<div align="justify"><p>Originally known as Whistler, then for a while as Windows .Net Server, the latest incarnation of Windows for servers is now called simply Windows Server 2003. </p><p>It's an operating system with a lot of pre-launch hype, but Microsoft will be hoping it will appeal to a broad range of businesses, from SMEs to large enterprises. </p><p>In its favour, the new software is based on the Windows 2000 code, which should make this a stable release. Moreover, as with XP, the beta-testing program involved thousands of companies worldwide, so most of the bugs should have been dealt with by now. </p><p>The launch was also delayed by more than a year to get the security right, so hopefully there shouldn't be as many vulnerabilities for hackers to find as with previous releases. </p><p>Microsoft has also enhanced the performance, scalability and management of the software with the aim of tempting companies running Unix, Linux and other operating systems to switch to the Windows platform. </p><p>In particular, it has addressed many of the issues surrounding Active Directory, which have dogged the technology since its introduction in Windows 2000. And, of course, it has built-in services to support the much vaunted .Net Web services initiative. </p><p>However, the company no longer stresses this functionality, hence the dropping of .Net from the name, most probably because it led customers to think that .Net was all that the software was about. </p><p>And that's a long way from the truth. Windows Server 2003 is a comprehensive re-write of the Microsoft server operating system with benefits to be had whether you're hosting applications or sharing files. </p><p><b>Products and prices</b> </p><p>A total of five versions of Windows Server 2003 are planned, including a small business product, which will include bundled applications such as Exchange and SQL Server. However, that version won't be available until later in the year. </p><p>In the meantime, the four packages launched in April start with Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition aimed, primarily, at the small-to-medium and departmental server markets. </p><p>This version offers out-of-the-box support for up to four 32-bit processors and 4GB of memory, and is a full implementation of Windows Server, including Terminal Services and the latest IIS 6 web software, although without clustering support and a few other high-end features. </p><p>To get clustering you need the Enterprise Edition. The name here clearly reflects the intended market. This version is a lot more scalable than the Standard Edition with support for eight-way multi-processing as standard, and a 64-bit implementation for use on Itanium servers, if required. </p><p>And it's worth noting that the 64-bit software is based on the current 64-bit Windows Advanced Server Limited Edition kernel, support for which is set to be discontinued 90 days after the Windows 2003 launch. </p><p>Memory support is also enhanced in this Edition, with up to 32GB of memory addressable by Enterprise servers equipped with 32-bit processors and 64GB with Itanium. </p><p>You also get a number of extra features in the Enterprise Edition, including support for Numa (non-uniform memory access) platforms, remote storage, San boot facilities and the Windows Resource Manager, which allows CPU, memory and other resources to be allocated to specific applications. </p><p>Higher up the scale still comes the Datacenter Edition, which, like the Datacenter version of Windows 2000, is only available from selected hardware vendors such as HP, Dell and Unisys. This version is also available for 64-bit as well as 32-bit platforms and can scale to 32-way SMP with a 64GB address space on 32-bit platforms and 512GB when used withItanium. </p><p>However, the Datacenter version provides no extra functionality beyond that included in the Enterprise Edition, and the Datacenter software needs a minimum of eight processors to start with. Microsoft sees Datacenter as its main vehicle for companies looking to consolidate server hardware. </p><p>At the other end of the spectrum there's a low-cost version of the Microsoft server software aimed expressly at companies looking to develop and host web-based applications. </p><p>Called, not surprisingly, the Web Edition, this version is optimised for serving web pages using IIS 6 and is a 32-bit implementation that can be deployed on servers with up to two processors and 2GB of memory. </p><p>However, small companies looking to save money by installing the Web rather than Standard Edition could be disappointed, as the functionality beyond web serving is limited. </p><p>With the exception of the new Web Edition, prices are pretty much on a par with those for Windows 2000 Server, which will continue to be sold and supported for several years yet. For example, at the time of the April launch we found online resellers advertising the Standard Edition at £680 ex VAT with five-client access licences (Cals) and £815 for the 10 Calpackage. </p><p>That compares with around £700 and £845 (both ex VAT) for Windows 2000 products from the same sources. Similarly, the Enterprise Edition - the equivalent of Windows 2000 Advanced Server - was being advertised for £2,649 ex VAT, with 25 Cals included, roughly the same as for Windows 2000. </p><p>Prices for the Datacenter Edition aren't readily available since the software is only available as a package with new server hardware. But the Web Edition will be a widely available retail solution with a price of just £275 ex VAT. That's to allow it to compete with Linux serversolutions from Red Hat, Suse and others, although that may not happen quite as Microsoft expects. </p><p>Finally, the cost of upgrading to Windows Server 2003 will depend on the licensing deal you have with Microsoft. Large corporates with upgrade protection, for example, will be able to upgrade free of charge. Others will need to buy upgrades, with prices expected to be on a par with current Windows 2000 offerings. </p><p><b>Getting started</b> </p><p>The requirements for Windows Server 2003 aren't that much more onerous than for Windows 2000, which is good news for companies looking to upgrade, as there's no absolute need to replace hardware. </p><p>For instance, all versions other than the Datacenter Edition can be supported using a133MHz Pentium processor - although something faster is certainly preferable - while memory and other requirements vary depending on the version involved. </p><p>Installation, too, is very similar to that for Windows 2000, with a bootable CD-Rom that runs through a basic blue screen set-up routine to format the system disk and load the core software before handing over to a wizard-led graphical install routine. </p><p>There is one big change, however, as you need to activate the software within 30 days - just as with Windows XP - otherwise it stops working. </p><p>Large customers with the necessary support agreements won't have to do this, but the procedure is very quick and painless. Moreover, we encountered very few problems installing the package on older Pentium II and Pentium III-based servers in the PCW Labs, virtually all of which then ran faster in our tests than when configured with Windows 2000. </p><p>Indeed, the very few issues we did encounter were related to new network and storage controllers in more modern servers (mainly Raid controllers), the drivers for which hadn't been expressly certified to work with the new platform. </p><p>Still, that's a common enough issue with any new operating system and one that will hopefully be resolved quickly. Moreover, the set-up wizard can now check for updated driver files on the web, an option that can also be scripted for unattended installation. </p><p>Installation takes around 30-40 minutes to get to the login stage, but it's important to understand that very few of the services you might need will have been installed or configured at this stage. That's in stark contrast to previous Windows NT and 2000 implementations where everything you might possibly want was installed by default. </p><p>The old solution made life a lot easier, but posed a potential security risk as even though you might not be using a particular component, flaws in its code could still be exploited by would-be hackers and virus writers. </p><p>With Windows Server 2003 you have to expressly configure optional components and services using the new Manage Your Server wizard. This replaces the Windows 2000 Configure Your Server wizard and, similarly, runs as soon as the Administrator logs onto the newly installed system. </p><p>To make this easier the wizard talks about server roles, lists the roles already assigned to the system and steps you through the various options when assigning a new role. </p><p>For example, you can choose to assign file and print server roles separately, set-up the server as a domain controller and configure it to run the new SMTP/Pop3 mail server, though this is not included with the operating system. </p><p>Similarly, you can configure the integrated terminal services using this wizard and, if required, delete all the services associated with a role that's no longer needed. </p><p>To make life even easier there's also a typical configuration option that adds the most commonly required roles for a new server. This installs Active Directory and makes the server a domain controller, configures optional DHCP/DNS services and activates the new built-in firewall. </p><p>It does take a little getting used to compared to the Windows NT/2000 way of working, but it's not particularly difficult. Added to which, the Manage Your Server wizard provides a convenient launch pad for the various tools needed to further configure and manage the services once they're installed. </p><p><b>Linux alternatives</b> </p><p>Microsoft is hoping to diminish the growing share of the server market being taken by Linux, with its new low-cost Web Edition of Windows Server 2003. However, it may not have gone far enough to achieve this in either the small business or larger enterprise markets. </p><p>On the face of it the Web Edition, at around £323 (£275 ex VAT) should appeal to small companies which might otherwise consider Linux. But that's not quite the case, as the Web Edition is very much about web hosting with limited functionality in other areas. For instance, it can't be configured as a domain controller and will only support up to 10 file-sharingconnections. </p><p>Compare that with the latest Red Hat Linux 9 product, selling for around £129 (£110 ex VAT), which not only includes the popular Apache Web server, but has no file-sharing limits and, using Samba, can even emulate a Windows domain controller. </p><p>There is the small matter of the different technical skills needed to install and manage a Linux server, a factor which traditionally works in the favour of Windows. But with the latest graphical interfaces, Linux isn't that difficult to get to grips with and can be pre-installed by server vendors, which are increasingly selling it as an alternative server platform for small business buyers. </p><p>Microsoft is also facing challenges from Linux higher up the scale too, with Red Hat, Suse and other vendors releasing Enterprise-level server products which can do just as much as Windows Server 2003 for a lot less. </p><p>As a spoiler to the April launch, for example, Red Hat introduced its new Enterprise Linux ES package for mid-tier servers. Priced at £764 (£650 ex VAT), the ES package is a complete departmental solution for both file and print and application-hosting networks. Moreover, as with all versions of Linux there are no extra costs in terms of client licences. </p><p>Windows Server 2003, in contrast, requires client licences even for basic file-sharing duties. Admittedly, the new release does now let you licence connections on a per-user as well as per-device basis, but the cost of client access licences (Cals) is still a major consideration. </p></div>