Last month, Microsoft decided to skip release to manufacturing (RTM) and fully launch Windows Server 2019. That launch was put in limbo, but the new iteration of Windows Server comes with many changes. Microsoft has now announced OpenSSH is among them.
The company has been promising OpenSSH since 2015 and has already implemented it in some services. However, Windows Server has missed out on the utilities suite. That will change with Windows Server 2019.
OpenSSH has been available on-demand through Windows 10 since the launch of Build 1803 (April 2018 Update). Windows Server has been limited to a pre-release of OpenSSH. Microsoft is changing the lack of support on its server platform next year.
With the full launch of Windows Server 2019, users will get access to OpenSSH. If you are unfamiliar with the service, it is a suite of client/server utilities that give users a secure remote actionable platform that allows remote access to login, file management, and other functions.
Based on the OpenBSD project, OpenSSH has been widely used on MacOS, Linux, and Unix platforms for years and is now spreading to Microsoft's Windows products. The company says the introduction on Windows Server coincides with OpenSSH availability on Windows 10 1809 (October 2018 Update).
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2019 swerved making sweeping changes to the service. Instead, Microsoft decided to evolve the OS by building “on the foundation of Windows Server 2016.”
Microsoft has previously said the new build focuses on security, application support, hyperconverged infrastructure, and hybrid support. Hybrid is a major part of the experience, allowing organizations to merge their own infrastructure with public cloud services. Microsoft is leveraging its Windows Admin Center as the core hub for controlling hybrid.
