Today we are pleased to release a new build of the Windows Server vNext Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release that contains both the Desktop Experience and Server Core in all 18 server languages, as well as a new build of the next Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel release in English.

There are two major areas that we would like you to try out in each preview release and report back any issues:

In-place OS Upgrade (from Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016)
Application compatibility – please let us know if any server roles or applications stops working or fails to function as it used to

Build-to-build upgrade is currently not supported.

What’s New in the Latest Build

Performance history for Storage Spaces Direct

In this build, the performance history feature of Storage Spaces Direct gets even better:

The Get-ClusterPerf cmdlet now includes self-diagnosis logic: if the cmdlet finds nothing to report, it now looks for common issues that would prevent performance history from working properly (for example, if its storage is missing) so that the cmdlet can provide clear error text.
New cmdlets, Start-ClusterPerformanceHistory and Stop-ClusterPerformanceHistory, that are provided in this build make it easy to remediate such issues by cleaning up and/or re-provisioning performance history.
New series, provided in this build, record how much Storage Spaces Direct data needs to repair/resync per server.

Container Improvements

In our continued effort to improve Windows Server Core and reduce its image size, we made the following changes: – we converted non-critical font components into optional components (OC) in Windows Server Core editions, and then removed these OCs from Windows Server Core container images. This change won’t affect the user experience of Windows Server Core, except that users now have the ability to enable or disable non-critical font components, like they can do for any other OC. For Server Core containers, only the default font, Arial, is supported; no other fonts are supported, and no others can be installed.

Click here to see the full list of new functionality introduced in earlier builds.

Available Content

Windows Server 2019 Preview is available in ISO format in 18 languages, and in VHDX format in English only. This build and all future pre-release builds will require use of activation keys during setup. The following keys allow for unlimited activations:

Datacenter Edition	6XBNX-4JQGW-QX6QG-74P76-72V67
Standard Edition	MFY9F-XBN2F-TYFMP-CCV49-RMYVH

Windows Server vNext Semi-Annual Preview The Server Core Edition is available in English only, in ISO or VHDX format. The images are pre-keyed – no need to enter a key during setup.

Symbols are available on the public symbol server – see Update on Microsoft’s Symbol Server blog post and Using the Microsoft Symbol Server. As before, matching Windows Server container images will be available via Docker Hub. For more information about Windows Server containers and Insider builds, click here.

This build will expire December 14th, 2018.

How to Download

To obtain the Insider software downloads, registered Insiders may navigate directly to the Windows Server Insider Preview download page. If you have not yet registered as an Insider, see GETTING STARTED WITH SERVER on the Windows Insiders for Business portal.

We value your feedback!

Use your registered Windows 10 Insider device and use the Feedback Hub application. In the app, choose the Server category and then the appropriate subcategory for your feedback. Please indicate what build number you are providing feedback on. We also encourage you to visit the Windows Server Insiders space on the Microsoft Tech Communities forum to collaborate, share and learn from experts.