The last server operating system produced by Microsoft is Windows Server 2003 (it introduced on March 28, 2003 as the successor to Windows 2000 Server). Windows Server 2003 is more scalable and delivers better performance than its predecessor, Windows 2000.

Improvements from Windows 2000 server

  • Improvements to Group Policy handling and administration
  • Improvements to Active Directory (the ability to run multiple instances of the directory server and others)
  • Improved disk management, including the ability to back up from shadows of files, allowing the backup of open files.
  • Improved scripting and command line tools, which are part of Microsoft's initiative to bring a complete command shell to the next version of Windows.
  • Support for a hardware-based "watchdog timer" (if the OS doesn't respond within a certain amount of time it can restart the server).
  • And many others...

Windows Server 2003 R2

The update released to manufacturing on December 6, 2005 officially called Windows Server 2003 R2. This release adds many optionally installable features for Windows Server 2003 including SP1.

New features

  • Storage Management
    • File Server Resource Manager (storage utilization reporting)
    • Enhanced quota management
    • File screening limits files types allowed
    • Storage Manager for Storage Area Networks (SAN) (storage array configuration)
  • Branch Office Server Management
    • Centralized management tools for file and printers
    • Enhanced Distributed File System (DFS) namespace management interface
    • More efficient WAN data replication with Remote Differential Compression
  • Identity and Access Management
    • Extranet Single Sign-On and identity federation
    • Centralized administration of extranet application access
    • Automated disabling of extranet access based on Active Directory account information
    • User access logging
    • Cross-platform web Single Sign-On and password synchronization using Network Information Service (NIS)
  • Utilities and SDK for UNIX-Based Applications add-on, giving a relatively full Unix development environment.
    • Visual Studio Debugger Add-in
    • Base Utilities
    • GNU Utilities
    • SVR-5 Utilities
    • Base SDK
    • GNU SDK
    • Perl 5
  • Server Virtualization
    • A new licensing policy allows up to 4 virtual instances (on Enterprise Edition and above versions)