The Windows 2000/2003 Server Operating System

By Joshua Erdman
Digital Foundation, inc.

The Windows 2000/2003 Server Operating Systems are by far the best Microsoft Server operating systems to date. I feel sorry for anyone currently rolling out a Windows NT 4.0 server, just applying all the service packs, security updates, and patches will take a lifetime. I will not even begin to discuss the many other ways NT 4.0 can suck your time like a mosquito infected with Malaria.

Features

Right out of the box, Windows 2000 and 2003 server support up to 4 processors and 4 GB of RAM and is Web Server ready.

Improvements

Windows 2000 and 2003 Server are much more stable, this is so much more than just a glorified Windows NT 4.0 server with SP6a and a few new shiny buttons. Not only is the user interface improved, memory management, hardware management and support, and stability have been improved.

Management Tools

Management tools have all been consolidated to use the Microsoft Management Console. This allows you to create your own management interfaces using plug-ins for each configurable service. Special Management Interfaces can also be "locked down" and distributed to other employees with only the capability you allow them.

Domain Controller

A Windows 200X server can be easily promoted or demoted as a domain controller. Gone are the days of choosing a server's role upon install and then being stuck with that decision. The operations of a Domain Controller have been divided up so each server can be assigned various Domain Controller responsibilities based on its capability and availability.

Terminal Server

Built in with Windows 200X server is terminal services. For no extra cost you can set up a terminal server in Remote Administration Mode. This allows up to 2 concurrent terminal services connections (in addition to the local console) for administrating the machine. The Terminal Server can also be changed to regular mode which allows you to have many more user sessions than just 2. This requires you to enter a special encoded license key provided from Microsoft after setting up a license server.

Licensing has changes for Windows Server 2003. Please read our article on Window Server 2003 licensing for more information.

Go here for more information on Upgrading to Windows 2000 Terminal Services
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/planning/
terminal/upgradets.asp

Network Load Balancing

Windows Server operating systems come with the ability to load balance (notice I did not say Cluster). Load Balancing is a great tool for static content. You do this automatically with file serving when you use DFS, you can also use this feature with web servers (just remember to update both copies of the site or replicate using FRS), read-only databases, and even print servers.

Defragmentation

The newer Windows servers some with built-in defrag capabilities. This is a nice feature but a far cry from what is needed on a heavily used server, since this version of defrag only scans when you tell it to. Read our article on defrag and other defragmentation utilities for more information.

Article last reviewed: 02/22/2006

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Created by: Digital Foundation, inc.

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