MCSA/MCSE 2003 JumpStart

The most obvious change that occurred with the release of NT 4 was the adoption of the Windows 95 user interface. Although the interface had changed, administrators who were familiar with NT 3.51 quickly learned that many of the utilities had not.

clustering

Connecting two or more computers to make them appear as one system. Clustering is used to take advantage of the processing power of multiple computers.

load balancing

Distributing similar tasks (such as accessing an application or assigning an IP address) equally across multiple computers.

symmetric processor

Two or more processors in a computer that are each capable of completing processes simultaneously, which maximizes performance. Windows NT, 2000 Server, and Windows Server 2003 support SMP.

NT Server 4 has two versions:

• NT Server 4 (standard)

• NT Server/E 4 (Enterprise version)

NT Server 4

Several enhancements have been made to NT 4:

• Performance improved over NT 3.51. On a single-processor computer, NT 4 runs up to 66 percent faster in file and print tests.

• More drivers are supported during installation. NT 4 increased support for more than 1,000 hardware devices beyond what NT 3.51 supported. This makes installation and setup much easier, because the driver software for network interface cards and video adapters are likely to be available through the NT installation media.

• Hardware profile support was a feature added for mobile users who use their laptops on the road and when connected to additional hardware in the office.

• Critical error messages were rewritten to provide clearer information and possible solutions.

• Administrative Wizards were added to step administrators through common configuration tasks.

• Improvements to Task Manager included the added feature of Performance Monitor, which enables you to easily and quickly view memory and resource use.

• New services, such as Internet Information Server (IIS) and Index Server, were added. Internet Information Server was Microsoft's first introduction of a World Wide Web server for NT. Index Server added the capability to search directories on an NT server by using a web browser.

• A new protocol was added for RAS. Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) enables you to create encrypted communications between a Windows 95/98 or compatible client computer and an NT 4 server running RAS.

NT Server/E 4

This Enterprise version of NT Server adds greater support for larger networks with higher performance demands by including many features and services:

• Clustering services are supported for two-server clusters. These services (formerly known by the code name Wolfpack, now known as Microsoft Cluster Server, or MSCS) provide fault tolerance and load balancing. Clustering services are able to monitor server health and reliability, and recover applications and data in the event of system failure by using the second server in the cluster.

original equipment manufacturer (OEM)

A term used to describe the device or software that is sold to a reseller who then passes the product on to a consumer. OEM versions of software can sometimes be altered by the reseller in an effort to make the product integrate with the reseller's hardware.

BackOffice

A suite of server applications built by Microsoft to run on the NT server platform.

• The user is licensed to run more than four symmetric processors without special original equipment manufacturer (OEM) versions of NT Server. Windows Server/E can support up to 32 Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP) processors.

• Better memory tuning exists for applications with high memory requirements. This version can also use up to 4GB of RAM per application as opposed to previous versions of NT, which supported only 2GB of RAM.

• NT Server/E also ships with these services: Service Pack 3, Internet Information Server (IIS) 3, Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS), Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ), and FrontPage 97. Each of these services addressed specific needs of large companies needing to take advantage of Enterprise's powerful features for Internet-based applications such as IIS.