Microsoft Corporation introduced Windows NT 3.1 in July 1993. Windows NT version 3.5, the first major upgrade to the Windows NT operating system, appeared September 21, 1994. During the second half of 1994, the computer press was devoting much of its coverage of operating systems to the yet-to-be-released Microsoft Windows 95 (then code-named Chicago) and, to a lesser degree, IBM OS/2 Warp. Thus, the release of Windows NT 3.5 was eclipsed by stories about products which, at the time, were best categorized as "projectorware."
A point upgrade, Windows NT 3.51, which was intended to provide compatibility with the forthcoming Windows 95 and Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) 2+, appeared with even less fanfare in May 1995. In mid-1996, as this book was being written, Windows NT 3.51 Server and, to a lesser extent, the Workstation edition began to receive the press attention and market acceptance that Windows NT deserves.
This book uses the term Windows NT without a type (Server or Workstation) or version number when referring to the basic architecture and attributes of the operating system. The Workstation or Server identifier is added when discussing features that only are applicable to or are most often used by one version or the other. When comparing features of Windows NT Server 4.0 to features of preceding versions of Windows NT, the version number is included. Windows NT 3.x is used when the discussion applies to earlier versions 3.1, 3.5, and 3.51. The term Windows 3.1+ includes Windows 3.1 and 3.11, and Windows for Workgroups (WfWg) 3.1+ includes versions 3.1 and 3.11.
Windows NT Server is a remarkable network operating system, but it's only now beginning to meet with remarkable commercial success. Windows NT 3.1 didn't live up to Microsoft's initial sales projections primarily because of what was considered at the time to be big-time resource requirements (a minimum of 16M of RAM and about 70M of fixed-disk space, substantially more for the Server version). The lack of 32-bit Windows applications and a reputation for running 16-bit Windows applications somewhat slower than Windows 3.1+ also acted as a throttle on acceptance of the Workstation version. Further, Microsoft's marketing program targeted Windows NT Server to "enterprise computing," a term that, along with "mission-critical," has become a cliche. Large corporations and other sizable institutions rarely adopt a network operating system that doesn't have a proven track record for production use. Relatively few buyers of Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server installed the product in a production environment, because corporate network and PC administrators considered Windows NT 3.1 to be an "immature" operating system, compared with UNIX and NetWare. Those who took the Windows NT 3.1 plunge, however, quickly found Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server lived up to most, if not all, of Microsoft's claims for its new network operating system.
Windows NT 4.0 is the fourth iteration of Windows NT and now qualifies as a "mature" operating system, although Windows NT has been on the market only six years. Unlike other Microsoft operating systems, Windows NT is a cross-platform product; identical versions are available for Intel X86, Digital Alpha, Silicon Graphics MIPS, and Apple/IBM/Motorola PowerPC computers. Major hardware manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Digital, Tandem, Amdahl, and Unisys offer high-end servers designed specifically to run Windows NT. The endorsement of Windows NT by these firms, which market proprietary operating systems and/or their own flavors of UNIX, adds substantial credibility to Windows NT Server in the large-scale networking arena.
The most obvious change between Windows NT 3.5+ and Windows NT 4.0 is the adoption of Windows 95's user interface (UI) and operating system shell. The primary visible change to the shell, aside from the taskbar and desktop, is the substitution of Windows Explorer for File Manager. Microsoft calls Windows NT 4.0 the Shell Update Release (SUR), a term that dates from late 1995, when Microsoft planned to provide the Windows 95 UI and shell in the form of a Service Pack update, rather than as a full version upgrade to Windows NT. The Windows 95 facelift to Windows NT 3.5+ primarily benefits users of Windows NT Workstation 4.0, eliminating the need to train users for and support the legacy UI of Windows 3.1+ used by Windows NT 3.5+ and the new UI of Windows 95.
Beneath the cosmetic improvements, Windows NT Server 4.0 provides several new networking features, the most important of which for networking are the Distributed Common Object Model (DCOM, formerly called NetworkOLE) and a substantial improvement in the Domain Name Service (DNS) for TCP/IP networks. Microsoft needs DCOM to implement its plans for distributing ActiveX (formerly OLE) controls and documents via the Internet and to fully implement three-tier client/server computing using Automation (formerly OLE Automation). Microsoft intends to use DNS as the underpinnings of its directory services for the next version of Windows NT, currently code-named Cairo and scheduled for release in late 1997 or early 1998.
Other new networking features of Windows NT Server 4.0 include an improved print spooler, plus Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) and the Telephony API (TAPI) 1.0 to provide secure communication and ease support of mobile users of Windows NT Server 4.0's Remote Access Service (RAS). Each new feature of Windows NT Server 4.0 receives detailed coverage in this book.
Networking, the primary subject of this book, is where Microsoft has made the greatest improvement in Windows NT 4.0. Microsoft claims that Windows NT Server 4.0's file services are more than twice as fast as the original version, and printing has been given a speed-up, too. Windows NT 4.0 includes Microsoft's new IPX/SPX stack, which appears to offer equal or better performance than Novell's own NetWare drivers. What's more important, however, is that Microsoft has adopted the Internet's venerable TCP/IP (Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) as the network protocol of choice, making Windows NT Server 4.0 more attractive to Microsoft's target market, Fortune 1000 firms. UNIX servers running TCP/IP over 10BaseT (unshielded twisted-pair) Ethernet cabling currently dominate enterprise-wide corporate local area networks. Although 60 percent or more of today's networked PCs may "speak" NetWare's IPX/SPX, by the end of the 1990s TCP/IP is likely to displace the standard Novell protocol in all but the smallest-scale networks.
Windows NT 4.0 also thrives in heterogeneous networks using a combination of TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, and even NetBEUI protocols. What's more, you don't pay extra for Windows NT Server 4.0's capability to run simultaneous multiple network protocols.
International Data Corp. (IDC), a market research firm in Framingham, Massachusetts, estimates that by the turn of the century, the number of Windows NT Server shipments will surpass those of NetWare. IDC's Server Operating Forecast Updated, issued in mid-May 1996, predicts year 2000 shipments of 1.5 million units of Windows NT, 1.4 million units of NetWare, 928,000 units of UNIX (all flavors), and 498,000 units of OS/2. IDC expects Windows NT Server to achieve an average annual compounded growth rate of 31 percent during the period 1994 through 2000.
Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server established a new standard for ease of installation of a network operating system, and the setup program of Windows NT Server 4.0 is even more streamlined. You can install Windows NT Server 4.0 from the CD-ROM in about 30 minutes and upgrade a Windows 95 or Windows for Workgroups 3.1+ peer-to-peer network with 20 to 30 clients in a day or so. On average, it takes about 15 minutes to reconnect each client to a Windows NT Server 4.0 domain, including reconnecting clients to a relocated Microsoft Mail postoffice. You need a few more minutes per client if you use TCP/IP or IPX/SPX, rather than the Windows Network's simpler NetBEUI protocol.
Ease of installation, especially in a workgroup environment that might connect 20 to 100 clients, isn't the only benefit of using Windows NT Server 4.0. Since its inception, Windows NT Server has required substantially fewer administrative and support resources than its NetWare and UNIX competitors. Windows NT 4.0 offers various administrative tools, notably User Manager for Domains and Server Manager, with improved graphical user interfaces that simplify the life of network administrators. In the longer term, it's not the license fee and installation time that determines the economics of a network operating system-it's the annual administrative and support costs that make or break information system budgets.
The remarkable growth of the Internet, brought about primarily by the proliferation of Web servers, is one of the principal contributors to increased adoption of Windows NT Server by organizations of all sizes. Today, most Internet servers run UNIX, but Windows NT Server rapidly is gaining ground as the network operating system of choice for delivering Web pages. Windows NT's advantages are lower cost for the hardware and software needed to set up a Windows NT Web site, combined with easier administration and reduced support requirements than for UNIX "boxes."
Microsoft arrived late at the Internet table, having waited until December 7, 1995, to elucidate its "Embrace and Extend" Internet strategy. A flurry of press releases and white papers announced Microsoft's intent to become a major player in the Internet server and browser markets. To gain market presence, Microsoft let you download its Internet Information Server (IIS) and Internet Explorer (IE) browser from http://www.microsoft.com for only the cost of connect time. Microsoft's objective in giving away these two products obviously is to increase the size of the market for Windows NT Server and Windows 95, respectively. Whether this strategy succeeds in displacing Netscape Navigator as the undisputed leader of the browser business remains to be seen. It's clear, however, that much of the very rapid increase in sales of Windows NT Server during the first half of 1996 derived from the free IIS offer. You no longer need to download IIS and IE from Microsoft's Web site; IIS 2.0 and IE 2.0 are included on the Windows NT Server 4.0 CD-ROM.
The "real money" on the server side of the Internet business comes from setting up private intranets, not creating Internet sites. Intranets offer the convenience of allowing users to browse for information on a corporate local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) using a conventional Internet browser. Navigating hyperlinks to related HTML-encoded documents with connections to server-resident applications is demonstrably easier for the average PC user than running special-purpose, often complex client-side applications. Conventional database query tools and dedicated database front ends often require a substantial amount of user training. Inexperienced users quickly gain a knack for finding the information they need by clicking text and iconic hyperlinks of Web pages. Thus, organizations setting up intranets minimize training costs and, because simple Web-based applications are relatively easy to code, save programming expense. Microsoft sells a license for Windows NT Server with each free copy of IIS, and gains the opportunity to sell a copy of its forthcoming Proxy Server (currently code-named Catapult) for Internet security and Merchant Services for conducting Internet commerce.
Windows NT remains a constantly moving target, with new features added by Service Packs and, less frequently, point or full-version releases at various intervals. What Microsoft now calls "the next version of Windows NT" (and everyone else calls Cairo) is expected to provide the NT Directory Service based on the client/server model of Microsoft Exchange Server, instead of the originally planned Object File System (OFS). Microsoft now intends to incorporate the content-related query features of OFS as an element of the existing NT File System (NTFS). Using the Exchange approach, directory services can use DNS and Internet domain names to provide improved integration with the Internet and intranets. Cairo undoubtedly will include or provide for clustering of Windows NT servers to compete with the scalability now offered by high-end UNIX systems.
Before Cairo arrives in late 1997 or early 1998, you can expect to see at least the following new server-based applications for Windows NT:
Special Edition Using Windows NT Server 4 is intended for an eclectic audience, from networking neophytes to network designers and administrators responsible for setting up and maintaining large networks using Windows NT Server 4.0, either alone or with other network operating systems. This book isn't designed as an introduction to Windows NT.
Folks for whom Special Edition Using Windows NT Server 4 offers the most usefulness fall into the following general categories:
The preceding list includes only the most obvious classifications of the potential audience for this book. Even if you're just curious about Microsoft's future operating system and client-server strategies, you'll find this book useful.
Special Edition Using Windows NT Server 4 consists of 28 chapters divided into six parts of progressively increasing technical complexity. The organization of the book follows the process of establishing a new Windows NT network, either as a self-contained entity or connected into a heterogeneous WAN. The following sections describe the content of each part and chapter of this book.
Part I contains chapters that describe Microsoft's design strategy for the Windows NT operating system and its networking features, plus planning and budgeting for a network based on Windows NT Server 4.0.
Part II covers the basics of installing and starting up Windows NT Server, along with fixed-disk arrays and backup tape drives, and connecting a variety of client PCs to your server.
Part III encompasses the administrative side of network management with chapters covering user and group accounts, sharing file and printer resources, tuning Windows NT server, and solving the inevitable problems that arise in homogeneous and heterogeneous networks.
Part IV is devoted to the general topic of WANs, including networks with multiple domains, heterogeneous networks, remote access services, and establishing and managing an Internet or intranet site.
Part V covers the three primary components of BackOffice that run as services under Windows NT Server 4.0: Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, Exchange Server 4.0, and System Management Server 1.2. (SNA Server, used to connect to mainframes and IBM AS/400 minicomputers, is beyond the scope of this book.)
At the end of this book, the Windows NT Glossary supplies definitions of many of the new buzzwords and technical terms used to describe 32-bit Windows operating systems and applications.
The following special features are included in this book to assist you as you read:
See "Section That Appears Earlier in the Book."
See "Section That Appears Later in the Book."
Notes offer suggestions and comments related to the text that precedes the note. Some notes provide references to Web sites that provide content related to the subject matter of the preceding text.
Tips describe shortcuts and alternative approaches to gaining an objective. Many of these tips are based on the experience the authors gained during months of testing successive beta versions of Windows NT Server 4.0.
Cautions appear where an action might lead to an unexpected or unpredictable result, including possible loss of data or other serious consequences. The text provides an explanation of how you can avoid such a result.
This book uses various typesetting styles to distinguish between explanatory and instructional text, text you enter in dialogs, and text you enter in code-editing windows.
The following type attributes are applied to the text of this book to make reading easier:
Key combinations that you use to perform Windows operations are indicated with the keys joined by a plus sign; Alt+F4, for example, indicates that you press and hold the Alt key while pressing the function key F4. In the rare cases when you must press and release a control key and then enter another key, the keys are separated by a comma: Alt, F4, for example.
Key combinations that perform menu operations requiring more than one keystroke are called shortcut keys. An example of such a shortcut is the combination Ctrl+C, which substitutes for the
Copy choice of theEdit menu in most Windows applications.
Accelerator keys (Alt+Key) for menu choices are indicated by
the underscore attribute, as in "Choose Open from
the File menu," duplicating the appearance of Windows
NT Server 4.0's menu text.
Successive entries in dialogs follow the tab order of the dialog-the sequence in which the focus (selection) moves when you press Tab to move from one entry or control option to another. Command buttons, option buttons, and check box choices are treated similarly to menu choices, but their access key letters don't have the underscore attribute.
File names of 32-bit applications and documents created by 32-bit applications appear in mixed case, regardless of the use of long file names (LFNs) or the conventional DOS 8.3 (8-character maximum file name and 3-character extension). This style conforms to the file name display of Windows NT 4.0's Explorer. File names of 16-bit applications and related document files are set in all uppercase.
Publishing limitations preclude a full bibliography for Windows NT and its related BackOffice components. The following sections show you where to obtain additional information in the form of books, CD-ROMs, and online product support for Windows NT Workstation and Server, plus the individual members of the BackOffice suite that were released when this book was written.
Windows NT has spawned various Microsoft and third-party publications in printed and CD-ROM formats. Most the books available on Windows NT have been directed primarily to developers (programmers) of 32-bit applications for Windows NT and now Windows 95. Following is a list of books from Que Corporation and other publishers, plus specialized CD-ROM titles, that are particularly useful for administrators of Microsoft Windows NT Server networks and the BackOffice server suite:
Additional information on Que's series of books on Microsoft Windows NT, Internet Information Server, and BackOffice and its components is available from the Macmillan Superlibrary at http://www.mcp.com.
The Internet is rapidly becoming the source of product knowledge and support for all PC-oriented products. Even the traditional online services, such as CompuServe and Prodigy, have announced their transition to the Internet and the World Wide Web. The following sections list the most important Web sites and newsgroups that pertain to Windows NT Server 4.0 and BackOffice. Windows NT-related support forums on CompuServe also are listed.
As Microsoft continues to "embrace and extend" the Internet and the World Wide Web, much of the information about and support for Microsoft products formerly found on commercial online services, such as CompuServe, America Online, and The Microsoft Network, is moving to the Internet. Following are Web sites that are devoted to Windows NT, BackOffice, and Internet Information Server:
Microsoft established its own Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP)
news server, msnews.microsoft.com, in the spring of 1996. You must
configure Internet Explorer 2.0 to read newsgroups by choosing Options
from the View menu to open the Internet Properties sheet
and making the appropriate settings on the News page. Alternatively, you
can download the Internet Mail and News readers from http://www.microsoft.com/ie/imn/.
Following are Microsoft-sponsored and Usenet newsgroups with Windows NT
Server 4.0 content:
Although The Microsoft Network (MSN) is reported to have more than 1 million members, there's little in the way of message traffic in the MS Windows NT Server Member BBS, which features peer-to-peer support from Microsoft-anointed Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs). To see whether activity has increased since this book was written, try the go word msbackoffice_sd to navigate to the Microsoft BackOffice and Microsoft Windows NT Workstation area.
In early 1996, Microsoft abandoned direct support of its products on CompuServe by its Product Support Specialists (PSS) in favor of user-to-user support under the auspices of the Windows User Group Network (WUGNet) and other independent organizations. (Unlike its newsgroups and MSN offerings, Microsoft doesn't sponsor the CompuServe support forums, with the exception of MSKB and MSL.) Following are the forums on CompuServe that are of primary interest to users of Windows NT:
© 1996, QUE Corporation, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing USA, a Simon and Schuster Company.
