The Windows 2000 Family

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Windows 2000 is available in four editions: Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server. In this chapter, you will learn about some of the features of the Windows 2000 product family and about some of the differences among the four products. This chapter is meant to provide only an overview, not an in-depth description, of the Windows 2000 products.

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For more detailed information about Windows 2000, visit Microsoft's Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000.

Windows 2000 Professional

Windows 2000 Professional is the new Microsoft operating system for corporate desktop and notebook systems. Windows 2000 Professional combines the best features of Windows 98, such as power management and Plug and Play device recognition, with the strengths of Windows NT 4, such as reliability and security. Windows 2000 Professional delivers increased computing power to desktop and notebook systems while lowering the total cost of ownership.

Windows 2000 Server

Windows 2000 Server builds on the Windows NT 4 Server product base. Windows 2000 Server integrates Web access, application support, networking, communications, and infrastructure services into one product. It also provides the base functions of file and print sharing. Windows 2000 Server features Active Directory directory services, which aids in managing a diverse and distributed network. We will examine Active Directory later in this chapter.

Windows 2000 Advanced Server

Windows 2000 Advanced Server includes all the features found in Windows 2000 Server and adds components to support mission-critical applications. Advanced Server includes features such as network load balancing, clustering, and greater support for symmetric multiprocessing.

Windows 2000 Datacenter Server

Windows 2000 Datacenter Server is a specialized product in the Windows 2000 Server family. Datacenter Server is designed to provide customers with integrated hardware and software support. Datacenter Server is jointly marketed, sold, and delivered by Microsoft and authorized vendors who integrate Datacenter Server with their hardware. Each hardware system incorporating Datacenter Server must go through a rigorous testing and certification process. This certification focuses on the entire system, not just individual components. Once the system is installed, it is supported by a new organization called the Microsoft Certified Support Center (MCSC) for Datacenter Server. Hardware and software experts from both Microsoft and the hardware vendors make up the staff of the MCSC, which means it can provide a single point of contact for all support issues. The MCSC provides the following services to Datacenter Server customers:

• An uptime guarantee of 99.9 percent or better
• Installation and configuration services
• System availability assessments
• 24-by-7 hardware and software support
• On-site hardware and software service

Datacenter Server is designed to meet the high availability and scalability needs of a company's data center. It supports up to 32 processors and 64 gigabytes (GB) of physical memory. This scalability enables all kinds of applications, from simple data warehousing to complex engineering simulations.

Windows 2000 Operating System Family Differences

The following table summarizes the differences between the Windows 2000 products.

Table 2-1. Windows 2000 products

	Windows 2000 Professional	Windows 2000 Server	Windows 2000 Advanced Server	Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
Function	Client OS for business desktop and notebook computers	Server OS providing file, print, intranet, and networking	Server OS providing support for applications and e-commerce services	Server OS providing line-of-business support for large, mission-critical applications
CPUs supported	2	4	8	32
Memory supported	4 GB	4 GB	8 GB	64 GB
Clustering	None	None	Two-node failover; 32-node Network Load Balancing	Four-node failover; 32-node Network Load Balancing
Minimum system requirements	133-MHz, Pentium-compatible CPU; 64 MB RAM; 1 GB disk space	133-MHz, Pentium-compatible CPU; 256 MB RAM; 1 GB disk space	133-MHz, Pentium-compatible CPU; 256 MB RAM; 1 GB disk space	133-MHz, Pentium-compatible CPU; 256 MB RAM; 1 GB disk space