The goal is muscle memory and procedural training without the legal or security risks of running an unsupported OS.
Since Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 reached their final end-of-life on , dedicated "simulators" are largely obsolete. Instead, modern IT professionals and students use virtualization to create a safe, isolated "virtual lab" that acts as a perfect simulation of the OS for testing or learning. Why Use a Virtual Machine (VM) as a Simulator? Windows Server 2008 Simulator
A red alert flooded the screen: CRITICAL SYSTEM OVERLOAD. 10,000 Virtual Users losing connectivity. The goal is muscle memory and procedural training