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Nuts and Bolts of Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Another product from the Bill's company - Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Whatever Microsoft does - it does it in a big way; let it be the launch of the new innovative products, patches against Viruses or the lawsuits in the Fedral Courts. But this time it seems altogether a different story - or atleast what the Microsoft people say.
In this article,I am trying to present the underlying technologies and features in as simple way as possible.
Windows Server 2003?
Windows Server 2003 is available in four different flavors i.e.,
1. Standard Edition
2. Enterprise Edition
3. Datacentre Edition
4. Web Edition
Standard Edition
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, is the reliable network operating system that delivers business solutions quickly and easily. It is an ideal choice for small businesses and departmental use. Some main features of this edition include:
- supports file and printer sharing.
- offers secure Internet connectivity.
- allows centralised desktop application development.
Enterprise Edition
This edition is built for the general purpose needs of businesses of all sizes. It is the platform of choice for applications, Webservices and infrastructure, delivering high reliablity, performance, and superior business value. Main features of this edition include:
- is a full-function server operating system that supports upto 8 processors.
- provides enterprise-class features such as eight-node clustering and support for upto 32 GB of memory.
- available for Intel Itanium-based computers.
- available for 64-bit computing platforms capable of supporting 8 processors and 64 GB of RAM.
Datacentre Edition
This edition is built for business-critical and mission critical applications that demand highest levels of reliablity and scability. It is the most powerful and functional Server operating system Microsoft has ever offered. Some features of this edition include
- supports upto 32 way SMP and 64 GB of RAM with the 32-bit version.
- supports upto 128 way machine with individual partitions of upto 64 processors and 512 GB RAM with the 64-bit version
- provides both eight-node clusters and load blancing services as standard features.
Web Edition
This edition is provided for both Web serving and hosting.Some important features of this edition include:
- is provided for building and hosting Web applications, Web pages, and XML Web services.
- is designed to be used primarily as an IIS 6.0 Web Server.
- provides a platform for rapidly developing and deploying XML Web Services and applicatins that use ASP.NET technology, a key part of the .NET framework.
- is easy to deploy and manage.
Core Technologies
Windows Server 2003 contains core technologies that build on the strengths of Windows 2000 Server to deliver a superior and cost effective server operating system. But like any other software running at the server level, Windows Server 2003 has to ensure it's availability, scalability and security.
Availability
Windows Server 2003 family provided improved availability through enhanced clustering support. Windows Server 2003 family supports server clusters for upto eight nodews. If one of the nodes in a cluster becomes unavailble because of failure or maintainence, another node immediately begins providing the service, a process known as Failover. Windows Server 2003 also supports network load balancing, which balances incoming Internet Protocol (IP) traffic across nodes in a cluster.
Scalability
Windows Server 2003 family provide scalability through scale-up, enabled by symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) and scle-out, enabled by clustering. Internal tests indicate that compared to Windows 2000 server, Windows Server 2003 provides upto 140 per cent better performance in many aspects. Windows Server 2003 scales from single processor solutions all the way upto 32-way systems. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit processors.
Security
Windows Server 2003 is the first operating system released by Microsoft since the company's chairman and chief software architect, Bill Gates, challenged all 50 000 Microsoft employees in January 2002 to build more trustworthy computing products and services for customers that would make computing as workfree as electricity that powers their homes and offices.
The public key infrastructure (PKI) services in Windows Server 2003 essentially is a system of digital certificates that uses public key cryptography to auntheticate the valadity of each party that is involved in an electronic transaction-have been significantly enhanced. Windows Server 2003 makes PKI and associated technologies, such as smart cards, more manageable and easier to deploy and operate. Windows Server 2003 also supports Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP), which offers encrypted password- based authentication to enhance the security of wireless connection. PEAP is a flexible security alternative fopr customers who need wireless productivity but do not have the resources to deploy a full PKI infrastructure.
Another design feature has been core to Windows Servers for some time but was enhanced in Windows Server 2003 is the ability for users to do a single sign on and have acess to multiple resources. According to Microsoft, this is unique to the Windows enviornment, and the lack of a single sign-on capability in competing systems is the growing problem for many customers, who are forced to set up many different repositories and manage user accounts across multiple directories. And users who have many different user names and passwords end up writing them down, which creates additional security risks.
Networking and Communications
Windows Server includes Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). IPv6 is the next generation of the Internet layer protocol of the TCP/IP protocol suite. IPv6 solves the current problems of the IPv4 with respect to address depletion, security, auto-configuration, extensibility and more.
Windows Server 2003 delivers a native Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) for making broadband connections to certain Internet Service Providers without the need for additional software.
Will it make Big?
This question always remains unanswered. Of course Microsoft is big. Let's see if it is able to make so.
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