 In
the years since personal computers entered the market,
the role they play in organizations has grown from
being a fast way to offload simple processes—such as
word processing—from mainframes, to becoming an
essential resource in most companies. However, as
desktop computing has proliferated, we’ve learned that
the total cost of ownership (or TCO)—the real cost of
maintaining a distributed personal computer network—is
far from trivial. TCO includes not only the initial
cost of hardware
and software, but deployment expense, hardware and
software update costs, training, day-to-day
maintenance, and technical support as well.
The Windows® 2000 Server operating system is designed
to let you increase the value of your existing
investments while lowering overall computing costs.
Specifically, Windows 2000 Server is easier to deploy,
configure, and use because it provides centralized,
customizable management services to reduce TCO.
Further, these management services work with existing
management solutions and mixed-platform distributed
networks, thus allowing your IT department to get
maximum value from their current infrastructure.
- Easier to Deploy,
Configure, and Use - Windows 2000 Server
provides services that let you build and deploy
servers more quickly. The new Configure Your Server
Wizard significantly reduces the time it takes to
build a server and reduces the likelihood of error.
Additional new Wizards reduce the time it takes to
create new Web sites, create virtual directories,
manage security settings, and manage security
certificates. And, with the SysPrep utility
(available in the Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit),
you can dramatically reduce the time it takes to
build completely configured Windows 2000-based
servers as compared to installing and configuring
those same servers by hand. Another feature
available through the Resource Kit, the Windows
Script Host, includes scripts for a number of
commonly used administrative functions, such as
logon scripting.
Additionally, Windows 2000 Server allows you to
configure your network more easily. It provides
support for Plug and Play network adapters,
significantly reducing device configuration time. It
provides services that manage the trust
relationships between domains in your organization,
and it provides automated replication and local
caching of DNS and DHCP information so your network
is robust and responsive. Moreover, Connection
Sharing Wizards provide an out-of-the-box network
address management solution for small businesses.
Day-to-day maintenance is easier as well. Your
system administrators can learn to manage systems
from a Windows console much more quickly than they
can learn to manage Windows NT® Server 4.0 operating
systems thanks to the easier delegation, a more
consistent user interface, and simple-to-use
integrated tools provided in Windows 2000 Server.
- Centralized
Management Services - To be efficient,
organizations must manage their hardware, software,
and applications in the most automated, secure, and
"hands off" method possible. To this end, as
information technology systems have become more
distributed, organizations have invested a great
deal of time and resources in building information
and management systems to help manage networks,
servers, and client platforms. One of the goals of
these systems is to deliver a highly reliable level
of service. Another goal is to minimize the overall
costs of managing the distributed environment.
Further, it’s imperative, both to users and to
administrators, that these systems be well
integrated and easy to use.
One of the major costs highlighted in recent reports
on total cost of ownership (TCO), is lost desktop
productivity caused by user error, such as changing
the system configuration and rendering the computer
unworkable. Having too many features or nonessential
applications installed on the desktop can also
distract users. To solve these problems, you need a
means to control a user’s access to key
configuration files as well as to features and
applications that are not required to do that user’s
particular job. To be successful, this means of
control must be flexible and customizable—you must
be able to control the computer configurations of
individuals and groups of users based on user job
responsibilities and computer skills.
Windows 2000 Server is designed to address all of
these concerns. It provides powerful management
services through infrastructure enhancements such as
the Active Directory™ service, as well as tools
built on the infrastructure, such as IntelliMirror™
management technologies. Windows 2000 Server
delivers powerful, comprehensive management services
to better manage servers, networks and Windows-based
desktops, including:
- Group
Policy, based on the
Active Directory, is a key component of the
IntelliMirror. Group Policy helps you control user
access to desktop settings and applications by
group rather than by individual user and computer.
Group Policy lets you define and control the
amount of access users have to data, applications,
and other network resources.
- Windows
Management Instrumentation (WMI)
provides unified access and event services,
allowing you to control and monitor Windows-based
environments, Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP) devices, and all host environments that
support the Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM)
standards initiative of the Distributed Management
Task Force (DMTF).
- Windows
Script Host (WSH) allows
you to automate and integrate common tasks using a
variety of scripting environments including
Microsoft® Visual Basic®, Scripting Edition
(VBScript), Microsoft Jscript®, and Perl. This
feature includes direct scripting to Active
Directory and WMI.
- Microsoft
Management Console (MMC)
gives you a common user interface presentation
tool where you can integrate all the necessary
Windows-based and Web-based administration
components needed to fulfill a specific task.
Together these
services provide a consistent system administration
and delegation model that reduces system
administration time.
- Allows
Organizations to Make Full Use of their Current
Infrastructure
Microsoft has worked with many management vendors
and standards bodies to ensure that the new Windows
management services are a suitable foundation for
managing very large numbers of Windows-based
desktops and servers. In addition, these services
are a secure platform on which to develop management
solutions for networking infrastructure and
non-Windows-based computing devices. And Microsoft
has worked with management framework and solutions
providers to ensure that Windows management services
integrate with existing management solutions. In
this way, corporate IT groups are able to introduce
new management solutions based on Windows management
services, while protecting and preserving their
existing investments.
Conclusion
Windows 2000 Server is
easier to deploy, configure, and use. It provides
centralized, customizable management services to
reduce TCO. These management services work with
existing management solutions and heterogeneous
distributed networks, thus allowing IT departments to
get maximum value from their current infrastructure
services. Systems administrators, network
administrators, support personnel, and end users will
benefit from the comprehensive management services
built into Windows 2000 Server.
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