You can improve the security of your application development infrastructure by reducing the size and scope of application and compute resources. One way to do this is to containerize workloads. Windows Server and Microsoft Hyper-V containers enable you to isolate workloads from each other and the OS. Even if a container is compromised by an attacker, it will be difficult for the attacker to access the host OS. Containers also provide a standardized environment for development, test and production teams. Show ContainersContainers provide an isolated and portable operating environment for apps. From the app’s perspective, a container appears to be a complete, isolated Windows OS with its own file system, devices and configuration. Therefore, in many respects, containers are like VMs because they run an OS, they support a file system, and you can access them across a network similar to any other physical machine or VM. Containers are virtual environments that share the kernel of the host OS but provide user space isolation, so they provides an ideal environment in which an app can run without affecting the rest of the user mode components of the OS and without the other user mode components affecting the app. Using containers, developers can create and test apps quickly in an isolated environment while using only a few OS resources. This means that containers do not need all of the processes and services that an OS on a VM might use. Windows Server 2016 supports two types of containers:
Using containers has multiple benefits. The reduced OS size means that you must maintain fewer operating-system components, which in turn results in fewer potential security risks. The reduced OS size also helps improves scalability. DockerTo run an application workload in a container, you must use Docker. Docker is a collection of open-source tools and cloud-based services that provide a common model for packaging (containerizing) app code into a standardized unit for software development. This standardized unit, or Docker container, is software that is wrapped in a complete file system that includes everything it needs to run, including code, runtime, system tools, system libraries, and anything else you can install on a server. You must download Docker separately; it is not part of the Windows Server 2016 installation media. Nano ServerMicrosoft Nano Server is a fairly new installation option for Windows Server 2016. It is a lightweight operating system tailored for use with virtualized container instances. There is no UI; you must manage Nano Server remotely using PowerShell, but this PowerShell differs from the standard one. As of Windows Server version 1803, Nano Server is available only as a container-based OS image, and you must run it as a container in a container host, such as Docker. You can troubleshoot these new Nano containers using Docker and run them in IoT Core. A Nano Server instance cannot function as an Active Directory domain controller. In particular, it does not support the following features:
Nano Server supports the following roles:
Loading ...  Product Evangelist at Netwrix Corporation, writer, and presenter. Ryan specializes in evangelizing cybersecurity and promoting the importance of visibility into IT changes and data access. As an author, Ryan focuses on IT security trends, surveys, and industry insights.
Q. What is the difference between Windows Containers and Hyper-V Containers in Windows Server 2016? A. Containers are a very popular technology in the Linux world today as they solve a number of challenges related to application deployment. Here's an example: An application developer writes a program, then gives it to the IT department to deploy -- but it doesn't work because there are various dependencies missing (i.e. the developer had them in their environment but missing in the server environment). Containers solve this by creating a complete dependency for an application including middleware, runtimes, libraries and even the OS requirements. Additionally, each of these dependencies/layers are packaged up and run in their own user-mode container, isolating them from other applications avoiding problems with applications not being compatible with each other. These applications running in containers have their own view of the file system, registry and even networking addresses. Docker is a very popular in the world of containers as a standard repository and management layer for the native container functionality found in Linux. Windows Server 2016 brings containers to Windows Server and integrates with Docker for the repository and management. Windows Server 2016 will have two types of containers, Windows containers and Hyper-V containers. [Container World delivers real-world case studies from the cloud-native ecosystem, hands-on technical education, the best speakers and cutting-edge startups under one roof. Get your ticket.] Windows containers work the same was as Linux containers. Each containerized application runs in its own user-mode, isolated container on a shared host operating system. This is shown in the picture below and also shows how the various dependencies are pulled for a Docker application. Note that different containers may use the same libraries. Also note that while an application has a dependency on a certain OS version and a base OS image may be downloaded, this must match the host OS version as multiple OS versions are not possible since they share a common kernel and OS. There are two challenges with this approach that may cause a problem in certain environments.
This is where Hyper-V containers can be used. Hyper-V containers use the base image defined for the application and automatically creates a Hyper-V VM using that base image. Inside that VM are the various binaries, libraries and the application inside a Windows container -- and that is a critical point. Hyper-V containers are still using Windows containers within the VM. The only difference is the Windows container is now running inside a Hyper-V VM which provides kernel isolation and separation of the host patch/version level from that used by the application. The application is containerized using Windows containers and then at deployment time you pick the level of isolation required by choosing a Windows or Hyper-V container. This is shown below. Note that multiple Hyper-V containers can use a common base image and no manual management of the VMs is required. They are automatically created and deleted. Windows Server 2016 supports nested virtualization which means even if your container host is a Hyper-V VM you will still be able to use Hyper-V containers on that container host as it can create VMs within VMs. What edition of Server 2016 supports a maximum of two HyperRegarding containers, there are no limitations in the Datacenter Edition. You can create an unlimited number of both Windows and Hyper-V containers.
What Windows Server editions include support for HyperManage earlier versions - With Hyper-V Manager in Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, and Windows 10, you can manage computers running Hyper-V on Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1.
Does HyperYou can run Windows containers with or without Hyper-V isolation. Hyper-V isolation creates a secure boundary around the container with an optimized VM. Unlike standard Windows containers that share the kernel between containers and the host, each Hyper-V isolated container has its own instance of the Windows kernel.
What is Windows Server with containers?A Windows Server Container is a recourse controlled, isolated and portable operating environment. The container shares some operating system kernel code with the underlying Windows Server operating system. But other than that it is truly an autonomous operating system environment.
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