The Windows Server Catalog contains products that have been tested to meet a Microsoft defined test criteria on a Windows Server operating system. Customers and vendors may search the Windows Server Catalog for and verify the status of tested server products.

In order to include a product in the Windows Server Catalog hardware manufacturers must test the product using the Windows Hardware Certification Kit (HCK) and submit certification test results for the Windows Server 2012 R2 Certified, Windows Server 2012 Certified, Certified for Windows Server® 2008 R2, Certified for Windows Server® 2008, or Designed for Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 logos. Submitted systems, devices and drivers that pass the certification tests are automatically listed in the Windows Server Catalog.

For more information go to the Windows Dev Center Hardware Dashboard Services website.

The process for applications seeking Windows Server Certification has changed significantly starting with the release of Windows Server 2012. The testing and certification process is now fully automated via a self-test process. Consult the Windows Logo Program for Server Applications web page for up-to-date information on the program.

Please follow the following steps:

• Go to the www.MicrosoftPlatformReady.com website and register your product.
• Download the Microsoft Platform Ready Test tool from the Test Tab, install the tool and complete your tests.
• Follow instructions in the test tool for signing the required agreement, and upload passing test results per directions on the website.
• Once your test results are processed, associated benefits including the logo will be unlocked.
• Download the Logo artwork and marketing materials and use per guidance.
• Your application will be listed in the Windows Server Catalog within 1 business week.

More information on Software Certification is available at www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/isv

Microsoft recommends that you check with the software vendor of the application for prescriptive guidance and technical support details prior to upgrading the Windows Server operating system.

There are two primary methods for determining if a product is certified and being listed in the Windows Server Catalog:

• Use the search tool.

  The Windows Server Catalog Search tool uses a free text search method, and by default returns results by descending rank, that is starting with most likely match to least likely match.

  Quoting a phrase in the search text simply elevates the rank of results that can exactly match that phrase. Individual words in the phrase are still evaluated. Typically, entering a common word such as "Microsoft" will return results too numerous to be practical. Instead, entering a more specific term such as "Microsoft Server Application Virtualization" would return a better tally of matched products, with the best one at the top of the list.
• Use the product type context sensitive navigation filters.

  An example of the navigation filters for certified Storage Arrays is shown on the right. These are displayed at the top-level home page and on the left-hand-side pane as you traverse the links. You may filter by vendor names, product types, certified product characteristics, certified releases of Windows Server OS, and so on. These filters vary according to the type of products being displayed and the Windows Server OS releases they have been certified for.

The Windows Server certification policies allow the vendors to certify a server configuration of highest capabilities as the representative of other configuration variations of that design. This certified model is then listed in the Windows Server Catalog. A server of the same model but varied configuration details is a certified product if it meets the following guidelines:

• It may have different certified components, devices and drivers in its configuration. Additional or replacement add-on I/O options (e.g. PCIe adapters), devices (e.g. Displays or HDDs) and drivers can be present in a system configuration as long as all are certified products.
• It may have processors of lesser capabilities such as fewer cores or lower speeds.
• It may have memory of lower speeds or smaller maximum memory than the certified configuration. But, the configured memory must not exceed the certified maximum supported memory capacity or speed.
• Its system firmware must be of the same type and version as the certified ones listed in the Windows Server Catalog for the designated system model over time.

Compatibility and Certification testing for Windows Server systems is designed to ensure that a customer can run any Role or Feature that the Windows Server operating system supports, as defined by the Roles and Features listed by Server Manager for any specific Windows Server operating system version - see this link for more information on Server Manager, https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732131(v=WS.10).aspx. Specifically, the Roles supported by certification include all the Active Directory roles, the Application, DHCP and DNS roles, the multiple roles related to File and Storage capabilities, the Hyper-V role, the Network Policy, Print, Remote Access, Volume Activation, Web Server (IIS) roles, and the Deployment and Update Services roles. The exceptions are those Roles or Features that have dependencies on hardware that is not required for certification, for which there are two cases. The minimum hardware that is required for certification can be found at this link, https://windowsservercatalog.com/content.aspx?ctf=minhwcert.htm. The first case are Roles or Features that have dependencies on hardware not required for certification but have no Additional Qualification or Additional Feature associated with them - examples include; Enhanced Storage, Failover Clustering, Multipath IO, Biometric Framework, Wireless LAN Service, and any other Feature that requires specific hardware. The second case are those capabilities, Roles or Features that have dependencies on hardware not required for certification but DO have an Additional Qualification or Additional Feature associated with them - examples include; Enhanced Power Manageability, Fault Tolerance, Operational Assurance or others. For more information on the hardware required for each Additional Qualification, see this page, https://windowsservercatalog.com/content.aspx?ctf=aqinfo.htm.

The policies regarding what changes to a product Microsoft requires that the vendor retest and resubmit the product for certification can be found at this link, Windows Hardware Compatibility Requirements, as a download at this location on the page, "Hardware Certification Policies and Processes"