Windows Server 2003 is generated based on the reliable Windows 2000 Server family, integrating a powerful application environment to develop new XML Web services and improved applications that will significantly improve process efficiency. The following major new features and improvements are provided for units considering upgrading from Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2003.
1. Active Directory Improvements
The Microsoft Active Directory® service introduced in Windows 2000 simplifies management of complex network directories and allows users to easily find resources even on the largest network. This enterprise-class directory service is scalable, created entirely based on Internet standard technology, and is fully integrated with operating systems in Windows .NET Server 2003 Standard Edition, Windows .NET Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, and Windows .NET Server 2003 Datacenter Edition.
Windows Server 2003 provides many easy-to-use improvements and new features for Active Directory, including cross-forest trust, the ability to rename domains, and disable properties and categories in the schema to enable changes to its defined capabilities.
2. Group Policy Management Console
Administrators can use Group Policy to define settings and actions that allow users and computers to perform. Compared to on-premises policies, enterprise users can use group policies to set policies in Active Directory that are applied to a specified site, domain, or organizational unit. Policy-based management simplifies tasks such as system update operations, application installation, user profiles, and desktop system locking.
The Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) is expected to be used as an add-on component of Windows Server 2003, and it provides a new framework for managing Group Policy. With GPMC, Group Policy will be easier to use, and this advantage will enable more enterprise users to better use Active Directory and take advantage of its powerful management capabilities.
3. Strategy result set
The Policy Results Set (RSoP) tool allows administrators to view Group Policy performance on target users or computers. With RSoP, enterprise users will have powerful and flexible basic tools to plan, monitor group policies and resolve group policy issues.
RSoP is a structure provided in the form of a set of Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-ins. These snap-ins allow administrators to determine and analyze the current set of policy in two modes: login mode and schedule mode. In login mode, administrators can access information that has been applied to a specific target. In scheduled mode, administrators can see how the policy will be applied to the target and then check its results before deploying changes to the group policy.
4. Volume shadow copy recovery
As part of the Volume Shadow Replica service, this feature enables administrators to configure point-in-time replicas of critical data volumes without interrupting service. These copies can then be used for service restore or archive. Users can retrieve archived versions of their documents, which are not visible on the server.
5、Internet Information Services 6.0
Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 is a full-featured web server that enables web applications and XML Web services. IIS 6.0 is completely rebuilt with the new fault-tolerant process model, which greatly improves the reliability of Web sites and applications.
IIS can now separate a single web application or multiple sites into a separate process (called an application pool) that communicates directly with the operating system kernel. When more active space is provided on the server, this feature will increase throughput and application capacity, effectively reducing hardware requirements. These standalone application pools will prevent an application or site from destroying XML Web services or other web applications on the server.
IIS also provides status monitoring to detect, recover, and prevent web application failures. On Windows Server 2003, Microsoft uses the new IIS process model locally. These advanced application status and detection capabilities are also available for existing applications running under Internet Information Server 4.0 and IIS 5.0, most of which do not require any modifications.
6. Integrated .NET framework
The Microsoft .NET framework is a programming model of software and technologies for generating, deploying, and running Microsoft .NET connections for web applications, smart customer applications, and XML Web services that expose their functionality programmatically over the network using standard protocols such as SOAP, XML, and HTTP.
The .NET framework provides an efficient standards-based environment for integrating existing investments with next-generation applications and services.
Additionally, it helps enterprise users solve problems encountered in deploying and operating Internet-wide applications.
With the .NET framework fully integrated within the Windows Server 2003 operating system, developers can free themselves from writing “pipeline” code, which can focus their energy on realizing true business value. The .NET framework takes into account integration and management details, reducing coding complexity and increasing consistency.
7. Command line management
The command line structure of the Windows Server 2003 series has been significantly enhanced, allowing administrators to perform most administrative tasks without using a graphical user interface. The most important thing is to perform the functionality of most tasks by using the information store enabled by the Windows Management Specification (WMI). This WMI Command Line (WMIC) feature provides a simple command line interface, interacts with existing shells and utility commands, and can be easily extended by scripts or other management-oriented applications.
In short, the more powerful command line capabilities in the Windows Server 2003 series are combined with off-the-shelf scripts to compete with other operating systems that typically have higher ownership costs. Administrators who are used to using command line management for UNIX or Linux systems can continue to manage from the command line in the Windows Server 2003 series.
8. Cluster (8 nodes support)
This service is only for Windows Server 2003 Enterprise and Windows Server 2003 Datacenter, and provides high availability and scalability for mission-critical applications such as databases, messaging systems, and file and print services. Maintain consistent communication by enabling centralized work of multiple servers (nodes). If one node in the cluster is unavailable due to an error or repair, another node will immediately start serving, and this process is called failover. Users who are accessing the service will continue their activities without realizing that the service is now provided by another server (node).
Both Windows Server 2003 Enterprise and Windows Server 2003 Datacenter support server cluster configurations with up to 8 nodes.
9. Secure wireless LAN (802.1X)
Based on the Windows Server 2003 series support for 802.1X, companies can seek a security model that will ensure that all physical access is authorized and encrypted. With a wireless access point or option based on 802.1X, companies can ensure that only trusted systems can connect to protected networks and exchange packets. Because the dynamic key is determined by 802.1X, 802.1X wireless network encryption will be significantly improved by solving many known issues associated with Wired Device Privacy (WEP) (used by IEEE 802.11 network).
This feature provides security and performance improvements to wireless LANs (LANs), such as automatic key management, user authentication, and authorization before accessing the LAN. It also provides access control over the Ethernet network when wired Ethernet is used in public places.
10. Emergency management service: No peripheral server support
The "No Peripheral Server" feature enables IT administrators to install and manage computers without a monitor, VGA display adapter, keyboard, or mouse. Emergency Management Services is a new feature that enables IT administrators to perform remote management and system recovery tasks through the network or other standard remote management tools and mechanisms when they are unable to use the server.