed many features found in previous versions of Windows Server Essentials because the "Windows Server Essentials Experience" role was not included in any of the Windows Server 2019 SKUs. This includes Essentials Connector, Client PC Backup, Office 365 integration, Remote Web Access, and the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard.

Discontinuation

In September 2018, the Windows Server hinted that Windows Server Essentials 2019 might be the last version of this product. Following the release of Windows Server 2022, Microsoft announced that their Windows Server Essentials 2022 offering is merely a customized licensing scheme for the Standard edition of Windows Server 2022. At the time of discontinuation, Microsoft offered the same software as part of its

Microsoft 365 Microsoft 365 (previously called Office 365) is a product family of productivity software, collaboration and Cloud computing, cloud-based Software as a service, services owned by Microsoft. It encompasses online services such as Outlook.com, One ...

and

Microsoft Azure Microsoft Azure, or just Azure ( /ˈæʒər, ˈeɪʒər/ ''AZH-ər, AY-zhər'', UK also /ˈæzjʊər, ˈeɪzjʊər/ ''AZ-ure, AY-zure''), is the cloud computing platform developed by Microsoft. It has management, access and development of ...

plans.

Versions

* October 22, 1997 – BackOffice Small Business Server 4.0 : Consists of Windows NT Server 4.0 SP3 and includes Exchange Server 5.0 SP1, Internet Information Services 3.0, SQL Server 6.5 SP3, Proxy Server 1.0,

Internet Explorer Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer, commonly abbreviated as IE or MSIE) is a deprecation, retired series of graphical user interface, graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft that were u ...

3.02 or 4.01, and Outlook 97; allows 25 client licenses. * May 24, 1999 – BackOffice Small Business Server 4.5 : Consists of Windows NT Server 4.0 SP4 and includes Exchange Server 5.5 SP2, IIS 4.0, SQL Server 7.0, Proxy Server 2.0, Internet Explorer 5.0, Outlook 2000, and FrontPage 2000; allows 50 client licenses. * February 21, 2001 – Microsoft Small Business Server 2000 : Consists of

Windows 2000 Server Windows 2000 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft, targeting the server and business markets. It is the direct successor to Windows NT 4.0, and was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RT ...

(including Internet Explorer 5.0 and IIS 5.0) and includes Exchange 2000 Server, SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition, Internet Security & Acceleration Server 2000, Outlook 2000 and FrontPage 2000; allows 50 client licenses. * October 9, 2003 – Windows Small Business Server 2003 (codenamed ''Bobcat'') : Consists of

Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2003, codenamed "Whistler Server", is the sixth major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft and the first server version to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It is part of the Windows NT ...

and includes

Microsoft Exchange Server Microsoft Exchange Server is a mail server and calendaring server developed by Microsoft. It runs exclusively on Windows Server operating systems. The first version was called Exchange Server 4.0, to position it as the successor to the relat ...

2003,

2.0, and optionally

Microsoft SQL Server Microsoft SQL Server is a proprietary relational database management system developed by Microsoft using Structured Query Language (SQL, often pronounced "sequel"). As a database server, it is a software product with the primary function of ...

2000,

2000 (upgrade to ISA Server 2004 in Small Business Server Premium SP1), and Microsoft FrontPage 2003 in Premium edition; allows 75 client licenses. Service Pack 1 for Windows Small Business Server 2003 was released on July 25, 2005. * July 29, 2006 – Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 : Consists of

and includes

2003, Microsoft Outlook 2003,

2.0, and optionally

2005 Workgroup Edition,

2004, and Microsoft FrontPage 2003 in Premium edition; allows 75 client licenses. A major addition is a built-in patch management tool optimized for small businesses, based on Microsoft

Windows Server Update Services Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), previously known as Software Update Services (SUS), is a computer program and network service developed by Microsoft Corporation that enables administrators to manage the distribution of updates and hot ...

. Exchange database size limit is set to 18 GB by default but can be expanded to 75 GB using a registry key. * August 21, 2008 – Windows Small Business Server 2008 (codenamed ''Cougar'') : Consists of

and includes

2007,

3.0 and 120-day trial subscriptions of new security products from Microsoft, namely, Forefront Security for Exchange and Windows Live OneCare for Server. The standard edition of SBS 2008 is a single server product for small businesses. The premium edition contains a license for

and SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition, with the option to run SQL Server on either the main SBS server, or a second server; it is targeted at dual-server scenarios such as terminal services application sharing,

line of business Line of business (LOB) is a general term which refers to a product or a set of related products that serve a particular customer transaction or business need. In some industry sectors, like insurance, "line of business" also has a regulatory and a ...

applications, edge security, secondary domain controllers, and virtualization.SBS Server #1 is required to be 64-bit; SBS Server #2 will provide the option to run as either 32-bit or 64-bit
Microsoft unveils new Small Business Server
In addition to features present in previous versions, new features include: :* A streamlined administration and management console that is designed around tasks to be accomplished rather than underlying technologies :* Built-in support for registering and configuring

domain name In the Internet, a domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services, and more. ...

and DNS records via multiple registrars :* Monitoring reports that gather data from both servers and clients on the network, including Security Center status (anti-virus, spyware, and client firewall) from all the clients :* New features in the Remote Web Workplace, such as the ability to define default and allowed PCs for each user :* Office Live Small Business integration for and configuring a public web site or extranet :* New server backup features, based on the incremental block-based backup technology in Windows Server 2008 ( tape backup no longer supported via native tools, but continues to be supported via third parties) :* SBS 2008 requires installation behind a separate network firewall device. In contrast with SBS 2003, it does not support being installed directly on the edge of the network,

is no longer bundled and a dual-NIC configuration is not possible. :* Migration of 32-bit SBS 2003 versions to 64-bit SBS 2008 and SBS2011 has no in place upgrade and can be problematic. Inability to upgrade Sharepoint (WSS 2.0) by WSS 3.0 or SharePoint 2010 Foundation. :SBS 2008 was released to manufacturing on August 21, 2008 and was launched on November 12, 2008. Windows Small Business Server 2008 supports organizations with up to 75 users or devices. A notable change from SBS 2003 is that CALs are not enforced electronically. * December 13, 2010 – Windows Small Business Server 2011 : Microsoft announced two successors to the SBS series during WPC 2010, both based on Windows Server 2008 R2. One successor (code name "Aurora") supports a maximum of 25 users, does not include Exchange, SharePoint and

(WSUS), and is oriented to attach cloud services. The other successor (code name "SBS 7") is the more direct successor of SBS 2008, and continues to support a maximum of 75 users, and includes Exchange, SharePoint and WSUS. : Late in 2010, Microsoft announced the official branding for the 2011 wave: SBS "7" became "Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard," and "Aurora" was christened "Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials." Whereas formerly, the premium edition of SBS was packaged as a superset of the standard edition, in the 2011 wave, it was to be available as an add-on, containing standalone copies of SQL Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It could be added to either SBS 2011 Essentials or Standard. : In mid-December, Microsoft released SBS 2011 Standard to TechNet and MSDN subscribers for evaluation. Microsoft released SBS 2011 Standard to volume licensing customers in early January and as a trial in mid-January. SBS 2011 requires an Internet connection. * October 10, 2012 – Windows Server 2012 Essentials : In July 2012, Microsoft announced that there would not be another SBS product. Rather,

Essentials succeeded SBS Essentials. Windows Server 2012 Essentials does not include

, which is used for messaging and collaboration, including the ability to host email. Windows Server Essentials and its successors were designed for small businesses with up to 25 users and 50 devices. * September 9, 2013 – Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials * October 12, 2016 – Windows Server 2016 Essentials * November 13, 2018 – Windows Server 2019 Essentials : Windows Server 2019 Essentials removed many features found in previous versions of Windows Server Essentials, including Remote Web Access, Essentials Connector, Client PC Backup, Office 365 integration and the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard. It is the last version of Windows Server Essentials.

Licensing

Normally, Microsoft licenses its on-premises server products on a per-seat or per-user basis, i.e., the licensing cost depends on how many users or computers use these products. Businesses that install them require to obtain client access licenses (CALs). Windows Server 2012 Essentials and later do not need any CALs. However, this has not always been the case. Earlier versions – Windows Small Business Server (SBS) – had their own types of CAL, and included the user CALs for

, Exchange Server, and eventually SQL Server. The SBS CALs cost more than the Windows Server CALs, but less than the sum of separate access licenses for the two or three servers. Windows Small Business Server has the following design restrictions: * Only one computer in the domain can run SBS. The domain supports multiple servers (including additional

domain controller A domain controller (DC) is a Server (computing), server that responds to security authentication requests within a computer network domain. It is a Network (computing), network server that is responsible for allowing Host (network), host access to ...

s) running any other operating system, such as Windows Server, but only one SBS. * SBS must be the root of the

Active Directory Active Directory (AD) is a directory service developed by Microsoft for Windows domain networks. Windows Server operating systems include it as a set of processes and services. Originally, only centralized domain management used Active Direct ...

forest. * SBS cannot establish a trust relationship with any other domains or have sub-domains. * SBS is limited to 75 users or devices depending on the type of CAL. * SBS 2003 and earlier are limited to no more than 4 GB of

RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

. SBS 2008 supports a maximum of 32 GB. It requires a minimum of 4 GB for installation, but needs more for performance. * SBS 2003 R2 and earlier are only available for the

IA-32 IA-32 (short for "Intel Architecture, 32-bit", commonly called ''i386'') is the 32-bit version of the x86 instruction set architecture, designed by Intel and first implemented in the i386, 80386 microprocessor in 1985. IA-32 is the first incarn ...

(32-bit) architecture. * SBS 2008 is only available for the

x86-64 x86-64 (also known as x64, x86_64, AMD64, and Intel 64) is a 64-bit extension of the x86 instruction set architecture, instruction set. It was announced in 1999 and first available in the AMD Opteron family in 2003. It introduces two new ope ...

architecture. * The SQL Server that comes with SBS 2008 is "SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition for Small Business.". It cannot be installed outside a network that has a domain controller, and must have fewer than 75 PCs or users (depending on the CAL.) *

Remote Desktop Services Remote Desktop Services (RDS), known as Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008 and earlier, is one of the components of Microsoft Windows that allow a user to initiate and control an interactive session on a remote computer or virtual machine ...

on SBS is restricted to two simultaneous sessions. (Change from SBS 2000 policy) Terminal Services in application sharing mode needs to be run on a second server running a separately obtained copy of Windows Server. To remove these restrictions and upgrade to regular editions of Windows Server, Exchange Server, SQL Server and ISA Server, there was a Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Transition Pack.

References

External links

''The Windows Server Essentials and Small Business Server Blog''
in Microsoft Blog Archive
SBSFaq.com
an independent blog {{Microsoft Windows family Essentials