Introducing Microsoft Windows Server(TM) 2003

Windows Server 2003 improves over Windows 2000 Server in four areas:

• Dependability .

  Windows Server 2003 is the fastest , most reliable, most secure Windows server operating system Microsoft has ever offered . Windows Server 2003 delivers dependability. It provides an integrated infrastructure that helps you ensure that your business information is secure. It provides reliability, availability, and scalability so that you can provide the network infrastructure that users demand.

• Productivity.

  Windows Server 2003 provides tools that let you deploy, manage, and use your network infrastructure. These flexible tools help match your design and deployment to your organizational and network needs. The operating system helps you manage your network by enforcing policy, automating tasks , and simplifying updates. Also, it helps you lower support overhead by letting users do more on their own.

• Connectivity.

  Windows Server 2003 can help you create the business solutions infrastructure to better connect employees , partners , systems, and customers. The operating system does this by providing an integrated Web server and streaming media server that helps you quickly, easily, and securely create dynamic intranet and Internet Web sites. It also provides an integrated application server that helps you easily develop, deploy, and manage XML Web services.

• Best Economics.

  Windows Server 2003, when combined with products and services from Microsoft's many hardware, software, and channel partners, provides choices that help you get a greater return on your infrastructure investments. Windows Server 2003 does this by providing ease-of-use and prescriptive guidance for complete solutions that let you quickly put technology to work. It helps you consolidate servers by taking advantage of the latest hardware, software, and methodologies to optimize your server deployments. The result is a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and a fast return on investment.

Dependability

Microsoft built Windows Server 2003 for dependability. It improves on many technologies introduced in Windows 2000 Server, such as support for smart cards, bandwidth throttling, and Plug and Play support. New technologies, such as the common language runtime, strengthen security to help safeguard networks from malicious or poorly designed code. In addition, improvements to Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0, public key infrastructure (PKI), and Kerberos make it easier to secure Windows Server 2003. The Microsoft Active Directory directory service is now faster and more robust over unreliable wide area network connections, thanks to more efficient synchronization, replication, and credential caching in branch office domain controllers.

Key features for dependability include these:

• Availability.

  Windows Server 2003 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 are easier and more robust in Windows Server 2003 than in earlier versions of Windows, while enhanced network features in the product provide greater failover capabilities and high system uptime.

  The Windows Server 2003 family supports server clusters of 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 (NLB), which balances incoming Internet Protocol (IP) traffic across nodes in a cluster.

• Scalability.

  Windows Server 2003 provides scalability through scale-up , enabled by symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), and scale-out, enabled by clustering. Microsoft's own tests indicate that, compared with 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 Active Directory, 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. As part of Microsoft's commitment to reliable, secure, and dependable computing, the company has intensively reviewed the Windows Server 2003 family to identify possible failure points and exploitable weaknesses.

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

  • 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, IIS 6.0 is configured for maximum security out of the box ”its default installation is locked down . Advanced security features in IIS 6.0 include selectable cryptographic services, advanced digest authentication, and configurable access control of processes. These are among the many new security features in IIS 6.0 that enable you to conduct business securely on the Web.

Productivity

Productivity is also a high priority for Windows Server 2003, which the product achieves through enhanced capabilities in system management and storage. The new task-based design in Windows Server 2003 makes it easier to discover how to carry out common tasks. Improvements to the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and Active Directory boost performance and make management easier.

Some of the new management and administration features in the Windows Server 2003 family include Domain Rename, cross-domain and cross-forest management, and Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP). Enhanced Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) providers and command-line tools give administrators greater granular control of server tasks.

Key productivity features include the following:

• 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 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. Windows Server 2003 brings many improvements to Active Directory, making it more versatile, dependable, and economical to use. 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.

  Even as 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 , back up and restore data, and connect to storage area networks (SANs).

• Terminal Services.

  The Terminal Services component of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 builds on the 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.

Windows Server 2003 also makes storage and backup easier while significantly reducing the demands on system administrators. Among the new and improved file services that make this possible is the Volume Shadow Copy service, which provides point-in-time backups of network shares. The benefits of this unique technology extend to users, who can now retrieve old copies of files or deleted files by using the Shadow Copy Restore feature right from their Windows desktops. Also, file and print services are improved with the addition of the Web-Based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) remote document sharing technology. And enhancements to the Distributed File System (DFS) and Encrypting File System (EFS) allow for powerful, flexible file sharing and storage.

Connectivity

Networking improvements and new features in the Windows Server 2003 family extend the versatility, manageability, and dependability of network infrastructures . Windows Server 2003 makes it easier than ever for users to stay connected to their centralized systems from anywhere and on any device. Microsoft has built significant networking enhancements into Windows Server 2003, including Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPoE), and Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) over Network Address Translation (NAT).

Key connectivity improvements include the following:

• 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.

  Networking and communications have never been more critical for organizations faced with the challenge of competing in the global marketplace . Employees need to connect to the 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 for intranet or extranet use. Developers can easily and quickly find and reuse the Web services available within the organization. IT administrators can catalog 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 the industry's most powerful digital streaming media services. These services are part of the next version of the Microsoft Windows Media technologies platform that also includes new versions of Windows Media Player, Windows Media Encoder, audio/video codecs, and the Windows Media Software Development Kit.

Perhaps most important, though, with optimized, native support of Microsoft .NET and XML, Windows Server 2003 represents a revolutionary step forward as the ideal platform to develop, distribute, and host XML Web services created with .NET. Microsoft .NET is deeply integrated into the Windows Server 2003 family. It enables an unprecedented level of software integration using XML Web services: discrete building-block applications that connect to one another ”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 quickly and 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.

Best Economics

Microsoft designed Windows Server 2003 to help companies build the value of their businesses while keeping costs down. The high reliability of Windows Server 2003 helps control costs by reducing outages and downtime. Windows Server 2003 has the flexibility to scale up and out in response to demand.

Powerful management and configuration tools in Windows Server 2003 allow businesses to deploy and manage systems as easily and efficiently as possible. Compatibility with legacy applications and third-party products means organizations will not lose their investment in existing infrastructure. With the Windows Server 2003 family, organizations benefit from a powerful, robust platform that helps build business value now and into the future.