What's new for IT pros in the next Windows 10 update

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The archetypal update to Windows 10 since the accomplishment of Windows 11 makes it wide that Windows 10 volition autumn behind.

Image: Anton Watman/Shutterstock

The Windows 10 November 2021 Update, arsenic Windows 10 21H2 is present known, is the past of the six-monthly diagnostic updates to Windows. Like Windows 11, Windows 10 volition present get an update conscionable erstwhile a twelvemonth (the Semi Annual Channel is present known arsenic the General Availability Channel). And judging by what's included successful this merchandise (and what isn't), it's wide that sticking with Windows 10 means losing retired connected features.

SEE: Windows 11: Tips connected installation, information and much (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

The absorption for the November 2021 Update is "productivity, absorption and security" according to Microsoft, and astir of the features are much applicable to enterprises than individuals.

What's in; what's out

Windows 10 is getting Wi-Fi 6 support; little for the improved bandwidth and much for the Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 Hash-to-Element protocol (WPA3 H2E) that protects against the Dragonblood attacks connected the mode WPA3 encodes passwords for its SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) handshake (also known arsenic Dragonfly).

Although endeavor Wi-Fi networks aren't vulnerable, connected the benignant of idiosyncratic wireless networks radical volition beryllium utilizing erstwhile moving from location oregon astatine the java store sidechannel attacks SAE could bargain Wi-Fi passwords and different information. Assuming you person Wi-Fi 6 hardware successful your PC, H2E is simply a much unafraid enactment that's besides much computationally efficient.

However, Windows 10 isn't getting the USB 4 enactment that's successful Windows 11; USB 4 ports are lone connected caller PCs, but that includes immoderate of the caller Surface models from Microsoft, which are disposable with Windows 10 arsenic an option.

Similarly, Windows 10 isn't getting the WSLg feature from Windows 11 that lets you tally graphical Linux applications and person them amusement up connected the Windows Start paper (although you tin inactive run your ain X Server) oregon the Linux record strategy integration that puts Linux folders successful File Explorer.

But successful the November 2021 Update, you tin usage GPU compute successful WSL 2 if you're utilizing it for machine learning oregon different applications that usage the GPU to velocity up massively parallel calculations. That means you tin tally instrumentality learning frameworks similar PyTorch and TensorFlow successful WSL2. Any GPU with DirectX 12 drivers gives you DirectML support, though you whitethorn request to update your operator for it to enactment with TensorFlow successful WSL 2; if you person an NVidia card, Windows 10 volition enactment CUDA successful WSL 2 arsenic well.

SEE: Office 365: A usher for tech and concern leaders (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Already supported successful Windows 11, Windows 10 is getting the cloud spot model that Windows Hello for Business volition present successful 2022 for going passwordless.

Usually organizations that usage Windows Hello person to deploy Azure AD Connect and sync to their Active Directory with writeback; that's a batch of work and each sync tin instrumentality anyplace from minutes to hours. Based connected the enactment Microsoft did to fto organizations usage Azure AD to sign successful to accepted AD resources connected your web utilizing a FIDO2 information key, unreality spot inactive requires Azure AD Connect but lets you tally a PowerShell publication to make the indispensable spot betwixt AAD and AD. Users volition beryllium capable to motion successful utilizing a Windows Hello biometric device–the camera successful their laptop oregon a fingerprint sensor – alternatively of a hardware key, get authenticated done Azure AD and get entree to resources managed by Active Directory connected your web with overmuch little enactment for the IT team.

The UWP VPN APIs for creating and controlling VPN connections get immoderate protocol and authentication updates and determination are unspecified information updates successful a scope of Windows components, including the kernel and cryptography subsystem.

Universal Print successful Windows 10 Enterprise present supports people jobs up to 1GB (either a azygous record oregon aggregate smaller files printed wrong a 15 infinitesimal window). It tin people from OneDrive documents successful a browser (including Excel for web by the extremity of 2021).

To simplify instrumentality absorption and promote organizations to determination from radical argumentation to MDM, Windows 10 gets the aforesaid 1,400+ caller MSM settings that you tin use though ADMX administrative templates, with policies for areas similar App Compat, Event Forwarding, Servicing, and Task Scheduler. The new templates will beryllium disposable aboriginal this week on with a spreadsheet of the argumentation settings, Microsoft tells us.

Windows 10 is already getting the caller Store from Windows 11; by the extremity of the year, it volition beryllium connected each mentation of Windows 10 from 2004 onward. But the Windows Subsystem for Android and the Android app stores that travel with it are conscionable connected Windows 11.

Microsoft already declined to say whether Windows 10 volition get the smaller, faster monthly Windows Update packages from Windows 11 and we don't expect the EcoQoS feature that improves artillery beingness connected newer CPUs to travel to Windows 10; and 64-bit emulation is besides disconnected the table.

Chris Lorigan, caput of the Surface merchandise portfolio astatine Microsoft UK, antecedently told america that the Arm-based Windows Pro X would determination to Windows 11. "The Pro X is our enactment successful the sand; we're moving this signifier factor, this instrumentality specifically guardant to lone beryllium disposable with Windows 11."

All Windows connected Arm devices but the precise archetypal models from OEMs similar HP tin tally Windows 11, and Microsoft has present said that moving to Windows 11 is the lone mode to get X64 emulation connected Arm (even though Windows Insiders person antecedently tested the exertion connected Windows 10). The ARM64EC superset of the ARM64 architecture that allows developers to combine emulated and autochthonal code (particularly utile for plugins) is besides lone supported connected Windows 11.

Tools for updating

Individual users volition commencement seeing the November 2021 Update successful Windows Update connected PCs that telemetry from the Insider programme shows bully results on, if they person Windows 10 mentation 2004 oregon later. (Anyone inactive moving mentation 2004 should upgrade sooner alternatively than aboriginal due to the fact that it stops getting updates connected Dec. 14, 2021.) They mightiness besides beryllium offered the Windows 11 upgrade connected the aforesaid PC, truthful IT teams volition privation to supply guidance if there's a institution argumentation connected which to use. As usual, not each idiosyncratic volition spot the update immediately, either due to the fact that of imaginable issues with their circumstantial instrumentality oregon due to the fact that Microsoft is throttling availability truthful the update web isn't overloaded.

For organizations, the update tin already beryllium downloaded done Windows Server Update Services (including Configuration Manager), Windows Update for Business, Visual Studio Subscriptions, the Software Download Center (if you usage Update Assistant oregon the Media Creation Tool) and the Volume Licensing Service Center (although immoderate languages whitethorn beryllium slower to look connected VLSC). It won't beryllium disposable done the Microsoft Update Catalog. Despite the authoritative name, the update volition beryllium named Feature Update to Windows 10, mentation 21H2 successful Windows Update. It volition automatically look successful WSUS if you configure Products and Classifications to Windows 10 nether Product and Upgrades nether Classification.

SEE: 83 Excel tips each idiosyncratic should master (TechRepublic)

Like Windows 10 20H2 and 21H1, the November 2021 Update is being delivered arsenic an enablement package: That means the halfway operating strategy is inactive the aforesaid arsenic Windows 10 mentation 2004, with the aforesaid acceptable of strategy files that get updated, alternatively than a full caller acceptable of strategy files. If you're moving mentation 2004, 20H2 oregon 21H1, the codification for the caller features has already been included successful monthly Patch Tuesday updates and the update that you download to get the caller merchandise is really conscionable the power codification to crook those features on, truthful lone 1 restart is required for installation. Earlier releases of Windows (including the 1909 Enterprise mentation that's inactive successful support) volition person to download the afloat diagnostic update.

If you usage the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK), that doesn't request updating due to the fact that the acceptable of strategy files successful the halfway OS stay the same.

Windows 10 Enterprise 21H2 builds are already disposable arsenic some 32- and 64-bit ISOs successful the Microsoft Evaluation Center, for 11 antithetic languages, for 90-day tests. If you're utilizing Windows 365 Enterprise, you tin make Cloud PCs that usage Windows 10 21H2 now; that volition beryllium disposable for Windows 365 Business soon. The caller merchandise is besides supported connected Azure Virtual Desktop.

The Windows Release Health present has a Windows 10 21H2 conception with known and resolved issues (so acold there's thing circumstantial to the caller release). If Microsoft needs to artifact the November 2021 Update connected immoderate circumstantial PCs, details of those safeguard holds volition look present (but endeavor customers volition get much details successful the Microsoft 365 admin center).

Calendar confusion

The November 2021 Update besides gives america somewhat a clearer representation of the Windows 10 roadmap, but this remains confusing due to the fact that yearly diagnostic updates with existent enactment lifecycles don't align with the promised extremity of support.

Although Enterprise and Education versions get 30 months of servicing updates and support, the Windows Home and Pro versions get lone 18 months: With the accustomed abbreviated grace play to screen deployment time, that takes enactment for the November 2012 Update to June 11, 2024, and June 13, 2023. As Windows 10 volition stay supported until Oct. 14, 2025, that means determination mightiness beryllium astatine slightest 2 much releases of Windows 10 and perchance three.

SEE: Why Windows 11's information is specified a large deal (TechRepublic)

Microsoft has already said it's readying different Windows 10 diagnostic update successful the 2nd fractional of 2022. If it sticks with yearly diagnostic updates successful precocious 2023 and 2024, determination would request to beryllium 3 releases to scope the last enactment update for Home and Pro users. But unless those releases travel with a shorter work and enactment promise, the last update would stay supported past the existent October 2025 cutoff (until outpouring 2026 for Home and Pro users and outpouring 2027 for Enterprise and Education).

That would beryllium popular: There are already calls for Microsoft to widen enactment for Windows 10 due to the fact that of the fig of PCs that can't beryllium upgraded to Windows 11.

Alternatively, Microsoft could connection longer enactment for a 2nd yearly 2023 update for Home and Pro users–24 months alternatively of 18–but that would inactive mean the Enterprise mentation would beryllium supported until outpouring 2026 (it's improbable Microsoft would trim the 30-month support).

Nor would endeavor customers invited Microsoft announcing and past breaking the yearly merchandise cadence they've repeatedly asked for to hold that 2nd update until April 2024 to marque the 18-month enactment lifecycle for Home and Pro lucifer the extremity of enactment successful October 2025. Again, Enterprise and Education versions would beryllium expecting an other 12 months of enactment beyond that (though that would much intimately lucifer the enactment lifecycle for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021, which runs for 5 years, with extended enactment till 2032).

More simply, Microsoft could simply widen the enactment lifecycle of the yearly 2022 diagnostic update to 3 years, underlining that it expects users to determination to Windows 11 to get caller features.

It's besides worthy noting that the committedness is lone to enactment "at slightest 1 mentation of Windows 10" until 2025: So, whether there's lone 1 much merchandise of Windows 10 aft this oregon more, it's imaginable it's lone the Enterprise mentation that volition stay supported that long, with Home and Pro users chopped disconnected sooner.