A First Look: Peer Into the Future of Windows (Continued)

Speech Server 2004
MSS combines telephony, Web applications, and speech processing to provide an integrated voice-enabled system. It uses standards-based approaches to allow organizations to make the most of customer relationship management and provide integrated call center services.

MSS combines with integrated voice processing technologies to create voice-processing systems that can easily be tied into Web applications and services. In addition to MSS, Microsoft has released a speech software development kit that allows organizations to create their own voice-integrated systems.

SQL Server 2000
SQL Server is Microsoft's flagship data storage solution. This relational database serves as both an application and infrastructure support tool. SQL Server has recently been updated with additional functionality such as Analysis Services, Reporting Services, and Notification Services. In addition, Microsoft has begun shipping special SQL report packs for various components of the Windows Server System.

SQL Server is slated for a major upgrade in 2005. In fact, Microsoft has "bet the farm" on the transformation of this four-year-old product into a pure Extensible Markup Language (XML)-driven database engine. To support the extended features of SQL Server 2005, Microsoft also intends to release an updated version of Visual Studio .NET. In addition, Microsoft intends to release an "Express" edition of SQL Server that will replace the current Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Edition and might well prove to replace Microsoft Access.

Systems Management Server 2003
SMS has been Microsoft's main component for change and configuration management. It provides inventory, software deployment, remote control, patch management, and software metering. It supports Windows platforms but also works in heterogeneous environments. In advanced mode, SMS 2003 provides a secure and lightweight Client Configuration Manager (CCM) platform for servers and PCs.

In 2004, Microsoft updated SMS 2003 with Service Pack 1 and released the first of three feature packs: the SMS Administration Pack, which helps with complex administration tasks. The two other feature packs are in release candidate mode and should be out soon: the Device Management and OS Deployment feature packs. The first supports the management of portable devices, and the second integrates the ability to deploy complete images to bare-bones systems. Microsoft also released AdminStudio SMS Edition, a free software packaging tool that goes a long way toward improving the long-lived SMS Installer.

Virtual Server 2005
Microsoft recently released its flagship virtual machine technology. Virtual Server is designed to help organizations move low-use production boxes to virtual instances that can coexist on a single hardware host. In conjunction with MOM 2005, Virtual Server can help organizations identify hardware-based servers that are underused and migrate them automatically to a single physical host.

In support of Virtual Server, Microsoft has released the Solution Accelerator for Consolidating and Migrating LOB Applications, which allows organizations to identify or prepare applications for migration to a virtual platform. Microsoft also offers Virtual PC for both the Windows and the Macintosh platforms.

Windows Small Business Server 2003
SBS is the small-business equivalent of Microsoft BackOffice. It comes in two versions that include the same functionality, but one is based mostly on Windows Server's built-in functions while the other is based on the Windows Server System. SBS is designed to run on a single box in support of organizations of up to 75 users.

SBS seems to be a perfect low-cost solution that addresses small-business server needs in a few simple steps. Administration is designed in such a manner that it requires little knowledge of IT systems and can be automated easily.

Windows Storage Server 2003
Storage Server is a special original equipment manufacturer version of a network-attached storage appliance that can be installed easily within minutes and immediately provide up to terabytes of storage at relatively low cost.

In 2004, Microsoft released the Exchange Storage feature pack for Storage Server, moving the product into a support role for storage requirements that were previously the realm of storage-attached networks only. Microsoft currently claims that Storage Server now holds up to 50 percent of the NAS-device marketplace, which is impressive for a product released less than three years ago.

The Road Ahead
Beyond 2005, Microsoft will continue to work on Longhorn, the new version of its operating system, which will impact the entire Windows Server System and require updates to most of its components. The company is excited about its future products, but it's also proud of its current fare.

"We provide a complete set of servers that rely on a single directory, a single installation model, and a single management approach," Bukshteyn says. With organizations spending 70 to 80 percent of their efforts on maintenance today, a Microsoft Windows Server System infrastructure (see Figure 4) that includes such high integration promises big advantages.

Of course, relying on a single provider for all infrastructure services puts an organization at risk, especially in terms of security. Here, Microsoft hopes its spending and attention to security over the past two years will address this difficulty.

About the Authors
Danielle Ruest and Nelson Ruest (MCSE, MCT) are multiple book authors focusing on systems design, administration, and management. They run a consulting company that concentrates on IT infrastructure architecture and change and configuration management. You can reach them at wssmag@reso-net.com.