Chapter 8: Meet Windows 2003

Overview

Windows Server 2003 is part of Microsoft's new outlook on life, which focuses on establishing an infrastructure that companies can use to bring rich e-commerce Web applications to clients swiftly and efficiently . What this means in non-geek terms is that Microsoft wants to encourage more companies to use their products to create online shopping malls. To sweeten the deal, Microsoft has added several improvements to their Web development and deployment technologies.

However, we think this is more hype than gold. As you explore Windows Server 2003 on your own and through this book, you'll find little difference between Windows 2003 and its Windows 2000 Server predecessor. Yeah, there are some bug fixes, feature improvements, and stronger security defaults. But Windows Server 2003 can participate in Windows 2000 domains; it can even serve as a domain controller without problems. And all the user controls and administrative tools are the same.

So, what do you get with Windows Sever 2003? You get an improved user experience, which is a bit of a hybrid between the user interface and desktop of Windows 2000 and Windows XP. You also get a few new tools, such as Remote Desktops, Remote Assistance, Microsoft .NET Framework Configuration, and Microsoft .NET Framework Wizards. You might recognize the first two of these from Windows XP. The last two items are something new to the Microsoft world. We talk about all these tools in later chapters.

One last item: Like Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 requires that you activate the operating system within 30 days of installation. If you don't, you get cut off - the OS stops letting you in and won't let you do anything. Activation is a new headache for Microsoft product users; we talk about it in Chapter 9.