Windows Server 2003 Arrives - Part III

General Observations of Windows Server 2003. After a 180 Day Evaluation on a home SOHO network, here are some general observations, in no particular order, from simple appearances, or changes in Notepad and RDP (as examined here), to LAN/NIC changes and NLB or Firewalling, and on to Shadow Copies and RSoP.

1. Display Properties: Tired of the same old blue background on your Windows 2000 Server?

Wait. Who sets up fancy backgrounds or screen savers on a production server anyway? Nonetheless...

--> Display Properties contain the following tabs: Themes, Desktop, Screen Saver, Appearance, and a Settings tab (as opposed to Windows 2000 Server, which has Background, Screen Saver, Appearance, Effects, & Settings):

--> The Themes: there are more Themes Online, working from within the drop-down menu; takes you to an MS page, Plus pages to be exact:

--> Can go to Desktop for backgrounds. Some of the more interesting newer ones: 'Stonehenge', 'Moon flower' and 'Gone Fishing'. Some old standbys, 'Coffee Bean' and 'Rhododendrum' are still there.

--> Screen Saver, Appearance, Settings are all virtually the same as Windows 2000.

--> These all seem to be basically XP-related themes and designs.

2. What about Notepad!? Everyone's favorite UNIX-like text editor (lol), go to Start/Run/notepad:

--> Notepad now has a 'View' on the toolbar! Shows the lines and columns of the current text file. This invaluable information can now be viewed from the lower right, that is all I noticed for the 'View'.

-- > Go to Help / About Notepad, see the newer version = 5.2; Windows 2000 version = 5.0:

--> OK. There are also some slight font adjustments with version 5.2: 'Raavi' is in, 'PMingLiu' is out. 'Sylfaen' is a new one, looks good.

--> Also, there are a couple new options for 'Script' (in Format / Font), but I'm not telling.

3. Command Prompt: absolutely no changes I could see. That's a fact.

4. "Manage Your Server":

--> The wizard-like "Manage Your Server" is a decent starting point for configurations and education. Appearance is different than that of the Windows 2000. If an upgrade from Windows 2000 is involved, then this won't really be needed. If it's a brand new install, and an Admin is not really comfortable with making custom MMCs (consoles), then this could be somewhat useful in order to get started:

--> For example: "Read About Server Roles" (a link, as seen above) proves helpful, as it is a good overview of the various roles a server plays in a network:

5. Services - Lots of services are available with Windows Server 2003 - use them wisely and judiciously:

--> There is an "Extended vs. Standard" view decision to make (alert the media!). The Windows Server 2003 Services MMC (MS Management Console) now has an 'Extended' view. Windows 2000 Server did not have this, and I suppose this COULD be considered when deciding on upgrades (yes, that was a joke):

--> Seems Extended View has a description on the left (above) when a service is highlighted; with many services able to be started/stopped on left too (i.e. DFS here). Any other differences between Extended vs. Standard? I think not...

6. Not being a big fan/user of the overall XP new look, I think the Windows Server 2003 Start menu seems odd.

-->It definitely is different than that of Windows 2000 Server, although I suppose this view and these icons are snazzier (but do they compete/compare with the newer open source 'windows', such as Gnome?):

--> One can hover over Administrative Tools (no need to click) to view items & right-click one or 2 of the menu selections, say "Routing and Remote Access"; and "MS .NET Framework 1.1 Configuration". Then select 'Pin to Start Menu' from the items listed.

-->These icons will now appear in the Start menu proper. Presumably an Admin places frequently used programs there.

7. "Remote Desktops" is pretty nifty, one can open another (server) remote desktop right inside the right window pane (under 'Name').

--> "Remote Desktops" uses the RDP protocol and can be configured through the Terminal Services MMC (TSMMC):

--> Just right-click Remote Desktops on left, do 'Add new connection'. Browse or type in a server name, put in the account information (no, 'aaronburr' is not a real account - although Administrator was long ago changed on this home network):

--> Right-click the server connection, do Connect, log in as/if needed. In the right frame, the remote server's desktop will be there to 'administer'. How cool (or useful) is that? Personally, I am fine with the Windows 2000 Terminal Services, but I suppose this is useful, as a list of remote servers can be made in one area:

-- > Other options available: right-click the server icon, then go to Properties. An Admin can change the screen size or keep the account information memorized.

8. Finally, the most earth-shattering of all observations: Did anyone else notice? Start/ "Run" has a different picture than Windows 2000 Server"Run"!

--> It used to be an hourglass. Now it's a ____ ?? (something which appears to be in a hurry):

Windows Server 2003 Observations - Start

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