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Microsoft Leak Reveals New Windows 10 Workstation Edition For Power Users (theverge.com)
Upon close inspection of the Windows 10 build that Microsoft accidentally pushed to insiders last week, several users are reporting discovering the reference of a new Windows 10 SKU. From a report: In a leaked slide, Microsoft describes the edition as "Windows 10 Pro for Workstation" with four main capabilities:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
Good to hear they're making a version of Windows specifically for professional use. It should then come without all the crap bloatware, ads, and telemetry, right? Right?
Frankly, I've lost count at this point.
Clippy-Pro!
Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
The SMB Direct feature sounds interesting. Apparently it was introduced in Windows Server 2012.
It requires a network adapter that supports Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA). Here's the part I found interesting:
After at least one RDMA network connection is created, the TCP/IP connection used for the original protocol negotiation is no longer used. However, the TCP/IP connection is retained in case the RDMA network connections fail.
So we've got different behavior for drivers (or otherwise different handling of hardware) for Windows Update to routinely fuck up, a new, untested file system that was delayed so much because it was unreliable, and a new SMB thing to get hacked.
And all you're promising me is somewhat better resource/process management, slightly faster access to network files, an allegedly more robust file system, and the ability to use more CPUs and RAM?
No thanks.
Until you provide numbers, I won't care about your alleged improvements. In the old days, the extent of their tuning for the server OS vs the desktop OS was changing the "Processor scheduling" option from "Programs" to "Background Services" and presumable adjusting the scheduling algorithm to stop putting services on the short bus.
Network file access is fast enough on a wired link. Sure, I'd like for it to be faster, but where are the numbers? Do I need a new share that supports the new shit as well? Or are the improvements only on the client side? If they're client side, then why not just improve regular SMB handling for everyone?
I haven't had an issue with NTFS that wasn't related to hardware issues. NTFS isn't the greatest, but I have no issues with out. I've encountered the ol' scandisk errors on it when shit is shutdown forcefully due to power loss or thermal protection, but those were always recoverable events. I've only had unrecoverable events on failing hardware.
With AMD's Threadripper you can get 16 cores and 32 threads in a single socket. With Epyc, you can get 32/64. And Epyc supports multiple sockets. If you need more than that you wait for Intel's upcoming 18/36 CPU for $2000, or get a big, slow Xeon (or two). I wouldn't consider such beasts "workstations". They'd be servers, in a rack with proper cooling, power filtering/redundancy/backup, ECC memory, physical security, etc., and the workstation would be someone remoting in to it. I don't know what the limit on RAM is for existing Windows 10 SKUs, but I doubt it's a practical limit for anyone who shouldn't be running shit on an actual server.
Now, if they had removed the telemetry entirely and let me truly turn off shit like Cortana, the Windows Store, the forced updates, etc., AND respect that decision and (and not default it back to on after each update I do choose to install), then I'd care.
Coming this winter... For over twenty five years you've experienced the security hell that is Windows. You watched when Microsoft started uploading your data to the cloud by default without your consent. You've seen the joys of "telemetry." You remember the NSA encryption key (_NSAKEY) in 1999. Now, experience Windows 10 Workstation Edition! *Cue epic trailer music* Now, all your data will be stored safely in OneDrive so you can access it anywhere, any time. Trust state of the art Microsoft security techniques such as administrator privilege escalation, coupled with our award winning intelligent ad suggestion service and forced obsolescence. *Red laughing skull with deep malevolent laugh* Never lose access to your files again with our patented back door cryptographic keys! And click on our new live.com dashboard for a record of all your keystrokes! Coming this winter... Only from... MICROSOFT.
Or put another way:
1. Runs as fast as possible.
2. Fast and fault-tolerant file system.
3. Handles files as fast as possible.
4. Supports the hardware you already have.
Isn't that what all operating systems should do out of the box? What's with this stupid tiered pricing thing for non-feature features? Keep your SLA pricing where it belongs.
Given the fact windows is a spying and advertising platform who would pay extra to use it for "work" only to be hosed by forced data exfiltration and forced updates /w shoddy QA regardless of it's other capabilities?
I mean.. when they can't even manage... to force the right version of windows out the door.. when they resort to outright lies and trickery to get their way.. when their operating systems come pre-installed with a remote access trojan and stated policy granting them the right to exfiltrate your data from your system without asking or you even knowing about it who is going to want to roll the dice?
I fail to see the point of a new file system that comes with an absurd number of limitations including lack of transactions, EFS or inability to actually boot and run the operating system that makes it worthless for any "workstation" purpose other than a generic file server.
What would in be useful for a "workstation" would be for MS to get off their asses and fix long standing deficiencies in block level software RAID implementation.... Little things like deprioritizing and rate limiting rebuilds, not concurrently regenerating multiple volumes across the same physical disks, multi-disk read and block level recovery that does not fail the whole disk, ability to add more disks to achieve arbitrary levels of redundancy or read only I/O acceleration.
I don't really want to see a new IFS at this point unless it brings something really significant to the table. At the very least it must work transparently with everything with complete feature parity, must be bootable and it must optionally be versioned.
Not cores. Sockets.
So, if workshation-mode gives us peak performance and reliability, then what the hell are we receiving now?
Peak performance and reliability too... for the buyer to whom they are selling all the telemetry data.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]