Just 10 years ago, TCP/IP was not the king when it came to network communications protocols. Windows NT 3.51 relied on the venerable NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI) protocol by default, and NetWare servers could be counted on to understand only IPX/SPX. With the recent widespread adoption of the Internet by the masses, TCP/IP slowly started to creep into private networks of all sizes and purposes. Administrators and network designers began to see the power and flexibility that TCP/IP offered them, and Microsoft and Novell took note of the shift. It wasn't long before all operating systems provided support for TCP/IP, but it still was not the networking protocol of choice. With the introduction of Windows 2000, Microsoft made TCP/IP and the domain name system (DNS) integral parts of Windows Active Directory networks. |