I'm coming from WHS 2011 and want to move to Windows 2012 Essentials. I found an article from Paul Thurrott explaining how to connect client PCs without using a domain. What I'm not sure is what I might lose by going this route. I found this info
If you skip joining the domain, the following areas will be impacted:
•All features that require that you be joined to the domain will not be available, including domain credentials, Group Policy, and VPN.
•Any third-party add-ons and applications that require that you join the domain will not be working properly.
•Skipping domain joining in an off-premises client deployment is not supported.
I'm not sure what "all features that require that you be joined to a domain" includes? Will File History, Data protection, Anywhere Access still work? Thanks