Definitions: Windows Server Platforms

Definition

Microsoft offers various versions of its Windows operating systems especially for server based applications. The most recent version is Windows Server 2008, which was launched in February of 2008. Microsoft uses the same framework for  its workstations and servers, but the for the server platform, alterations are  made to the configuration to allow for multi-user and application speed and  reliability.

Business applications

Many enterprises use a version of Windows Server on their servers to help centralize applications deployment for end users. The  platform provides file and printer sharing, authentication and authorization, web and database application farms, and custom written applications. There are  also Web editions to help build and host web applications.

Concerns

The major concern with using the Windows Server as your  application and database platform is reliability. There have been several cases  of virus and malware issues with  Windows Server platforms. To deal with these issues, Microsoft releases patches  nearly every Tuesday. Installing patches and updates that often cause an increased  amount of server downtime and administrator time to keep the systems running  securely.

Technical details

There are 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008. This version is tuned for application speed and reliability (as compared to the Vista workstation version). There are a number  of security modifications to protect the multi-user system and also additional services that are not provided on the desktop version, such as IIS (web  server), DNS, DHCP servers, and Active Directory to allow for simplified management of users and computers. The  server platform offers the same interface as the desktop version, which  provides a familiar environment in which the administrators can operate.  Windows Server platform is available only for Intel and AMD x86 based CPUs, but  it supports a vast array of server-class hardware from Dell, IBM, and HP such  as RAID, SAN, and networking peripherals.