Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 is Microsoft’s line of server operating systems. Launched in April 2003, it is the successor to Windows 2000 Server. It is acknowledged by Microsoft to be the foundation of their Windows Server System series of business server products.


Features

1. Internet Information Services (IIS) v6.0 –- Versions of IIS were offered on Windows 2000 and earlier. In Windows Server 2003, it is significantly improved.
2. Terminal Services support (using the Remote Desktop Protocol) – This enables multiple synchronized remote graphical logins. This smoothens the path for thin client computing on the Windows platform, where all applications run remotely on the server.
3. Active Directory-like Terminal Services, considerably improved since Windows 2000
4. Improved default security over earlier versions, owing to the built-in firewall and most services being disabled by default.
5. Message Queuing- radically improved since Windows 2000
6. Manage Your Server—this is a role management administrative tool that permits an administrator to pick out what functionality the server should supply.

Upgrades

Some notable improvements from Windows 2000:

1. Improvements to Active Directory (The capacity to deactivate classes from the schema, or to run multiple instances of the directory server (ADAM))
2. Improvement to Group Policy handling and administration
3. Upgraded disk management including the facility to backup from shadows of files, allowing the backup of open files.