Windows 2000 Server Family

  • Article

The Windows 2000 Server family has two members: Standard and Advanced. The Standard edition offers core functionality for essential services (including file, print, communications, infrastructure, and Web servers appropriate to small- and medium-sized organizations with numerous workgroups and branch offices. The Advanced edition is designed to meet mission-critical needs, such as large data warehouses, e-commerce, or Web hosting services for medium-sized and large-sized organizations and Internet service providers (ISPs).

Windows 2000 Server Standard Edition

At the core of Windows 2000 Server is a complete set of infrastructure services based on Active Directory directory service. Active Directory simplifies management, strengthens security, and extends interoperability. It provides a centralized method for managing users, groups, security services, and network resources. In addition, Active Directory has a number of standard interfaces allowing interoperability with a variety of applications and devices.

Windows 2000 Server provides a comprehensive set of Internet services that allows organizations to take advantage of the latest Web technologies. This integrated, flexible Web platform has a full range of services you can use to deploy intranets and Web-based business solutions. These services include site hosting, advanced Web applications, and streaming media.

Windows 2000 Server extends the application services established by Microsoft® Windows NT® Server version 4.0. By integrating application services such as Component Services, transaction and message queuing, and Extensible Markup Language (XML) support, Windows 2000 Server is an ideal platform for both independent software vendor solutions and custom line-of-business applications.

Over the last few years, many companies have benefited from the rapid progress manufacturers have made in the speed of microprocessors. To enhance system performance with faster processors, Windows 2000 Server also supports uniprocessor systems and four-way symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) systems with up to 4 gigabytes (GB) of physical memory.

A business server running the Windows 2000 operating system has the multipurpose capabilities required for both clients and servers in both a traditional client/server model and workgroups. Your organization might also require additional departmental deployments of file and print servers, application servers, Web servers, and communication servers. Some key features of the operating system that will assist you in installing and configuring servers that perform these various roles include:

  • Active Directory

  • IntelliMirror and Group Policy

  • Kerberos authentication and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) security

  • Terminal Services

  • Component Services

  • Enhanced Internet and Web services

  • Up to four-way SMP support

Windows 2000 Advanced Server

Windows 2000 Advanced Server is the new version of Windows NT Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition. It provides a comprehensive clustering infrastructure for high availability and scalability of applications and services, including main memory support of up to 8 gigabytes (GB) on Page Address Extension (PAE) systems. Designed for demanding enterprise applications, Advanced Server supports new systems by using up to eight-way symmetric multiprocessing (SMP ). SMP enables any one of the multiple processors in a computer to run any operating system or application thread simultaneously with other processors in the system. Windows 2000 Advanced Server is well suited to database-intensive work, and provides high-availability server clustering and load balancing for high system and application availability.

Windows 2000 Advanced Server includes the full feature set of Windows 2000 Server and adds the high availability and scalability required for enterprise and larger departmental solutions. Key features of Advanced Server include:

  • All Windows 2000 Server features

  • Network (TCP/IP) Load Balancing

  • Enhanced two-node server clusters based on the Microsoft Windows Cluster Server (MSCS) in the Windows NT Server 4.0 Enterprise Edition

  • Up to 8 GB main memory on PAE systems

  • Up to eight-way SMP