Chapter 3. File, Print, and User Services

One of Windows Server 2003's primary functions within a typical organization is to serve files and connect multiple machines to a smaller number of printers. Windows Server 2003 enables you to create any number of shared folders that contain documents and programs that your users can access via such methods as Windows Explorer, Network Neighborhood, or mapped drives. The operating system also enables you to create a hierarchy of shared folders stored across multiple machines that can appear to end users as though they're stored on a single server.

Print services are simple to configure and manage. Windows Server 2003 enables you to share a printer connected either physically to the server, or to a print server device that is attached directly to the network. It also can host drivers for multiple operating systems and automatically distribute the correct drivers to client systems.

You'll need to be familiar with the following terminology to get the most from this chapter. Feel free to skip to the next section if you've been working with Windows for a while.

Disk

A disk is the actual, physical hard disk within the machine.

Drive

A drive is a logical object formatted for use with Windows. This can be either an entire physical disk or a partition.

Partition

A partition is a portion of a physical disk that can be used with volumes .

Volume

A volume is either a drive or a partition within Windowsit's a common term for both.

In this chapter, I discuss in depth all the file and print services Windows Server 2003 provides.