Unit 4.1: Overview of Windows 2000
Windows 2000 builds upon Windows NT 4.0 in most respects, and differs from the older operating system in two ways when it comes to file systems. The first is the addition of support for FAT32, This was a much-desired change, especially with FAT32 all but replacing FAT16 in newer Windows 9x/ME systems. The other was that NTFS under Windows 2000 was enhanced, through the creation of the NTFS 5.0 version of that file system. Windows 2000 will still read older NTFS partitions, but it must be installed on an NTFS 5.0 partition; NTFS 5.0 is Windows 2000's "preferred" file system.

Windows 2000 versions

• Windows 2000 Professional
• Windows 2000 Server
• Windows 2000 Advanced Server
• Windows 2000 Datacenter Server

Windows 2000 Features
Windows 2000 is an operating system family in itself.

Windows 2000 is a 32-bit operating system that was released as a replacement for Windows NT.

It includes four closely related operating systems supporting a range of business computer systems from end-user desktops to high-powered application and network servers.

Windows 2000 key features Unit	Description	Windows 2000 key features Unit	Description
Legacy application support		Active Directory
Enhanced security		Integrated network support
Integrated Internet support		Scalability and performance enhancements
Hardware support enhancements		File service support
Management tools

Windows 2000 Professional

Windows 2000 Professional is the Windows 2000 business desktop version.
It was designed to meet the needs of business users and to provide a secure, reliable network client.

A system running Windows 2000 Professional can support one or two processors and up to 4 GB of memory.

Even though Windows 2000 Professional is designed as an end-user operating system,
it can also act as a peer server. Windows 2000 Professional systems can share file
and printer resources, making them available to other users

Technicians working with Windows 2000 must be able to quickly determine which Windows 2000 product
they are working with. The Computer Management Administrative Tool provides this facility.

Network Security Model

Windows 2000 workgroups and domains

A workgroup is a security model based on a small number of peer servers. It is usually suggested that a workgroup should include no more than 12 computers.

In a workgroup network:

• Network security is decentralized;
  that is, managed on a system-by-system basis.
• Workgroup members are configured as peer servers.
• Users are responsible for resource sharing
  and resource access security.

Workgroup Model & Sharing and Access Resources

Workgroups are most suitable for a small number of computer-literate users.

Because each computer is configured as a peer server, each user can share resources to and access resources from the network.

Each user is responsible for maintaining user and group information locally and for managing resource access security.

The default networking configuration during Windows 9x and Windows 2000 installation is to configure the system as a workgroup member.

Client/Server

Client/server is a legacy network security model that, for many years, was considered the standard for PC networks.

Although it is seldom used in new network implementations, the popular idea that networks are based on the client/server model persists.

In a client/server network:

• Security is centrally controlled through network servers.
• Security for each network server
  is managed separately.
• Network servers provide resources to network users.

Network administrators are responsible for network and resource access security.

Each server maintains its users and groups separately from those of other network servers. User systems were traditionally configured as clients only, but Windows family operating systems can be used as peer servers even when acting as clients in a client/server network.

Novell's NetWare network operating system is probably the best-known client/server network product.

Domain-based

The domain-based security model groups user workstations and servers into logical divisions known as domains.

A system's physical location and its domain membership need not necessarily correlate, as shown in the figure.

A domain-based network includes:

• Domain Controllers
• Workstations
• Member Servers

In a domain-based network:

• User, group and resource access security are managed at the domain level.
• Domain logon gives the user access to all domain resources.
• Domain controllers, member servers and peer servers can provide shared resources to the network.

The biggest difference between a domain-based network and client/server network is how security is managed.

In a client/server network, the user must log on to each server separately. In a domain-based network, a single logon provides access to the entire domain.

Directory-based

Directory-based networks use a more advanced management model than domain-based networks. Users, computers, servers and other network components are treated as a logical group.

Directory-based networks have a great deal more built-in flexibility and control than domain-based networks.

One advantage of a directory-based network is that no one server is the primary controlling server on the network.
The responsibility can be shared equally among network servers.

In a Windows 2000 network, the network servers are known collectively as domain controllers.

In addition to domain controllers, a directory-based network will include user workstations and can include member servers. Member servers can provide shared resources to the network, but are not involved in network security management.

In a directory-based network:

• Users, groups and network resources are managed at the directory level.
• Directory logon gives a user access to all directory resources, though access may be limited through security settings.
• Domain controllers, member servers and user workstations provide shared resources to the network.

The networking model used by Windows 2000 is known as the Active Directory model.

Mixed security models

A network can support mixed security models. Several configurations are possible, but we will limit the discussion to a single example to demonstrate how such a model might operate.

For example, a Novell NetWare 3.12 network is based on
a client/server model.

If the client workstations are running Windows 98, in addition to accessing resources from the NetWare servers, the Windows 98 systems can be configured as a Microsoft client workgroup.

This will let them share resources with each other under
the workgroup security model.

Installing Windows 2000 NEXT...