Windows Server 2003 Technology Primer - Versions of Windows Server 2003
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With the release of Windows Server 2003, a change in the various versions of the operating system was announced. Rather than just Server and Advanced Server editions of the operating system, there are four different Windows Server 2003 editions: the basic Web edition, a Standard edition, an Enterprise edition, and a DataCenter edition.
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition
The Windows Server 2003 Web edition is a one- to two-processor Web front-end server version of the operating system focused on application server needs that are dedicated to Web services needs. Many organizations are setting up simple Web servers as front ends to database servers, messaging servers, or data application server systems. Windows Server 2003 Web edition can be used as a simple Web server to host application development environments or can be integrated as part of a more sophisticated Web farm and Web Services environment that scales to multiple load-balanced systems. The Windows Server 2003 operating system has significant improvements in scalability over previous versions of the Windows operating system, and an organization can license multiple Web services systems at a lower cost per server to provide the scalability and redundancy desired in large Web farm environments.
Windows Server 2003 Web edition supports up to 2GB of RAM for front-end Web cache capabilities.
Note - For organizations looking to purchase the Windows Server 2003 Web edition to set up as a very low cost file and print server or utility server (DNS, DHCP, domain controller), the Web edition does not provide traditional multiuser file or print access or utility services. You need to purchase the Windows Server 2003 Standard edition to get capabilities other than Web services.
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
The Windows Server 2003 Standard edition is the most common "file server" version of the operating system. The Standard edition supports up to four processors per server, has full support for file and print services functions, can act as a multiprocessor Web server, supports Terminal Services, provides Media Services, can be set up as a utility server, and can support up to 4GB of RAM.
The Standard edition is a good version of the operating system to support domain controllers, utility servers (such as DNS, DHCP, bridgehead servers), file servers, and print server services. Many small and medium-size organizations find the capabilities of the Standard edition sufficient for most network services, and even large organizations use the Standard edition for utility servers or as the primary server in a remote office. Effectively, any environment in which a system with one to four processors is sufficient can meet the needs of the server functions. See Chapter 35 for capacity analysis and server scalability recommendations for a Windows Server 2003 system.
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
The Windows Server 2003 Enterprise edition is focused on server systems that require up to eight processors and/or up to 8-node clustering for large scale-up server configurations. With support for up to 32GB of RAM as well as a 64-bit Itanium version available, the Enterprise edition is the appropriate version of operating system for high availability and high processing demands of core application servers such as SQL Servers or large e-commerce back-end transaction systems.
For organizations leveraging the capabilities of Windows Server 2003 for Thin Client Terminal Services that require access to large sets of RAM and multiple processors, the Enterprise edition can handle hundreds of users on a single server. Terminal Services are covered in more detail in Chapter 27.
The Enterprise edition, with support for up to 8-node clustering, can provide organizations with the nonstop networking demands of true 24x7, 99.999% uptime capabilities required in high-availability environments. Windows Server 2003 Enterprise edition supports a wide variety of regularly available server systems, thus allowing an organization its choice of hardware vendor systems to host its Windows Server 2003 application needs.
A handful of services that are available on the Enterprise edition of Windows Server 2003 but not on the Standard edition include the capability to support the Microsoft Identity and Integration Server synchronization, Windows Terminal Server session directory, Windows remote storage functionality, and Windows System Resource Manager. If this functionality is required, the Enterprise Edition needs to be selected as the server option.
Windows Server 2003 DataCenter Edition
Windows Server 2003 DataCenter edition is a proprietary hardware version of the operating system that supports from 8 to 64 processors and up to 8-node clustering. The DataCenter edition is focused on organizations that need scale-up server technology to support a large centralized data warehouse on one or limited numbers of server clusters.
As noted in Chapter 35 on performance and capacity analysis, an organization can scale-out or scale-up its server applications. Scale-out refers to an application that performs better when it is distributed across multiple servers, whereas scale-up refers to an application that performs better when more processors are added to a single system. Typical scale-out applications include Web server services, electronic messaging systems, and file and print servers. In those cases, organizations are better off distributing the application server functions to multiple Windows Server 2003 systems. However, applications that scale-up, such as e-commerce or data warehousing applications, benefit from having all the data and processing on a single server cluster. For these applications, Windows Server 2003 DataCenter edition provides better centralized scaled performance as well as the added benefit of fault tolerance and failover capabilities.
With the DataCenter edition's support for up to 8-node clustering, an organization can share the processing power of 8x64 processors per server to gain transactions per second that exceed the capabilities of many mainframe and mini-computer technology systems. In addition to scale-up capabilities of clustering, an organization can create failover between clustered systems to achieve 99.999% uptime levels.
Note - The Windows Server 2003 DataCenter edition is sold only with proprietary hardware systems, so an organization cannot buy the DataCenter edition software and build or configure its own 32-way multiprocessor system. The DataCenter edition is developed and tested by a consortium of hardware vendors to strict standards for performance, reliability, and supportability.
 This chapter is from Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed, by Rand Morimoto, et al. (Sams Publishing, 2004, ISBN: 0672326671). Check it out at your favorite bookstore today.
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