Meet the Family

   

The Windows Server 2003 family includes the following editions:

  • Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition,

    is a reliable network operating system that delivers business solutions quickly and easily. It's a great choice for small-business and departmental use. The Standard Edition supports file and printer sharing, offers secure Internet connectivity, and enables centralized desktop application deployment. For more information, see "Standard Edition" later in this chapter.

  • Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition,

    is built for the general-purpose needs of businesses of all sizes. It's an ideal platform for applications, Web services, and infrastructure, delivering high reliability, performance, and excellent business value. The Enterprise Edition is a full-function server operating system that supports up to eight processors, provides enterprise-class features such as eight-node clustering, and provides support for up to 32 GB of memory. It's available for Intel Itanium “based computers and will soon be available for 64-bit computing platforms capable of supporting eight processors and 64 GB of memory. For more information, see "Enterprise Edition" later in this chapter.

  • Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition,

    is built for mission-critical applications that require the highest levels of scalability and availability. Microsoft believes that the Datacenter Edition is the most powerful and functional server operating system that the company has ever produced. It supports up to 32-way symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) and 64 GB of memory. It provides both eight-node clustering and load-balancing services as standard features. It will soon be available for 64-bit computing platforms capable of supporting 32 processors and 128 GB of memory. For more information, see "Datacenter Edition" later in this chapter.

  • Windows Server 2003, Web Edition,

    is a new addition to the Windows family of server operating systems. Microsoft provides the Web Edition for building and hosting Web applications, Web pages, and XML Web services. Microsoft designed it for use primarily as an Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 Web server. It provides a platform for rapidly developing and deploying XML Web services and applications that use ASP.NET technology, which is a key part of the .NET Framework. For more information, see "Web Edition" later in this chapter.

The sections following this describe each edition of Windows Server 2003 in more detail. They begin with the Standard Edition. The Enterprise Edition and the Datacenter Edition include all of the great features and enhancements in the Standard Edition. All three editions include the functionality you find in the Web Edition.

Standard Edition

Designed for use by departments and small organizations, Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, extends Microsoft Windows 2000 Server technologies by making them easier to deploy, manage, and use. The result is an operating system that is secure, reliable, and ready to use out of the box, with features that provide robust availability and scalability. At a high level, the Standard Edition supports the following:

  • Four-way SMP

  • Four GB of memory

  • Advanced networking features such as Internet Authentication Service (IAS), Network Bridge, and Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)

Key features in the Standard Edition include the following:

  • Internet Information Services.

    IIS 6.0 is the Web server in Windows Server 2003 that makes it easy to share information among partners , customers, and employees over an intranet, the Internet, or an extranet. IIS 6.0 provides an updated architecture that meets the most demanding needs in the areas of dependability , versatility, and manageability.

  • IIS Securities.

    IIS 6.0 security settings are locked down during setup by default to ensure that only required services are running. This change from earlier versions significantly reduces initial security risks. Using the IIS Security Lockdown Wizard, administrators can enable or disable server functionality based on their business requirements.

  • Directory services.

    The Microsoft Active Directory service is a central component of the Windows platform, providing the means to manage the identities and relationships that make up network environments.

  • Update management.

    Auto Update provides the ability to systematically download critical operating system updates, such as security fixes and security patches. Administrators choose when to install these critical operating system updates.

  • Internet firewall.

    Connecting to the Internet is more secure than ever before with the built-in Internet Connection Firewall. The integration of an Internet firewall in the operating system also reduces capital costs necessary to connect to the Internet.

  • Remote access.

    Dial-up users can be quarantined by administrator policy. They can be prevented from accessing the network until their systems are verified to have administrator-specified software such as virus-detection updates.

  • Server hardware support.

    Driver verifiers check new device drivers to help keep the server up and running.

  • Application verification.

    Applications running on Windows Server 2003 can be tested and verified using the Application Verifier tool. This tool focuses on subtle issues such as software heap corruptions and compatibility issues.

  • File services.

    Windows Server 2003 file system performance has improved since Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 and Windows 2000 Server.

  • Assisted support.

    Microsoft incident submission and management allow users to submit electronic support incidents to Microsoft, collaborate with support engineers , and manage submitted incidents from Windows Server 2003.

  • Server event tracking.

    Administrators can report an accurate record of uptime using the new server shutdown tracker. It writes Windows events for server shutdowns to a log file.

  • Configure Your Server Wizard.

    The Configure Your Server Wizard is an easy-to-use wizard that steps administrators through the process of setting up various server roles such as file server, print server, remote access server, and other roles to ensure that components are installed and configured correctly the first time.

  • Manage Your Server Wizard.

    The Manage Your Server Wizard provides an easy-to-use interface for ongoing management of the server, making it easy to perform such common tasks as adding new users and creating file shares.

  • Remote server administration.

    With Remote Desktop for Administration (formerly known as Terminal Services in Remote Administration mode), administrators can manage a computer from almost any other computer on the network. Remote Desktop for Administration is specifically designed for server management.

  • Remote assistance.

    Administrators can use Remote Assistance to control a remote desktop computer. If the administrator or help-desk staff has an invitation from the remote user , Remote Assistance is a convenient way to connect to a remote computer from a computer running Microsoft Windows XP or any edition of Windows Server 2003. After connecting to the remote computer, the person giving assistance can view the remote computer's screen and chat in real time with the system user. If the person requesting assistance allows it, the assisting person can even control the remote computer's mouse and keyboard.

  • Shadow copy.

    This feature provides consistent, point-in-time versions of files in network shares. Administrators can view network folder contents as they existed at points of time in the past. End users can recover accidentally deleted files or folders on network shares without requiring system administrator intervention.

  • Terminal Server.

    When using Terminal Server, a user can access programs running on the server from a variety of older devices. For example, a user can access a virtual Windows XP Professional desktop and x86-based applications for Windows from hardware that cannot run the software locally. Terminal Server provides this capability for both Windows-based and non-Windows-based client devices.

  • Web application server role.

    Windows Server 2003 is also a full Web application server. It integrates the .NET Framework with core server resources to help users develop, deploy, and manage applications and XML Web services. The .NET Framework provides a fully managed, protected, and feature-rich application execution environment, simplified development and deployment, and seamless integration with a wide variety of programming languages.

  • Windows Media Services.

    Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, includes Windows Media Services for distributing streaming audio and video over corporate intranets and the Internet.

  • Wireless LAN support.

    This feature provides security and performance improvements for wireless local area networks (LANs), such as automatic key management, user authentication, and authorization prior to LAN access. Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, makes it much easier than ever before to use and deploy wireless services.

Enterprise Edition

Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, is for medium to large businesses. It's the operating system that Microsoft recommends for servers running applications such as networking, messaging, inventory and customer service systems, databases, and e-commerce Web sites. The Enterprise Edition delivers high reliability, performance, and business value superior to those of any earlier versions of Windows. It will soon be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. It includes everything that the Standard Edition includes but adds support for high-performance servers and the ability to cluster servers to handle larger loads. These capabilities provide reliability that lets you make sure your systems are available regardless of system failure and no matter how large an application becomes. At a high level, Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition supports the following:

  • Eight-way SMP

  • Eight-node clustering

  • 32 GB of memory in 32-bit editions; 64 GB in 64-bit editions

Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, scales both ways: up and out. First, it lets you increase server performance and capacity by adding processors and memory. This approach to increasing your network capacity is known as scaling up . Enhanced SMP support in the Enterprise Edition supports multiprocessor servers. The operating system also supports enhanced memory capabilities that let you increase the memory available for server processing to as much as 8 GB. In addition to scaling up, the Enterprise Edition lets you add servers to a load-balancing cluster. This approach is known as scaling out . Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, is the most dependable, enterprise-ready server operating system Microsoft has ever created. The enhancements include improvements to key technologies introduced in Windows 2000 Server, such as Network Load Balancing (NLB), server clusters, and the Microsoft Active Directory directory service.

The Enterprise Edition supports 64-bit computing on certified hardware platforms, allowing faster completion of processor-intensive and memory- intensive applications. This includes support for the Intel Itanium and Itanium 2 processors.

In addition to including all the features in the Standard Edition, the Enterprise Edition adds several important features that enhance availability, scalability, and dependability. (These features are also in Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition.)

  • Cluster Service.

    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 and Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition, cluster service supports up to eight-node clusters. This provides increased flexibility for adding and removing hardware in a geographically dispersed cluster environment, as well as providing improved scaling options for applications. The 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, and clusters spanning multiple sites.

  • 64-bit support.

    Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, is available in a 32-bit edition and will soon be available in a 64-bit edition. The 64-bit edition will be optimized for memory-intensive and computational-intensive tasks such as mechanical design, computer-aided design (CAD), professional graphics, high-end database systems, and scientific applications. The 64-bit edition includes support for both the Intel Itanium and Itanium 2 processors.

  • Multiprocessor support.

    Windows Server 2003 scales from single-processor solutions all the way up to 32-way systems. Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, supports servers with up to eight processors, while Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, supports up to 32 processors.

  • Metadirectory Services support.

    Microsoft Metadirectory Services (MMS) helps companies to integrate identity information from multiple directories, databases, and files with Active Directory. MMS provides an organization with 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.

    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. This does not require rebooting the computer and involves no downtime. This feature currently will operate only on servers that have hardware support for adding memory while the server is operating. For these servers, the act of installing memory will automatically invoke the Hot-Add Memory feature.

  • Server 2003 Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) support.

    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, 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.

  • Terminal Services Session Directory.

    This is a load-balancing feature that allows users to easily reconnect 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.

Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, lets you deploy highly available and scalable applications on industry-standard PC hardware. Common examples of applications suitable for the Enterprise Edition include database, messaging, and file and print servers. Regardless of the size of your organization, the Enterprise Edition is a good choice for running applications that must be available at all times. It also gives growing organizations the ability to ensure the availability of critical applications while allowing them to scale those applications both up and out to meet increased demand.

Datacenter Edition

Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, is for businesses that demand the highest levels of scalability, availability, and reliability. It lets you deliver mission-critical solutions for databases, software for planning enterprise resources, high-volume real-time transaction processing, and server consolidation. The Datacenter Edition will soon be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. It includes all of the features in Windows Server 2003Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and includes support for more powerful multiple processing and greater memory. Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, is available only through the Windows Datacenter Program, which provides an integrated hardware, software, and service offering delivered by Microsoft and qualified server vendors , such as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). At a high level, Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, supports the following:

  • 32-way SMP

  • Eight-node clustering

  • 64 GB of memory in 32-bit editions; 128 GB in 64-bit editions

Microsoft developed the Windows Datacenter Program to provide customers with a list of qualified servers that have been thoroughly tested and proven to be highly reliable. The Windows Datacenter Program provides the support you need to ensure maximum uptime for your applications. Only Microsoft certifies OEMs who have succeeded in passing their hardware through rigorous compatibility tests in order to gain permission to license and support Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. The Datacenter Edition is unique because the operating system is available only already loaded onto OEM systems; the software cannot be acquired separately. The Windows Datacenter Program offers these benefits:

  • A single point of contact for support, provided by a joint support team comprising both OEM and Microsoft personnel

  • Rigorous system testing and qualification of hardware and software to ensure that they perform optimally together

  • Coordinated maintenance and change control for hardware and software updates

  • Strict reliability assurance through new Microsoft Certified Support Center (MCSC) requirements designed for this program

Unlike proprietary systems offered by some vendors, Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, is available from a wide choice of vendors that sell high-end Intel-based systems able to run your organization's existing applications. Customers can choose from a range of platforms and services from these suppliers and pick the best provider for their specific requirements. The Windows Datacenter Program includes a qualification process and the Datacenter Hardware Compatibility List, which extends and enhances the current hardware compatibility requirements from Microsoft. This ensures that all server components are tested together in a high-stress environment, assuring that the overall system will operate without hardware or software conflicts among components of the configuration.

Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) exists to ensure that OEMs produce quality hardware and software that interacts well with Microsoft products and technologies. OEM products must pass the appropriate Hardware Compatibility Test. If successful, they are placed on the Hardware Compatibility List and receive the "Designed for Windows" logo. The Windows logo on hardware and software products lets customers know the products meet Microsoft standards for compatibility with Windows operating systems. Hardware intended for use with Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, must be designed to the specifications of the Hardware Design Guide.

Customers who receive servers validated by the Windows Datacenter Program know they are receiving a complete configuration that has been rigorously tested with all hardware components and kernel-level software products. Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, can be sold only by OEMs who are willing to do this extra testing and configuration control. The result is a highly reliable and dependable server. The testing that OEMs must undertake helps ensure that the following components will work together smoothly on servers running Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition:

  • All hardware components

  • All hardware drivers

  • All software that works at the kernel level, including virus software, disk and tape management, backup software, and similar types of software

The Joint Support Queue for Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, is staffed with both OEM and Microsoft support personnel to ensure tight collaboration between the hardware vendor and Microsoft. This creates a single point of contact for supporting business-critical solutions. The Datacenter Joint Support Queue has access to all OEM Datacenter Hardware Compatibility List hardware configurations and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, source code to enable rapid problem reproduction, isolation, and resolution.

In addition to the features included in Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, offers the following extra features and capabilities:

  • Expanded physical memory space.

    On 32-bit Intel platforms, Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, supports Physical Address Extension (PAE), which extends system memory capability to 64 GB of physical RAM. On 64-bit Intel platforms, the memory support increases to an architectural maximum of 16 terabytes.

  • Intel Hyper-Threading support.

    Hyper-Threading technology allows a single physical processor to execute multiple threads (instruction streams) simultaneously , potentially providing greater throughput and improved performance.

  • Windows Sockets: Direct Access for SANs.

    This feature enables Windows Sockets applications that use Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to obtain the performance benefits of storage area networks (SANs) without making application modifications. The fundamental component of this technology is a Windows Sockets Server 2003layered service provider that emulates TCP/IP semantics over native SAN service providers.

Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, offers significant reliability, scalability, and manageability improvements compared with Windows 2000 Datacenter Server and is capable of supporting mission-critical workloads in enterprise data centers. The key element distinguishing Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, from the other editions of the Windows Server 2003 family is its strong community of OEMs, independent hardware vendors, and independent software vendors. These companies are actively involved with Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, customers and are committed to partnering with them over the lifetime of their systems, making Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, unlike any other platform solution available today.

Web Edition

Designed for building and hosting Web applications, Web pages, and XML Web services, Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, delivers a single-purpose solution for Internet service providers (ISPs), application developers, and others wanting to use or deploy specific Web functionality only. The Web Edition takes advantage of improvements in IIS 6.0, Microsoft ASP.NET, and the Microsoft .NET Framework. (For more information about the features and capabilities of IIS 6.0, see Chapter 8 , "Internet Information Services.") It will be obtainable only through selected partner channels and will not be available for retail. Service providers should visit the Microsoft Service Providers Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/serviceproviders, for more information. At a high level, the Web Edition provides support for the following:

  • Two-way SMP

  • Two GB of memory

  • Advanced Web application development and hosting features, including ASP.NET and the .NET Framework, which is integrated into the operating system

Like every other member of the Windows Server 2003 family, Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, is built on industry standards that allow organizations to extend existing applications and quickly develop new ones. Developers can build directly on the application server, using XML Web services and managed code, and then run these applications on any Web application platform. This level of easy application development encourages business-process innovation and increases business opportunities both internally and externally.

Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, is designed to be used specifically as a Web server. Although computers running the Web Edition can be members of an Active Directory domain, organizations cannot run Active Directory on the Web Edition. Therefore, the Web Edition alone cannot be used to perform powerful management features such as Group Policy, Software Restriction Policies, Remote Installation Services (RIS), Microsoft Metadirectory Services, Internet Authentication Service (IAS), and so on. Likewise, organizations cannot deploy enterprise Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) services, an essential part of enabling discovery and reuse of XML Web services. In addition, scalability features designed for enterprise functionality aren't available.

Designed to be used specifically as a Web server, Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, delivers the next generation of Web infrastructure capabilities in the Windows server operating systems. ISPs and others desiring stand-alone Web functionality will benefit from this low-cost operating system, which is easy to deploy and manage. Integrated with ASP.NET and the .NET Framework, the Web Edition lets developers rapidly build and deploy XML Web services and applications.

For enterprise capabilities or more advanced management features such as Microsoft Active Directory service, organizations should consider obtaining one of the more fully featured editions of Windows Server 2003: Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, or Datacenter Edition. All of the features in Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, including IIS 6.0 and Microsoft ASP.NET, are also included in these other members of the Windows Server 2003 family.


   
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Introducing Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Introducing Microsoft Windows Server(TM) 2003
ISBN: 0735615705
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 153

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