Comparison of an Operating System

Running Head: COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF MICROSOFT®

Comparison and Contrast of Microsoft® Operating Systems

University of Phoenix

POS421 – Windows Server Networking

2011

Server Core

Windows 2000 to 2003 Server brought about some changes that are desirable to those looking forward to advanced control and security. With Automated System Recovery and Compatibility modes, Server 2003 is already a step up in reliability (Windows Server 2003, 2011). Windows 2000 Server introduced Storage Area Network and Network Access Server support to include some Network Load Balancing upgrades over NT 4.0; 2003 took it a step further with the User State Migration Tool and Emergency Management Services.

Exceptional Tools

One of the biggest advancements in Windows 2003 Server arrives from new command line utilities that facilitate administration. This made advanced features a lot simpler to execute and tuned up areas such as performance and logging, printer and protocol support, and disk and file management tools. Another area of importance is that 2003 brought about the .NET framework and Internet Information Services 6.0. The remote management features were worked and expanded to allow remote desktop administration, remote assistance, and in some instance, a web interface for remote administration. These are vast improvements over the Remote Installation Services that Windows 2000 brought about.

Active Directory

Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) was the first version to bring about Active Directory (AD). However, 2003 again expanded it capabilities by expanding its set of features. Separate release balancing termed Active Directory Application Mode or ADAM allows administrators to save time when creating distributed data stores. (Marshall, 2004) Windows Server 2003 brought about drag and drop functionality, application directory partitions, secure LDAP traffic, and AD quotas just to name a few extras. Some of the more “real” benefits are the ability to restructure a...