Product technologies

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Some of the technologies that are included in Windows EBS have been developed specifically for Windows EBS. Other technologies are included in the products that are installed as Windows EBS components. Details for the primary components are described in this section. Additional information for each of the component products is available in their product overviews, which are linked in a subsequent section.

Windows Essential Business Server Administration Console 

The Administration Console is the central interface for managing the Windows EBS environment. From the Administration Console, you can manage all three Windows EBS servers from a single location, either directly on the Windows EBS Management Server or remotely. The Administration Console has tabs that integrate related monitoring and administrative functions from several product technologies. You can monitor the system health, view security and licensing compliance status, check and act upon critical alert notifications, or manage user accounts from the Administration Console.

The Administration Console integrates with Microsoft System Center Essentials. System Center Essentials supplies status and performance information about your system components to the Administration Console, which displays the information for review and action.

Tasks that you initiate from the Administration Console may update settings or data in several of the Windows EBS components. For example, with the New User Account Wizard, you can handle all of the following tasks without switching to different servers or tools:

  • Create a user account in the Active Directory Domain Services domain.

  • Assign a Windows EBS client access license through the Windows EBS licensing service.

  • Assign an e-mail alias and mailbox on Exchange Server 2007.

  • Assign the user to distribution lists and security groups.

  • Redirect the user's Documents folder (or My Documents, if the user is using Windows XP with Service Pack 2) to a server location.

Windows Essential Business Server licensing service

Through the Windows EBS licensing service, the licensing requirements are consolidated for Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, System Center Essentials, Forefront Threat Management Gateway, and the Windows EBS technologies.

Rather than installing and managing separate sets of licenses for each technology, you install packages of client access licenses (CALs) for users or devices, and then assign a CAL to each user or managed device in the Windows EBS environment. Each CAL enables access to the Windows EBS components. Standard CALs enable access to standard network services, and Premium CALs enable access to the additional technologies that are available in the Windows EBS Premium edition.

The Windows EBS licensing service is managed through the Administration Console. From there, you can install CAL packs, manage your licenses, and check on license compliance. The licensing service notifies you when you are reaching license limits, and it provides a temporary buffer that enables your business to keep working if your license needs unexpectedly change.

Windows Server 2008

The Windows Server 2008 operating system forms the foundation for Windows EBS. Several components of Windows Server 2008 are important in the Windows EBS architecture. These include:

  • Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS)

    AD LDS is a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory service. It supports directory-enabled applications without the restrictions of Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). For more information, see “Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127813).

  • Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)

    AD DS stores directory data and manages communication between users and domains, including user logon processes, authentication, and directory searches. In Windows EBS, the Management Server and the Messaging Server are Active Directory domain controllers that run AD DS. For more information, see “Active Directory Domain Services” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127814).

  • Domain Name System (DNS) integrated with Active Directory

    DNS is a system for mapping specific IP addresses to user-friendly names (for example, www.adventure-works.com). The DNS server that is included in Windows Server 2008 supports Active Directory Domain Services in a Windows EBS network. It enables you to integrate your DNS Server service with your Active Directory domain. For more information, see “DNS Server” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127815).

  • Active Directory Certificate Services

    Active Directory Certificate Services is an identity and access control security technology. With it, you can create and manage public key certificates that are used in many software security systems. For more information, see “Active Directory Certificate Services” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127816).

  • Terminal Services RemoteApp

    Terminal Services RemoteApp enables users to remotely run the Administration Console. Terminal Services RemoteApp is a technology in Windows Server 2008 that makes remotely accessed applications appear as they would if they were running on the user's local computer. For more information, see “Terminal Services” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127817).

  • Web Services and Internet Information Services (IIS)

    The Web server role helps you share information with users through the Internet, an intranet, or an extranet. Windows Server 2008 delivers IIS 7.0, which is a unified Web platform that integrates IIS, ASP.NET, Windows Communication Foundation, and Windows SharePoint® Services. For more information, see “Web Server” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127818).

  • DHCP Server service

    DHCP Server service automatically provides client computers and other TCP/IP devices on your network with valid IP addresses. You can also provide the additional configuration parameters that these clients and devices need (called DHCP options), which allow them to connect to other network resources, such as DNS servers, Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) servers, and routers. For more information, see “Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127819).

  • File Services

    File Services helps you manage storage, enable file replication, manage shared folders, search for files, and enable access for client computers running UNIX. For more information, see “File Services” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127820).

  • Print Services

    Print Services enables you to share printers on a network and centralize print server and network printer management tasks. You can also migrate print servers and deploy printer connections by using the Group Policy settings in Print Services. For more information, see “Print Services” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127821).

The version of Windows Server 2008 in Windows EBS supports your network environment as follows:

  • A single Active Directory forest and the domain controllers for Windows EBS must be located at the root domain of that forest.

  • Trusts among other Active Directory forests are not supported.

  • All three servers running Windows EBS (Management, Security, and Messaging) must be in the same Active Directory Domain Services domain.

  • The Management Server and the Messaging Server are domain controllers residing at the root domain of the forest.

  • The Active Directory Domain Services operations manager and related roles must reside on the Management Server.

  • The creation of child domains under the Windows EBS domain is not supported.

  • Management Server Six administration sessions for Terminal Server are supported on each of the servers running Windows EBS.

System Center Essentials

System Center Essentials is a monitoring, troubleshooting, and asset tracking application. One of the key functions it fulfills in Windows EBS is to automate data collection (such as status and performance) from Windows EBS components and then convey the data to the Administration Console for presentation. You can also access the System Center Essentials console directly to package and deploy software updates, create Group Policy objects, and perform troubleshooting for servers or end-user client computers.

For more information about System Center Essentials, see the Microsoft Web site at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127822.

Exchange Server 2007

Exchange Server 2007 provides e-mail and other messaging and collaboration tools and enables remote access from a variety of clients and devices. Additional services enhance connectivity with line-of-business applications, and operations features help IT administrators find and fix communications issues and automate tasks. Two features that are included in Exchange Server 2007 are Intelligent Message Filtering and Exchange Edge Transport.

  • Intelligent Message Filter

    The Exchange Server Intelligent Message Filter combats the influx of unsolicited commercial e-mail, also known as spam or junk e-mail, by applying server-side message filtering. The filter is based on Microsoft SmartScreen® technology, which helps the Exchange Server Intelligent Message Filter distinguish between legitimate e-mail messages and spam.

  • Exchange Edge Transport

    The Edge Transport server role is deployed on your Windows EBS Security Server. It is designed to minimize the attack surface for your messaging services, and it handles all Internet e-mail messages. It provides a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) relay and smart host services for your Exchange Server organization.

For more information about Exchange Server 2007, see the Microsoft Web site at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=31351.

Forefront Threat Management Gateway

The Forefront TMG (formerly called Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server) that is included in Windows EBS helps protect your network and provides policy-based access to your network services. It includes the following components:

  • Forefront TMG

    This security gateway helps protect IT environments from Internet-based threats. It also provides users with remote access to applications and data.

  • Forefront Security for Exchange Server

    Forefront Security for Exchange Server integrates multiple scan engines that help you protect your Exchange Server 2007 messaging environment from viruses, worms, spam, and inappropriate content.

For more information about Forefront Security for Exchange Server, see the Microsoft Web site at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=108893.