Windows Server

Windows Server 2003 is the most secure and reliable server platform Microsoft has ever released. As the foundation for the Windows Server System, the server platform provides a unifying layer of common services across the security, IT operations, application, and collaboration infrastructures, including the following services:

A common application programming model
A common directory and security model
Common data services
Integrated caching
Integrated distributed transaction management
Integrated diagnostics
Integrated management services
Integrated media and collaboration services
Terminal Services CALs

Windows Server 2003 also makes significant advances in ease of deployment and use, helping to reduce complexity and therefore reduce costs across the IT environment.

The Windows Server 2003 family can meet organizational needs ranging from the small business to the data center with the following product versions:

Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, for the highest levels of scalability and reliability.

Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition is the most productive infrastructure platform for powering connected applications, networks, and Web services from the workgroup to the data center. Easy to deploy, manage, and use, Windows Server 2003 helps you build a secure IT infrastructure that provides a powerful application platform for quickly building connected solutions and an information worker infrastructure for enhanced communication and collaboration anytime and anywhere. In addition to including all the features in Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, adds enhanced availability, scalability, and dependability.

Server clusters provide high availability and disaster tolerance for mission-critical database management, file sharing, intranet data sharing, messaging, and general business applications. With Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition cluster service supports up to eight-node clusters for increased flexibility in adding and removing hardware in a geographically dispersed cluster environment. The cluster service also provides improved scaling options for applications. Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, allows server clusters to be deployed in a variety of different configurations, in particular: single cluster configurations with dedicated storage; multiple clusters on a storage area network (SAN), potentially with other Windows-based servers or operating systems; clusters spanning multiple sites (that is, geographically dispersed clusters).

The Windows Server 2003 family scales from single-processor solutions all the way up to 64-way systems. Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, supports servers with up to 8 processors.

Microsoft Metadirectory Services (MMS) helps organizations integrate identity information from multiple directories, databases, and files with Active Directory. MMS provides a unified view of identity information, enables the integration of business processes with MMS, and helps synchronize identity information across an organization.

Hot Add Memory allows ranges of memory to be added to a computer and made available to the operating system and applications as part of the normal memory pool. No rebooting and no downtime are required. This feature currently operates only on servers that have hardware support for adding memory while the server is operating. For these servers, the act of installing memory automatically invokes the Hot Add Memory feature in Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

System firmware can create a table called the Static Resource Affinity Table that describes the NUMA topology of the system. Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, uses this table to apply NUMA awareness to application processes, thread default affinity settings, thread scheduling, and memory management features. Additionally, the topology information is made available to applications using a set of NUMA application programming interfaces. This load-balancing feature allows users to reconnect easily to a disconnected session on a server farm running Terminal Services. Session directory is compatible with the Windows Server 2003 load balancing service and is supported by third-party external load balancer products.

The Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM) enables an administrator to allocate CPU and memory utilization on a per-application basis. This is a useful tool for server consolidation.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition is only compatible with 64-bit Intel Itanium-based systems. It cannot be successfully installed on 32-bit systems.

Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
Designed for departmental and standard workloads, Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, delivers intelligent file and printer sharing, more secure Internet connectivity, centralized desktop policy management, and Web solutions that connect employees, partners, and customers. Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, provides high levels of dependability, scalability, and security.

Today's organizations expect technology to be a consistent enabler of business value. They want systems that are always up and always responsive, and they demand a level of security able to meet today's challenges. Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, includes new features and improvements that make it the most dependable small business and departmental server operating system Microsoft has ever created.

Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, improves on many technologies introduced in Windows 2000 Server, such as support for smart cards, bandwidth throttling, and Plug and Play support. New technologies, such as the common language runtime, strengthen security to help safeguard networks from malicious or poorly designed code. In addition, improvements to Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0, public key infrastructure (PKI), and Kerberos make it easier to secure Windows Server 2003. The Active Directory service is now faster and more robust over unreliable wide area network (WAN) connections, thanks to more efficient synchronization, replication, and credential caching in branch office domain controllers.

Organizations look to computing technology to improve productivity across their businesses - not just for system administrators, who want flexible services that are quicker to deploy and easier to manage, but also for employees, who need powerful tools that are easier to use. Windows Server 2003 enables greater productivity for both administrators and users through enhanced capabilities in system management and storage.

Microsoft has made great strides in evolving manageability. The new, task-based design in Windows Server 2003 makes it easier to find and carry out common tasks. Improvements to the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and Active Directory boost performance and make management easier.

In addition, the Windows Server 2003 family contains several important new automated management tools including Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS) and server configuration wizards to help automate deployment. Managing Group Policy is made easier with the new Group Policy Management Console (GPMC), enabling more organizations to better use Active Directory and take advantage of its powerful management features. Further, command-line tools let administrators perform most tasks from the command console, should they prefer that method.

New and improved file and print services in Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, also make storage and backup easier while significantly reducing the demands on system administrators. For example, the Volume Copy Shadow Service provides point-in-time backups of networked shares. This unique technology extends to users who can now retrieve old copies of files or deleted files right from their Windows desktop. In addition, file and print services are improved with the addition of the Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) remote document sharing technology. Enhancements to the Distributed File System (DFS) and Encrypting File System (EFS) allow for powerful, flexible file sharing and storage as well.

Networking improvements and new features in the Windows Server 2003 family extend the versatility, manageability, and dependability of network infrastructures. Windows Server 2003 makes it easier than ever for users to stay connected to their centralized systems from anywhere and on any device. Microsoft has built significant networking enhancements in Windows Server 2003, including Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPoE), and Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) over network address translation (NAT).

Perhaps most important, though, is the optimized, native support of Microsoft .NET and XML. Windows Server 2003 represents a revolutionary step forward as the ideal platform to develop, distribute, and host XML Web services created with .NET.

Windows Server 2003 is a cost-efficient choice for both scale-up or scale-out purposes. With multiple essential services and components already included in Windows Server 2003, organizations can quickly benefit from an integrated platform that is easy to deploy, manage, and use. When you adopt Windows Server 2003, you become a part of the global network that has helped make the Windows platform so productive.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Windows Server 2003 may not use multiple processors with some Intel Pentium Pro or Pentium II Processors.

Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, for Web serving and hosting.

Windows Storage Server 2003 is a dedicated file server that brings reliable, highly available, and easy-to-manage storage to companies of all sizes.