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New Strategy for Core Server OS
Microsoft announced a new strategy for the design and delivery of core operating systems with Windows Server 2003.
by Nelson Ruest and Danielle Ruest

Tech"Ed, June 4, 2003

Previously, Microsoft had been criticized for releasing additional functionalities within service packssuch as Windows NT Service Pack 4because customers consider that dealing with service pack deployment is complex enough without having to architect the delivery of the additional functionalities along with operating system patches and upgrades.

The advantage of the new approach is that customers can choose whether to introduce these functionalities within their networks. If they deem that the functionality is not required or that its management will add too much complexity or overhead for systems administrators, they can simply avoid its implementation. On the other hand, they can consciously decide to implement an add-on.

So far, nine add-ons have been announced, although the release dates for most of them is still unclear. Several are officially free, but the price of some remains undetermined for now. They include (see Resources for more information):

• Active Directory in Application Mode (AD/AM), a special AD mode that allows organizations to integrate applications with Active Directory without modifying their network operating system directory service. AD/AM runs on Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 and is not dedicated to a single server, so multiple instances can run on the same machine (see "A New Roadmap to Directory Services" in the March issue of .NET Magazine).
• Automated Deployment Services (ADS), a new system installation and deployment service that combines Remote Installation Services with the speed and agility of disk imaging technologies. ADS is designed for Windows Server deployments only and can image a server remotely, then reproduce the image on hundreds of new systems.
• Group Policy Management Console (GPMC), a powerful Group Policy management solution that finally allows you to manage GPOs within multiple domains or forests from a single point. The GPMC also includes more than 30 scripts for GPO management automation. It is available now.
• Microsoft Audit Collection System (MACS), a new product derived from Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM). MACS is designed to help organizations secure their Windows platforms through the automated collection of all security event logs from multiple machines into one integrated SQL Server database. This helps organizations search and locate access and permission auditing information from a single central location.
• Microsoft Metadirectory Services 2003, Standard Edition (MMSSE), a tool that is designed to synchronize information from multiple directory sources. MMSSE supports Active Directory, AD/AM, and Exchange synchronizations, helping organizations provide integrated management capabilities in multiple forest scenarios (see "A New Roadmap to Directory Services" in the March issue of .NET Magazine).
• Real-Time Communications Server (RTC Server), a new enterprise instant messaging (IM) solution. It is divided into two components: a free component that indicates to the operating system whether a person is available and online, and an enterprise instant messaging system. RTC Server is based on the Session Initiation Protocol, a more powerful standard for the basis of IM solutions.
• SharePoint Services (SPS) is touted as the replacement for simple file shares. It provides a complete collaboration environment that supports individual, group, departmental, and enterprise Web sites. New features include simple document management capabilities, multiple document type support, and libraries.
• Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM), a tool designed to let administrators manage CPU and memory utilization on a per-application or per-process basis. It supports better resource assignment for applications running on large multiprocessor clusters. WSRM is free and available for download today.
• Windows Rights Management Services (WRMS), a new XML-based service aimed at securing information produced with Microsoft Office Systems. It can be used to secure internal or sensitive business information as well as copyrighted data in electronic form. The first application of WRMS can be found in Windows Media Player 9. In addition, WRMS is integrated into each Microsoft Office 2003 application. It is also available as a software development kit (SDK) for integration into third-party products.

Microsoft claims that these add-ons will be integrated into future releases of the product, but they should always remain independent of the core OS base installation. As such, they will remain segregated in service packs and other updates, allowing administrators to apply the proper updates on their systems whether or not they have decided to implement these additional features in their networks. There is no doubt that this approach is far better suited to Microsoft's many customers than its previous unstructured and often unpredictable feature integration approaches.

About the Authors
Danielle Ruest and Nelson Ruest are the authors of Preparing for .NET Enterprise Technologies (Addison-Wesley, 2001) a book on mastering change in the enterprise. Their second book, Windows Server 2003, Best Practices for Enterprise Network Deployments (Osborne McGraw-Hill, 2003) is a step-by-step guide for designing enterprise networks with this new operating system. Both work for Resolutions Enterprises, a small Canadian consulting firm that provides services in the architectural and project management fields. Nelson is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Microsoft Certified Trainer. He is also a frequent guest speaker at Comdex and other conferences in North America.