<Li> Extended support: Until October 10, 2023 </Li> <P> Windows Server 2012, codenamed "Windows Server 8", is the sixth release of Windows Server . It is the server version of Windows 8 and succeeds Windows Server 2008 R2 . Two pre-release versions, a developer preview and a beta version, were released during development . The software was generally available to customers starting on September 4, 2012 . </P> <P> Unlike its predecessor, Windows Server 2012 has no support for Itanium - based computers, and has four editions . Various features were added or improved over Windows Server 2008 R2 (with many placing an emphasis on cloud computing), such as an updated version of Hyper - V, an IP address management role, a new version of Windows Task Manager, and ReFS, a new file system . Windows Server 2012 received generally good reviews in spite of having included the same controversial Metro - based user interface seen in Windows 8 . </P> <P> The successor to Windows Server 2012, called Windows Server 2012 R2, was released along with Windows 8.1 in October 2013 . A service pack, formally designated Windows Server 2012 R2 Update, was released in April 2014 . </P>

How many core editions are there of windows server 2012