Microsoft Windows 2003

Windows 2003 is expensive. Its very expensive. but luckily I had the chance to test it rigorously a week back. It is an OS for a high end computer. It is an out and out performance OS and has nothing for the ones that appreciate good looks.

Contrary to public opinion that windows 2003 is boring and dull, I decided to tweak into a proper OS where I could listen to music, play games and even made it look like windows XP. Windows 2003 is much more stable, reliable and securethan good old XP.

Here are the good parts of this OS :

- very fast

Bad parts, although few are :

- no switching users like windows XP (one major drawback)

In all if you're a novice or maybe a high end use who doesn't want too many headaches to get the OS working then windows 2003 is not for you. But if you have a server or any good computer and love an OS which won't hang if you tried to bang it on a wall then this is the OS that you're looking for !!

In conclusion I love this thing and I can gladly say that this is the most wonderful OS I have seen !

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Hi everyone, when I heard about the new Windows 2003 server and its so called powerful functionality, I was really interested in going for it. Then I came across an article that made me change my decision. The article is as follows -

Microsoft announced three new security breaches in its latest server software - Microsoft Windows Advanced Server 2003. This included one critical flaw that allows hackers to run any unauthorised code on the victims PC. This flaw, known as a buffer overrun vulnerability allow an attacker to run their own executable code.

Another flaw located in the HTML converter in windows can be used by hackers to spread the code either by e-mail or by creating a special web-page that triggers the code when a user visits it.

The most important thing to be noted here is that the flaw is present in all the windows operating system versions right from windows 98,98 SE, Me, NT 4.0, 2000, XP and now the Advanced Server 2003.

The question still lingers among the users of windows - When is Microsoft really going to get serious about its software that is error free and free from major security flaws like the one mentioned above???

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 users are requested to download the security patch available on the Microsoft website.

This is probably the reason why everyone is switching to Open Source.

Hail Linus Torvalds and his Open Source - Linux!!!.

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I've been playing with the Windows2003 Server since Microsoft started handing out free RC1 Versions a year back. Have also been interacting with a lot of people who are working on itas test beds. And one very common view is '' It (windows 2003 server) has everything I could want and It has nothing that I want''.

Ppl moving from WinNT Server to Windows 2003 server are going to get returns for each rupee spent on Windows 2003 Server. 2003Server has a lot to offer for these guys by means of Ease of Deployment and managing. Better out-of-the-box server security, a fresh lifespan, better support for Network Devices and software.

It definately is a lot easier to configure and manage 2003 server as it is to WInnt. The configure you server wizard does most of your initial work automatically. You can see that many of the unwanted most often exploited services are locked down by default so you dont have to go about configuring and tracking them down.

Personally Ive yet to find a V Imp feature in 2003 that I couldnt get in Windows2000Server. Its got Themes though. :). So your server doesnt have to be just a dull looking machine sitting on one corner or stacked away in the rack. You could have a XP-interface bright colorful icons and effects and looking good on the new 15'' monitor you attach with it.

Now Im guessing that you arent going to be actually deploying the server LIVE anytime. And like me, you're just opening it apart and having a look whats inside sorts. If you want absolute technical information (biased) I suggest you check out the Windows 2003 server site ie

https://microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/

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Every product launched by Microsoft receives a great attention by the industry players as well as the home users like us.

The same is with Windows 2003. This version is not just an upgrade to Windows 200 or XP. Infact this product is developed with the feedbacks from System Admins and Developers.

Another feature that Windows 2003 has is the VSS. The Volume Shadow copy Service takes snapshots of your hard drives and help you to restore it in the state if anything goes wrong. With this one can recover deleted files.

Please note that Windows 2003 is not aimed at home users, Although there is no harm in using it, But I suggest Windows XP is the best for any home user.

Setup & Requirements

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Installation of Windows 2003 is similar to Windows XP. But after installing, one must activate 2003. If not activated within a 60 day period, the copy of Windows 2003 will expire.

Although the minimum CPU speed recommended is just 133 Mhz, Windows 2003, Microsoft recommends CPU Speed of 550 MHz with atleast 128MB or RAM and a 1.5GB of disk space to get your hands on this OS.

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DUH! Here is an Operating System that goes wrong from the word go. During the installation, it looks like the messages got stuck in a loop and came frequenting a bit too often and the two of them surely made more visits than others. '' ...makes the best operating system ever.'' ...''Secure Applications''. Duh! Duh! Duh! Most of the operating system tries to extend what they did with Windows 2000 and that is Chori........ Here is the biggest billion dollar firm in the world and all it can come up with is a pirated version of Linux (is there one? :rolleyes). Rather than break new innovative ground through some research, Windows 2003 marries off randomly selected features of Linux to some facilities to make PC users even more slouch (you dont need to search for some drivers if that is what you used to mind!) and ofcourse conveniently tells you ''... based on the universal acceptance of Windows 2000 server'' or something to that effect :Duh! Come on guys Linux brought in a new way of building applications, proven so far to be more secure than anything in the world and also more Internet snazzy than anything else and supported by a horde of excellent low priced open source software, one which may ask you to learn a bit but makes the effort worthwhile. Under consistent attack from everyone (due to envy?) MS launches what is an equivalent of a situation where Coke tries and add some meetha to Coca Cola simply because Pepsi is gaining ground :Duh!

The software comes up with some innovation though, one of which is Activation Key. In response to GNU License, MS has still to come up with something which is going to sell in the market. The Installation meanders on and on and the option to select your own modules is all a big hogwash; most services are installed all by itself. Then ofcourse, new S/W upgrade means more H/W (this is really a Duh!), Come on peeps, what the heck, this must be the only industry where new thing means more resources. Yes yes cosmetic powerding continue on GUI and the effort to make it futuristic and grand are all there (I told you the higher H/W requirements nah! duh!). So far I have refrained from experimenting a lot on its Networking abilities which I have never been convinced from MS. More security which ends up as a nuisance than feature and a sleeker version of telnet are some things it has come up with. God forbid if you ever altered your activex settings, only Bruce Almighty would need to help it (looks like it since it was lying on my HDD duh!).

Lets see what does it mean:

Average user: Office, net, music etc. Great to use if you can upgrade a bit. Some more technical zippy which lasts in freshness exactly 2 days, after which you want them to come up with a new upgrade itself (no we are not in a stage where artificially intelligent machines and bots customize your applications depending on your mood, what a horrible day that will be for a confused architecture like MS, duh!) I am not recommending Linux but please give it a try, it is not as difficult as it is made out to be esp. Red Hat 9.0. (No Duh! but :) )

Professionals: Ah Matlab, CATIA, Visual Studio run on it thankfully but it has like all MS products a tendency to make processor go on a thinking spree and hence stop responding for a reason which is dutifully recorded and sent also to MS each time and yes it is anonymous. If that is what is alternative to hanging of the PC's then Devil is an alternative to Me (Huh!). Dont even try and open more than 4 applications at a time if the H/W is not latest else be prepared for those chithis at every possible use.

Nerds: Iam sure they will find something in it since MS never does a job well. Their foundation was laid in 1983 and they are sticking to it, not breaking any new ground in either architecture nor concepts. Tactics of an insecure company like deny Java, slam Open Source as a virus and even label some linux sites as distrusted source are not going to do any good. One of my juniors has already hacked my 2003, so much for the most secure OS ever (Duh! and I lost the bet, some more Duh!).

Support: MS has one of the most proficient technical supports (:rolleyes). They respond exactly after the letter has shuttled between their local office (none, so it means dealer), Bombay office (???) and sometimes even Atlanta and can come up with things like we have an active web community where you will get help (now I did not know that did I? Duh!). But it is good enough for most users but for advanced users, it is duh! again. There is one innovation, since user is going to be asked things at each step, the technical support just simply says, Oh! it must have asked and you would have.... Now that is a user friendly s/w. Like I said, they have not broken any new ground atall.

Well the criteria is that upgrade is if you go in for silicon transplants or mystery black magic not your daily beauty parlour routine. Microsoft 2000 was atleast an upgrade, this is more of latter.

Absolutely no need to upgrade, not as of yet. Unless you want Anonymous error reports and activex controls instead of hanging PC's.

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640K ought to be enough for anybody - Bill Gates

At Microsoft there are lots of brilliant ideas but the image is that they all come from the top - I'm afraid that's not quite right. - Bill Gates

PROLOGUE

Let me start off with a confession. I have been a heavy time Microsoft user, since the days of MS-DOS 2.0 till the latest and greatest from MS. Microsoft is an institution, unparalleled by anyone so far. For many, Microsoft is a religion, a puzzle, an object of enviness, A Model to emulate. It’s success speaks volumes. When I saw the request for Windows 2003 and no one has written one so far, I wanted to sieze the opportunity to write the first one. Without further adieu, let us delve into the topic.

INTRODUCTION

It is almost 3+ years since the Win2K won the customers all over the world(Did they have a choice? Yes! They did, in the form of Hobson’s choice. :)). Like many critics who wanted to trash this money minting OS, they blasted about the native secutity, the need to tighten things up once you install et al. Microsoft has done some excellent job in tightening the security layer of their flagship product. The ease of installation is also a breeze. I shall delve into generic features now.

NEW FEATURES

1. VSS (Volume Shadow copy Service) – Allows admin to automatically take a disk backup at a scheduled time, specifically disk drive images and snapshots. (A great tool for recovery & backup purposes).

   
   




2. MANAGE YOUR SERVER - This wizard is an excellent add-in only gives and admin with the option to setup new services on the server (This is as easy as add/remove program utils you may have seen in earlier versions). The niche fact about this is that, this extends the options as you choose to add services.

   
   




3. WEB BASED ADMIN – This tool lets you manage the administrative functions using a browser. This is very effective especially if you have the servers available in a secure VPN where you can use IPSEC to manage your servers remotely.

   
   




4. ENHANCED GROUP POLICY – This policy has grown extensively, mainly due to the security fallacies of Win2K. This feature lets you have policies for logins, scripts, disk quotas, RPCs, RA, SR, ER etc etc. You set a policy and live by it.

   
   




5. The cream of the enhancements is ACTIVE DIRECTORY IN APPLICATION MODE (ADAM) - ADAM provides locality of data and satisfies the dedicated storage/store requirements of an application. ADAM is an independent service vs an OS service like the earlier one.This lets you modify the ADAM instances without needing a scheduled downtime to make changes to the corporate directory infrastructure.

   
   




6. IIS 6 – Which has some cool services, such as Worker Process Isolation, features to work with Microsoft Passport et al.

   
   




7. MTS (Microsoft Terminal Server/ Terminal Services) – Enhanced with excellent features. This lets you manage File System,Ports , Printers ,Audio ,Smart Card Sign In ,Windows Keys ,Time Zone and Virtual Channels from this service.

   
   

And the list goes on. Let us delve into characteristics

REQUIREMENTS & PRICING

Requirement for the Standard Edition of Win2K3

• Minimum CPU Speed     ==>133 MHz

• Recommended CPU      ==>     550 MHz

• Minimum RAM     ==>     128 MB

• Recommended Minimum RAM     ==>     256 MB

• Maximum RAM     ==>4 GB

• Disk Space for Setup     ==>1.5 GB

Pricingwise, it is $999 for standard edition to $4999 for Enterprise one with 25 CALs.

INSTALLATION - ½ stars

This is a breeze. Need to activate the license within a 60 day grace period. This is to prevent the software piracy. There are some limitations on memory requirements.

SECURITY - stars

It is simply excellent, considering its predecessors. MS has comeup with a formula called SD3+3 which means (Secure by Design, Secure by Default, Secure in Deployment and Communications). Two thumbs up here. ( I am sure there will be some loopholes to be found. :-) )

USER INTERFACE - ½ stars

There are some good features from an end user perspective. After all, it is from some of the exceptional Human Factors Engineers around. Whilst the 3D features can be seen in the later version of Windows, (This is Whistler edition I am talking about), this one has some great UI for users to admire.

DEVELOPMENT TOOLS - stars

There are many tools and utilities available for developers. .NET framework, Application Verifier, ASP.NET, Bandwidth Throttling, CLR, UDDI, Web Gardens are some of them. .NET framework is in the evolving mode and is yet to reap the benefits of its might, as promised, yet. Will be an year or two before it becomes a force to reckon with. From win2k3 perspective, this is cool

FEATURES - stars

Though there are many features included, there aren’t mind-boggling bells and whistles from this IT bellwether. Though the features mentioned above are good enough, I am still feeling a little bit left out in this perspective.

VALUE FOR MONEY - ½ stars

I certainly feel that this is a great product for the amount you spend. MS has rightfully decided to give more flexibility to its toughest customers, (i.e) Admins of the Windows Servers, who wanted a lot from this release. The actual end-user also gets a lot of features, at the end.

OVERRALL RATING - ½ stars

This “Whistler” Edition of Windows Server is one with a lot of Bells and Whistles. Though it may not be as costly as “Whistler’s Mom” painting, this will win over the corporate and home customers alike for price, performance and features.

CONS

Like all the tools, there are some cons associated with this one too. Some of them are.

1. Your Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 won’t work (A Ploy to get you into upgrade..??)

   
   




2. The hardware requirements can be a little tricky.

   
   




3. The enhanced security features makes the easiness a installation a tiny bit difficult.

   
   




4. You may need to go through a bit of learning curve( I Love it though!)

   
   




5. You may not like the activation policy.

   
   

BOTTOMLINE

As an avid computer user and a long-time MS user, I am very clear in my conscience that Win2K3 is an excellent OS to have handy. There may be MS-Haters as well as die hard Linux fans differing(I am a Linux fan too..), from this opinion. At the end of the day, it is the price, power, performance that matters, not perfection. Like many said, if there is a perfect software, millions will be jobless and there is no need for an industry.

I Hope you liked this review, Please chip in your comments

KALIL

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