Summary

Shared Folders provides an easy way to administer and create file shares on the network, intranet, or Internet, whereas the Distributed file system provides a way of taking all of the disparate file shares and bringing them together into one hierarchical folder structure. Removable Storage provides a much-needed level of abstraction and management for removable storage devices of all types, allowing applications to focus on their core purpose: working with data, not devices and media. Remote Storage builds on this foundation by making it easier for companies to build and maintain immense libraries of archived data, at the same time making it vastly easier to retrieve archived data as necessary.

Together these technologies make Windows 2000 a more powerful server operating system, although one that is sometimes complex to administer. However, this complexity comes from the breadth of features Windows 2000 provides, and Windows 2000 uses these features well by empowering users with simpler and more powerful access to the files they need. Such a complex system requires sophisticated security capabilities. The next chapter covers how to plan a secure operating environment with Windows 2000.