Microsoft Windows Server

MicrosoftWindowsServer is a specialised version of MicrosoftWindows that is used as a server.

The server is distinguished from the desktop versions of Windows in these ways:

• multiple web sites supported (desktop supports only 1 website in IIS)
• better IIS process model (WS2003 versus WindowsXp)
• higher file/print capacities
• better use of SMP hardware
• able to host enterprise applications, like SQL Server, Exchange
• ActiveDirectory, or ActiveDirectoryApplicationMode?
• Optional Services like DNS, FTP, NNTP
• WindowsInternetNameService?
• RightsManagementServices?
• NetworkLoadBalancing? - an IP-based round-robin load balancer
• Terminal Services (desktop supports only one remote client, Server supports N concurrent clients)
• Resource Management - so admins can allocate resources to specific processes or apps
• Clustering for reliability (MSCS)

In the Windows 2000 timeframe, the server version of the operating system came out concurrently with the desktop version. They launched on the same day. Since then, (as of January 2006) the desktop version was updated once (WindowsXp, released in 2002) and the server version was updated once (Windows Server 2003, released in May 2003).

The following article provides some insights on MicrosoftCorporation strategies in product release. http://www.winnetmag.com/Articles/Print.cfm?ArticleID=42718 suggests a BlackComb? server is the next server from MicrosoftCorporation in the next decade.

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Server related security threats and countermeasures http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/topics/Serversecurity/tcg/tcgch00.mspx

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Nov2004 "remove unused WindowsInternetNameService? (WINS) and block TCP/UDP ports 42." See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890710

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Resources

Windows is an Application Server at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/appserver/default.mspx

MS Unix Migration Project Guide (UMPG) at http://www.zdnet.com.au/insight/toolkit/hardware/server/0,39023873,39159143,00.htm

Windows Services For Unix http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/sfu/default.mspx

Command line operations for servers http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=5424

Security Operations Guide for Windows 2000 server http://www.microsoft.com/brasil/security/content/resources/resources/SOG_download.pdf

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