Windows Server 2012, codenamed "Windows Login 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.Unlike its predecessor, Windows Server 2012 has no support for Itanium-based computers, and has four editions.