Choosing the Server Operating System

IIS 6, Web applications, and the Indexing Service are designed to run on Windows- based operating systems. Four versions of Windows Server 2003 are available. Each server edition has different features:

• Windows Server 2003, Web Edition This version of the software is designed to provide Web services for deploying Web sites and Web-based applications. As such, this server edition includes Windows .NET Framework, IIS, ASP.NET and network load balancing features but lacks many other features, including Active Directory. In fact, the only other key Windows features in this edition are the Distributed File System (DFS), Encrypting File System (EFS), and Remote Desktop for administration. Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, supports up to 2 GB of RAM and two central processing units (CPUs).

• Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition This version is designed to provide services and resources to other systems on a network. It’s a direct replacement for Windows NT 4 Server and Windows 2000 Server. The operating system has a rich set of features and configuration options. Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, supports up to 4 GB of RAM and four CPUs.

• Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition This version extends the features provided in Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition to include support for Cluster Service, Metadirectory services, and Services for Macintosh. It also supports 64-bit Intel Itanium-based computers, hot-swappable RAM, and Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA). Enterprise servers can have up to 32 GB of RAM on x86, 64 GB of RAM on Itanium, and eight CPUs.

• Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition This version is the most robust Windows server. It has enhanced clustering features and supports very large memory configurations with up to 64 GB of RAM on x86 and 512 GB of RAM on Itanium. It has a minimum CPU requirement of 8 and can support up 32 CPUs in all.

  Note

  The various server editions support the same core features and administration tools. This means you can use the techniques discussed in this book regardless of which edition of Windows Server 2003 you’re using.

Most of the time you’ll want to consider using Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, for your Web server and Web application server needs. However, as mentioned above, the Web edition has specific feature limitations. If you need Active Directory to be installed on the server (which usually isn't the case), you’ll want to install a different version. If you need Cluster Service or other high availability features, you’ll need to install Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, or Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition.

Other feature limitations of the Web Edition will affect your decision as well. The Web Edition doesn't support the following Windows features: 64-bit Support for Intel Itanium-Based Computers, Cluster Service, Enterprise Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) Services, Fax Service, Hot Add Memory, Internet Authentication Service (IAS), Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), Metadirectory Services (MMS) Support, Network Bridge, Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), NUMA, Remote Installation Services (RIS), Removable and Remote Storage, Services for Macintosh, Terminal Server, Terminal Server Session Directory, and Windows Media Services. Check the Windows Server documentation for any changes.