Windows Server 2003 isn't just a single product; it's a family of servers and a whole gaggle of relatives. The Windows 2003 family has the following four core members:
Windows Server 2003, Web Edition: This is a new type of server for Microsoft. This server is optimized for hosting Web sites and is the only Windows Server 2003 that installs IIS 6.0 as a default component.
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition: This server is the same level of server as Windows 2000 — just a normal network server capable of establishing and managing a domain. According to Microsoft, "this flexible server is the ideal choice for the everyday needs of businesses of all sizes." And if that doesn't say it all, nothing will.
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition: This server is a bit more robust. It demands more computing horsepower, but can return it in spades. Enterprise Edition is designed to support infrastructure servers that require high reliability and superior performance.
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition: This is the granddaddy of all servers from Microsoft. It's designed to offer mission-critical fault-tolerance for demanding applications by providing a scalable clustering architecture that offers high availability. In other words, this is one super-powerful beast that you wouldn't want to meet in a smack-down fight.
To expand and proliferate the new 2003 platform, Microsoft has repositioned many of their top products as 2003 Enterprise Servers, including the following:
Windows 2000 Server family (yeah, they repositioned their old product in the new hype)
Application Center 2000
BizTalk Server 2000
Commerce Server 2000
Content Management Server 2000
Exchange Server 2000
Host Integration Server 2000
Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000
Mobile Information 2001 Server
SharePoint Portal Server 2000
SQL Server 2000
If you want to get a head full of info about Windows 2003, head to the Microsoft site. Everything you'd ever want to know about the new 2003 platform is there just waiting for you.
Why use Windows Server 2003?
Any time a vendor introduces a new version, such as Windows 2003, of a popular product, it has to create inducements for users of the previous version to upgrade. Likewise, the company has to attract new buyers to the new version to keep ramping up sales.
Where Windows Server 2003 is concerned, those inducements can be powerful. Windows Server 2003 systems can function alongside Windows 2000 Server systems as members of the domain or even as domain controllers. Windows Server 2003 also plays well with older Microsoft servers, such as Windows NT 4.0 Server, but note that Microsoft claims that Windows Server 2003 shines best when it plays by itself (in other words, when it's the only server type on the network).
Lowered TCO
Total cost of ownership (TCO) measures what it costs to acquire, install, configure, manage, and maintain a system during its entire productive life. In a magnificent case of making a virtue out of necessity, Microsoft stresses all the ways that Windows 2003 has been engineered to help lower its TCO. In effect, what's happened is that numerous problems with or deficiencies in Windows NT and Windows 2000 have been remedied in Windows 2003.
Following is a sampling of what falls under this "remedied" umbrella (much of which is sure to be appreciated by systems administrators and users alike, so we don't mean to suggest that these improvements aren't valuable or significant):
IntelliMirror management technologies: IntelliMirror is not a product in and of itself; rather, it's a term used to describe the overall benefits gleaned from Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 when several of its key features are used in concert. IntelliMirror is possible through the use of Active Directory, Group Policy, roaming profiles, and Remote Installation Services (RIS). IntelliMirror sets up a mechanism to capture updates made to any suitable client machine (which can be on Windows 2003, Windows 2000, or Windows XP) and save those updates to a network server. This technology not only allows the original desktop to be rebuilt or repaired on an as-needed basis, but also enables users to rove from desktop to desktop, taking their applications, data, preferences, and desktop settings with them wherever they go. Because it reduces the need to re-create complex configurations and setups,
Support for broad and varied management tools: Windows 2003 includes an improved and expanded set of built-in remote management tools for networks, desktops, servers, and other key network components. Windows 2003 also works with management agents and software from other vendors, such as Tivoli Systems, Hewlett-Packard, NetIQ, and Microsoft's own Systems Management Server (SMS). Because the Windows 2003 system works with these other vendors, the cost of ownership for maintaining complex modern systems should be significantly reduced. Plus, many new command-line administration tools can be used to create powerful scripts that automate many tasks.
Easy to learn and easy to use: By making Windows 2003 much like a Windows 2000 and Windows XP hybrid, Microsoft hopes to leverage the learning curve for those who have worked with previous versions of Windows. Even better, Windows 2003 includes numerous wizards and other automation tools that store frequently used fields (such as username and password) and can supply them on demand when input context indicates that such data might be helpful. The Windows 2003 desktop is also quite friendly, shows Start menu items based on usage patterns, and is easy to reconfigure and customize. By shortening the learning curve and increasing usability, the overall cost of ownership should be reduced at the user level, which is where costs are typically highest.
Remote computing to boost productivity: With its inclusion of terminal server technology, plus Web-based remote management and administration tools that can work on any desktop with a suitable Web browser installed, Windows 2003 is easier to set up, configure, and manage than earlier versions of Windows. This should help manage the cost of ownership for networks; especially for those networks in which local expertise may be missing or low, but in which global expertise can be applied remotely to handle situations and solve problems that may be beyond the abilities of branch office workers.
Network-wide availability and access: The combination of Active Directory — with its globally available window on network resources, access controls, security, and administration — and the Web-based capabilities of Windows 2003's configuration and management tools makes Windows 2003 networks easier to install and maintain for administrators. In addition, it's easier for end users to navigate and use. By lowering the human costs of networking, Windows 2003 promises to significantly lower the costs of ownership and the costs of the equipment and software that make networks work.
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