Windows Server 2003-Microsoft viewpoint. (Software Intelligence).

The Windows Server 2003 family takes the best of Windows 2000 Server technology and makes it easier to deploy, manage, and use, offering an infrastructure that helps make a network a strategic asset for an organization.

Evolutionary Improvements to Windows 2000

Windows Server 2003 includes all the functionality customers expect from a mission-critical Windows server operating system, such as security, reliability, availability, and scalability. In addition, Microsoft has improved and extended the Windows server operating systems to enable an organisation to experience the benefits of Microsoft Net--software for connecting information, people, systems, and devices.

Server Roles

Windows Server 2003 is a multipurpose operating system capable of handling a diverse set of server roles, depending on user needs, in either a centralised or distributed fashion. Some of these server roles include:

* File and print server.

* Web server and Web application server.

* Mail server.

* Terminal Server.

* Remote access/virtual private network (VPN) server.

* Directory services, Domain Name System (DNS), Dynamic Host.

Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, and Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS).

* Streaming media server.

The following product overview explains the basics of the Windows Server 2003 family and includes links to more detailed information.

Benefits of the Windows Server 2003 Family

Windows Server 2003 delivers four primary benefits:

Dependable

Windows Server 2003 is the fastest, most reliable, most secure Windows server operating system ever offered. Windows Server 2003 delivers dependability by:

* Providing an integrated infrastructure that helps a user ensure that business information is secure.

* Providing reliability, availability, and scalability so that users can provide the network infrastructure that they demand.

Productive

Windows Server 2003 provides the tools that enable users to deploy, manage, and use a network infrastructure for maximum productivity.

Windows Server 2003 does this by:

* Providing flexible tools that help match design and deployment to the organizational and network needs.

* Helping users to manage a network proactively by enforcing policy, automating tasks, and simplifying updates.

* Helping users lower support overhead by letting them do more on their own.

Connected

Windows Server 2003 can help to create a business solutions infrastructure to better connect employees, partners, systems, and customers.

Windows Server 2003 does this by:

* Providing an integrated Web server and streaming media server that helps to quickly, easily, and securely create dynamic intranet and Internet Web sites.

* Providing an integrated application server that helps to easily develop, deploy, and manage XML Web services.

* Providing the tools to enable users to connect XML Web services to internal applications, suppliers, and partners.

Best Economics

Windows Server 2003, when combined with products and services from Microsoft's many hardware, software, and channel partners, provides the choices that help provide the greatest return on infrastructure investments.

Windows Server 2003 does this by:

* Providing ease-of-use and prescriptive guidance for complete solutions that enable you to quickly put technology to work.

* Helping you consolidate servers by taking advantage of the latest hardware, software, and methodologies to optimize your server deployments.

* lowering your total cost of ownership (TCO) to realize a fast return on investment.

Windows Server 2003 Core Technologies

Windows Server 2003 contains core technologies that build on the strengths of Windows 2000 Server to deliver a superior and cost-effective server operating system.

Dependable

Windows Server 2003 has the reliability, availability, scalability, and security that make it a highly dependable platform.

Availability. The Windows Server 2003 family provides improved availability through enhanced clustering support. Clustering services have become essential for organizations deploying business-critical, e-commerce and line-of-business applications because they provide significant improvements in availability, scalability, and manageability. Clustering installation and setup is easier and more robust in Windows Server 2003, while enhanced network features in the product provide greater failover capabilities and high system uptime. The Windows Server 2003 family supports server clusters for up to eight nodes. If one of the nodes in a cluster becomes unavailable because of failure or maintenance, another node immediately begins providing service, a process known as failover. Windows Server 2003 also supports network load balancing (NIB), which balances incoming Internet Protocol (IP) traffic across nodes in a cluster.

Scalability. The Windows Server 2003 family provides scalability through scale-up, enabled by symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) and scale-out, enabled by clustering. Internal tests indicate that, compared to Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003 delivers up to 140 percent better performance in the file system and significantly better performance in various other features including Microsoft Active Directory service, Web server and Terminal Server components as well as networking services. Windows Server 2003 scales from single processor solutions all the way up to 32-way systems. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit processors.

Security. Businesses have extended the traditional local area network (LAN) by combining intranets, extranets, and Internet sites. As a result, increased system security is now more critical than ever before.

Microsoft's has intensely reviewed the Windows Server 2003 family to identify possible fail points and exploitable weaknesses,

Windows Server 2003 provides many important new security features and improvements including:

* The common language runtime. This software engine is a key element of Windows Server 2003 that improves reliability and helps ensure a safe computing environment. It reduces the number of bugs and security holes caused by common programming mistakes. As a result, there are fewer vulnerabilities for attackers to exploit. The common language runtime also verifies that applications can run without error and checks for appropriate security permissions, making sure that code performs only appropriate operations.

* Internet Information Services 6.0. To increase Web server security, Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 is configured for maximum security out of the box. (The default installation is "locked down.") IIS 6.0 and Windows Server 2003 provide the most dependable, productive, connected, and integrated Web server solution with fault tolerance, requesting queuing, application health monitoring, automatic application recycling, caching, and more.

Productive

Windows Server 2003 capabilities also includes:

* File and print services. At the heart of any IT organization is the ability to efficiently manage file and print resources while keeping them available and secure for users. As the network expands with more users located on- site, in remote locations, or even at partner companies, IT administrators face an increasingly heavy burden. The Windows Server 2003 family delivers intelligent file and print services with increased performance and functionality, allowing you to reduce TCO.

* Active Directory. Active Directory is the directory service for the Windows Server 2003 family. It stores information about objects on the network and makes this information easy for administrators and users to find-providing a logical, hierarchical organization of directory information.

In Windows Server 2003, Active Directory provides increased performance and scalability. It also allows you greater flexibility to design, deploy, and manage your organization's directory.

* Management services. While computing has proliferated on desktops, laptops, and portable devices, the real cost of maintaining a distributed personal computer network has grown significantly. Reducing day-to-day maintenance through automation is key to reducing operating costs. Windows Server 2003 contains several important new automated management tools including Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS) and server configuration wizards to help automate deployment. Managing Group Policy is made easier with the new Group Policy Management Console (GPMC), enabling more organizations to better utilize the Active Directory service and take advantage of its powerful management features. In addition, command-line tools let administrators perform most tasks from the command console. GPMC is planned to be available as a separate component by the time Windows Server 2003 is launched.

* Storage management. Windows Server 2003 introduces new and enhanced features for storage management, making it easier and more reliable to manage and maintain disks and volumes, backup and restore data, and connect to Storage Area Networks (SANs).

* Terminal Services. The Terminal Services component of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 builds on the solid application server mode in Windows 2000 Terminal Services. Terminal Services let you deliver Windows-based applications, or the Windows desktop itself, to virtually any computing device-including those that cannot run Windows.

Connected

Windows Server 2003 contains new features and improvements to make sore an organization and users stay connected:

* XML Web Services. IIS 6.0 is an important component of the Windows Server 2003 family. Administrators and Web application developers demand a fast, reliable Web platform that is both scalable and secure. Significant architectural improvements in IIS include a new process model that greatly improves reliability, scalability, and performance. IIS is installed by default in a locked-down state. Security is increased because the system administrator enables or disables system features based on application requirements. In addition, direct editing support of the XML metabase improves management.

* Networking and communications. Employees need to connect to a network wherever they are and from any device. Partners, vendors, and others outside the network need to interact efficiently with key resources, and security is more important than ever. Networking improvements and new features in the Windows Server 2003 family extend the versatility, manageability, and dependability of network infrastructures.

* Enterprise UDDI services. Windows Server 2003 includes Enterprise UDDI services, a dynamic and flexible infrastructure for XML Web Services. This standards-based solution enables companies to run their own internal UDDI service fur intranet or extranet use. Developers can quickly find and re-use the Web services available within an organization. IT administrators can catalogue and manage the programmable resources in their network With Enterprise UDDI services, companies can build and deploy smarter, more reliable applications.

* Windows Media Services. Windows Server 2003 includes powerful digital streaming media services. These services are part of the next version of the Microsoft Windows Media technologies platform that also includes a new Windows Media Player, Windows Media Encoder, audio/video codecs, and Windows Media Software Development Kit.

XML Web Services and NET

Microsoft .NET is deeply integrated into the Windows Server 2003 family. It enables a high level of software integration using XML Web services: discrete, building-block applications that connect to each other as well as to other, larger applications-via the Internet. Infused into the products that make up the Microsoft platform, .NET provides the ability to reliably build, host, deploy, and use secure and connected solutions through XML Web services. The Microsoft platform provides a suite of developer tools, client applications, XML Web services, and servers necessary to participate in this connected world.

These XML Web services provide reusable components built on industry standards that invoke capabilities from other applications independent of the way the applications were built, their operating system or platform, or the devices used to access them.

With XML Web services, developers can integrate applications inside enterprises and across network boundaries with partners and customers. This advance in computing-opening the door to federated collaboration and more efficient business-to-business and business-to-consumer services-can have a significant potential impact on revenue. Millions of others can use these components in varied combinations to produce highly personal, intelligent computing experiences.

Other .NET benefits in the Windows Server 2003 family help application developers to:

* Leverage their existing investments. Existing Windows-based applications for Windows Server will continue to run on Windows Server 2003 and can be easily repackaged as XML Web services.

* Write less code and use the programming languages and tools they know. This is made possible by the application services built into Windows Server 2003, such as Microsoft ASP.NET, transaction monitoring, message queuing, and data access.

* Use process monitoring, recycling, and built-in instrumentation to provide reliability, availability, and scalability for their applications.

The Windows Server 2003 Family

The Windows Server 2003 family includes the following products: Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition is a network operating system that delivers business solutions for small businesses and departmental use.

It Supports file and printer sharing. - Offers secure Internet connectivity, and allows centralised desktop application deployment.

Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition is built for the general purpose needs of businesses of all sizes, applications, web services and infrastructure.

It is a full-function server operating system that supports up to eight processors, providing enterprise-class features such as eight-node clustering and support for up to 32 GB of memory is available for Intel Itanium-based computers, and will be available for 64-bit computing platforms capable of supporting 8 processors and 64 GB of RAM.

Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition is built for business-critical and mission-critical applications that demand the highest levels of reliability, availability, and scalability. A critical, and exclusive component of the high-end server offering is the Datacenter High Availability Program of support and services. Is the most powerful and functional server operating system Microsoft has ever offered, supporting up to 32-way SMP and 64 GB of RAM with the 32-bit version.

It also supports up to 128-way machines with individual partitions of up to 64 processors and 512 GB of RAM with the 64-bit version, provides both eight-node clustering and load balancing services as standard features, and includes Windows System Resource Manager to facilitate consolidation and system management.

Windows Server 2003, Web Edition a new product within the Windows operating system is provided for both Web serving and hosting.

It is provided for building and hosting Web applications, Web pages, and XML Web Services and is designed to be used primarily as an IIS 6.0 Web server, providing a platform for developing and deploying XML Web services and applications that use ASP.NET technology, a key part of the NET Framework.

Comment -The 'New' Operating system has had a chequered career being regarded as an operation of expediancy rather than an innovation as shown by the comments below - The Editor