Windows Servers^® Comparison

Hot Add Memory allows ranges of memory to be added to a computer and made available to the operating system and applications as part of the normal memory pool. This does not require rebooting the computer and involves no downtime. This feature only operates on servers that have hardware support for adding memory while the server is operating. Most existing servers do not have such hardware support and can be damaged if memory is installed while the power is on. It is recommended that you consult your server operator's manual for more information.

The Datacenter Program provides customers with an integrated hardware, software, and service offering, delivered by Microsoft and qualified server vendors such as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

RAM facilitates improved system scalability and performance. The more RAM added to a server beyond minimum requirements, the more memory available for applications to use. Designed for small organizations and departmental use, Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition supports new systems with up to 4 GB of RAM.

RAM facilitates improved system scalability and performance. The more RAM added to a server beyond minimum requirements, the more memory available for applications to use. Designed for mission-critical applications, the 32-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition supports up to 64 GB of RAM on x86-based computers. The 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition supports systems with up to 64 GB of RAM.

The Windows Server 2003 family supports single or multiple CPUs that conform to the symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) standard. Using SMP, the operating system can run threads on any available processor, which makes it possible for applications to use multiple processors when additional processing power is required to increase the capability of a system. New features include SMP locking performance, improved registry performance, and increased Terminal Server sessions. Designed for building and hosting Web applications, Web pages, and XML Web services, Windows Server 2003, Web Edition supports new systems with up to two-way SMP.

The Windows Server 2003 family supports single or multiple CPUs that conform to the symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) standard. Using SMP, the operating system can run threads on any available processor, which makes it possible for applications to use multiple processors when additional processing power is required to increase the capability of a system. New features include SMP locking performance, improved registry performance, and increased Terminal Server sessions. Designed for demanding enterprise applications, Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition supports new systems with up to eight-way SMP. This includes the 64-bit edition of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

Microsoft also offers a 128-way SKU for Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition so Windows can run on a 128-processor computer. However, the largest partition supported would be 64 processors.

Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS) is a centralized service that stores and integrates identity information from multiple directories in an organization. The goal of this metadirectory is to provide an organization with a unified view of all known identity information about users, applications, and network resources. A metadirectory solves important business issues that result from having information stored in multiple, disparate data repositories throughout an organization. MIIS is available via Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) or via an MIIS partner engagement.

By using Certificate Services and certificate management tools, you can deploy your own public key infrastructure (PKI). With a PKI, you can implement standards-based technologies, such as smart card logon capabilities, client authentication through Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS), secure e-mail, digital signatures, and secure connectivity using Internet Protocol security (IPSec). By using Certificate Services, you can set up and manage certification authorities (CAs) that issue and revoke X.509 v3 certificates. This means that you do not have to depend on commercial client authentication services, although you can integrate commercial client authentication into your PKI if you choose.

Previously known as Windows NT Load Balancing Service (WLBS), Network Load Balancing distributes incoming TCP/IP traffic among multiple servers. Your clustered applications, especially Web server applications, can handle more traffic, provide higher availability, and provide faster response times.

You can give users ready access to your organization's network even when they are out of the office — and reduce the cost of this access — by implementing a virtual private network (VPN). The VPN connection creates a secure tunnel across the Internet into the private network. There are two types of VPN technologies in the Windows Server 2003 family: Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), which employs user-level Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) authentication methods and Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPEE) for data encryption; and Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) with Internet Protocol security (IPSec). L2TP employs user-level PPP authentication methods and computer-level certificates with IPSec for data encryption. On Windows Server 2003, Web Edition and Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, you can create up to 100 PPTP ports and up to 100 L2TP ports. However, Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, can accept only one VPN connection at a time. Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, can accept up to 1,000 concurrent VPN connections via the ports. If 1,000 VPN clients are connected, further connection attempts are denied until the number of connections falls below 1,000. Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition support unlimited concurrent users.

Network Bridge provides an easy way for you to connect different LAN segments, allowing users to bridge connections between different computers and devices on their network, even when they connect to the network through different methods. Network bridge is supported in Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition and Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is a suite of Internet standard protocols that will become the next generation of network layer protocols for the Internet. IPv6 is designed to solve many of the problems of the current version of IP (known as IPv4) with regard to address depletion, security, autoconfiguration, extensibility, and more.

Encrypting File System (EFS) complements other access controls and provides an additional level of protection for your data. EFS runs as an integrated system service on all disks (including clustered disks), making it easy to manage, difficult to attack, and transparent to the user.

Removable Storage makes it easy to track your removable storage media (tapes and optical discs) and to manage the hardware libraries (such as changers and jukeboxes) that contain them. Because removable optical discs and tapes are less expensive per megabyte than hard disks, Removable Storage and Remote Storage can decrease your costs.

Fax Service lets users send and receive faxes by using a modem or a fax board. You can also send faxes by using your network. You can print to fax from any application, send a cover page, and track and monitor fax activity. New wizards simplify configuration and fax sending. Also, developers can write applications using the new fax APIs to automatically send faxes from their applications.

To help reduce costs, administrators need high levels of control over portable and desktop systems. IntelliMirror management technologies provide this control on client systems running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional. You can use IntelliMirror to define policies based on business roles, group memberships, and locations. With these policies, Windows 2000 Professional desktops and Windows XP Professional desktops are automatically reconfigured to meet a specific user's requirements each time that user logs on to the network, regardless of where the user logs on.

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provides unified access to the management functions of local and remote systems. By adding command-line access to WMI, administrators can directly access these management functions and create queries based on this data. You can monitor local and remote Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP systems directly, to view results through the command line or to retrieve the management data in XML format and processed into built-in or custom XSL output formats. WMI follows the specifications of the industry-standard Common Information Model (CIM) defined by the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF).

You can use Remote Installation Services (RIS) to create automated installation images of operating systems or of complete computer configurations. You can then make these installation images available to users at client computers. You can also specify which RIS server will provide installations to a given client computer. The client computers must support remote booting with the Pre-Boot eXecution Environment (PXE) ROM, or they must be started with a remote-startup floppy disk.

The .NET Framework enables your developers to create great Web applications with the help of ASP.NET and other technologies. It also helps them build the same type of applications they design and develop today. The .NET Framework is language-neutral; virtually any programming language can target it. Developers can build .NET-based applications and services in a number of languages, including Visual C++, Visual Basic .NET, JScript, and Visual C#. Integrated into the Windows Server 2003 family, the .NET Framework is the infrastructure for .NET. The .NET Framework incorporates the common language runtime and a unified set of class libraries that include Windows Forms, ADO.NET, ASP.NET, and other capabilities. The .NET Framework provides a fully managed, protected, and feature-rich application execution environment, simplified development and deployment, and seamless integration with a wide variety of programming languages.

ASP.NET is the engine for Web-based applications and XML Web services. It brings rapid application development to the server. Part of the class library in the .NET Framework, ASP.NET pages use a compiled, event-driven programming model that improves performance and enables the separation of application logic and user interface.

Windows Media Services provide streaming audio and video over corporate intranets and the Internet. In Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, Windows Media Services delivers advanced streaming functionality such as multicasting, wireless network support, Internet authentication, server plug-ins, and cache/proxy APIs.