/
www.nwfusion.com/research/
2000/0619featsideads.html Many companies are developing tools to ease the transition from other directory architectures to Active Directory. Among them is NetIQ's Migration Resource Center that provides tips and advice on moving to the new directory architecture. For more information on the Migration Resource Center:
www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/
dir/2000/0612dir1.html. Other companies looking to help with the migration process are BindView, FastLane Technologies and Aelita. For more information on these see: BindView:
www.nwfusion.com/news/
2000/0530bindview.html Aelita:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/97036_05-22-2000.html FastLane:
www.nwfusion.com/news/
1999/1101apps.html However, Active Directory is not a piece of cake. "If you don't plan well, you will be in a world of hurt. Don't underestimate the amount of resources needed," says Eric Craig, network architect for Continental Airlines. - Active Directory upgrade requires strong game plan, Network World, 03/13/00. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/news/
2000/0313focus.html Improved performance "Windows 2000 Server and Advanced Server are not only easier to install and administer than Windows NT 4.0, but they also offer considerably faster performance."-Server enhancements worthy, but costly, InfoWorld, 2/4/00. "Advanced Server offers also several additional software features. Network load balancing allows incoming traffic to be distributed to several servers, providing quicker response time and making it easy to expand capacity. Also, two-node server clustering protects critical applications from downtime, allowing servers to failover. This will help keep costs down in mission-critical environments and ensure that service is available to your users at all times. Advanced Server is a good fit when high server uptime is a critical consideration." - Server enhancements worthy, but costly, InfoWorld, 2/4/00. Giga Information Group says: "Fully five months after its grandiose Feb. 17 debut, customers say that W2K Professional and Server — correctly designed, tested and installed by trained administrators — delivers performance improvements and granular management enhancements that make it from two to 10 times more powerful, scalable, secure and reliable than any 1.0 release of a Microsoft desktop or server operating system to date." For more information:
www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/fixup.pl?
story=/articles/pi/xml/00/02/07/
000207piserver.xml&dctag=operatingsystems www.gigaweb.com/Content/Adhoc/RAH-082000-00014.html For those with concerns about network failures, Microsoft has added clustering and load-balancing capabilities to Windows 2000. The load-balancing feature directs client requests to a single server in a group and ensures that no one server is overloaded. The clustering software available for Windows 2000 Advanced Server lets users combine multiple physical servers into a single, virtual server. This technology can be used for load balancing and rolling upgrades, as well as for providing failover options should a single box fail. For more information on applications that support clustering:
www.microsoft.com/ntserver/
ntserverenterprise/exec/overview/
clustering/partnerlist.asp Most important for any system administrator is uptime. Microsoft's operating systems have been long chastised for their inability to stay up for a long duration. However, the company is said to have improved in this area. In a survey of 1,032 network professionals done by Sunbelt Software, 54% of respondents said that Windows 2000's reliability was "an order of magnitude or greater; it hardly crashes or has not crashed at all." For more information:
www.sunbelt-software.com/surveys.cfm Hardware architectures can also have an effect on system uptime. One company looking to help improve the efficiency of running Windows 2000 in a mission-critical environment is Stratus Computer. The computer maker's new ftServer is said to promise no more than one to five minutes of downtime per year. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/94315_05-01-2000.html System monitoring "Microsoft leads the pack in how well you can keep an eye on your server's internals. The Windows 2000 System Monitor lets you view a real-time, running graph of system operations, such as CPU and network utilization, and memory and disk usage. We used these tools extensively to determine the effect of our benchmark tests on the operating system. Another tool called Network Monitor has a basic network packet analyzer that lets you see the types of packets coming into the server. Together, these Microsoft utilities can be used to compare performance and capacity across multiple Windows 2000 servers." - King of the NOS hill, Network World, 01/24/00. [As compared to Novell NetWare 5.1, Red Hat Linux 6.1 and SCO UnixWare 7.1.1]. For more:
www.nwfusion.com/reviews/
2000/0124rev.html Virtual Private Networking Windows 2000 comes with built-in support for VPNs. The first version of Microsoft's VPN option supports Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) and Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) to make secure connections across the Internet. "Even competitors to Microsoft say its Win 2000 VPN client/server package is good for all VPN users and vendors. It gives customers who are upgrading to Win 2000 the option to try VPNs." - Network World VPN Newsletter, 3/15/00. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/newsletters
/vpn/0313vpn2.html A VPN uses encryption and the public Internet to extend the corporate Intranet to external users. Typically a client on the remote user machine creates a session with the host server and all traffic between the two points are encrypted for security. This allows organizations to save money on telecom costs by eliminating the need for private lines. Potential cost savings Pricing for Novell NetWare 5.1 ranges from $1,000 for a five-user license to $27,300 for 250 users. The suggested pricing for the desktop Professional edition of Windows 2000 starts at $319. Pricing for the Server Edition starts at $1,199 with 10 Client Access Licenses (CAL). The Advanced Edition of the server starts at $3,999 with 25 CALs. An Internet Connector license is available for $2,000 per server and allows an unlimited number of user authentications. The Meta Group also says organizations can cut up to $450 off the average per-desktop cost of upgrading to Windows 2000 Professional. The key here is to have a solid plan in place before beginning the migration process. See Dave Kearn's newsletter "Seminar on migration planning" for more information:
www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/
nt/0417nt1.html For more information on Novell pricing:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/98977_06-12-2000.html For more information on Windows 2000 pricing:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
1999/80026_11-15-1999.htm Built-in streaming media Microsoft was a bit late to the streaming media game, but the company has come on strong with the last couple of versions of its Windows Media Technology and Player. For those companies looking to stream audio and video to the corporate Intranet or via a public Web site, Windows 2000 comes with Windows Media Services built in to the operating system. Unlike its chief rival RealNetworks, Microsoft does not charge extra for a server license or on a per-stream basis. Also many of the tools used to create clips in the Windows Media Format are freely available on Microsoft's site. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/news/
2000/0218stream2k.html www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/101971_07-17-2000.html For more information on Services for Unix 2.0:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/96599_05-22-2000.html NetVision also offers tools for help Active Directory co-exist with other directory products:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/89961_03-13-2000.html What about bugs in the software? Microsoft has released the first service pack for Windows 2000 which fixes a number of bugs, including 28 in Active Directory. The fixed include synchronization of domain controllers, DNS updates, and enhanced support for the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). Also, the service pack is said to further improve reliability. Many enterprise customers were waiting for this service pack to ship before making the move to Windows 2000, says Al Gillen, an analyst with IDC. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/news/
2000/0731msonline.html Windows 2000 and Active Directory require more administration "[In Active Directory] creating an additional domain takes a few moments; subsequent administration is a matter of cutting and pasting resources once. Novell believes this is extra work compared to NDS administration. True, but it's very little extra work." - Sparring Directories, Network World, 6/19/00. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/research/
2000/0619feat.html Do our existing applications run on Windows 2000? On June 29, 2000, Microsoft claimed there were more than 100 third-party applications that were deemed "Certified for Windows" with some 500 new applications entering the testing queue per month. Of course, many applications do work with Windows 2000, they just don't carry Microsoft's official seal of approval. Find out if your applications are Windows 2000 ready:
www.microsoft.com/windows2000/
upgrade/compat/search/software.asp Be sure to check out our other Cheat Sheet: Making the case for NetWare. Got any technologies you'd like us to help you with? Send us your ideas at jmeserve@nww.com.
Why we should go with Windows 2000
NOTE: Includes information from Network World, Microsoft and networking professionals who participate in Network World Fusion's online forums.Active Directory
Active Directory is Microsoft's answer to single sign-on and management. The technology, which delayed the operating system's release by two years, combines Kerberos security, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), Directory-Enabled Network (DEN) and the Domain Name System (DNS) into one. Active Directory can be used to both manage users and define the network hierarchy. Active Directory can be used to maintain multiple domains and "forests," which group multiple domains in an organization together. "The [Toronto District School Board (TDSB)] is five months into a project that will scale the district's directory to serve 600 schools in the Toronto metropolitan area. The schools include 300,000 students in kindergarten through grade 12, 25,000 staff and 50,000 Intel- and Apple-based computers all located within 1,000 square kilometers in Canada's largest city. The directory already holds some 300,000 names, though only 4,000 are currently active."-Scaling Active Directory, Network World, 06/19/00. For more information:www.nwfusion.com/research/
2000/0619featsideads.html Many companies are developing tools to ease the transition from other directory architectures to Active Directory. Among them is NetIQ's Migration Resource Center that provides tips and advice on moving to the new directory architecture. For more information on the Migration Resource Center:
www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/
dir/2000/0612dir1.html. Other companies looking to help with the migration process are BindView, FastLane Technologies and Aelita. For more information on these see: BindView:
www.nwfusion.com/news/
2000/0530bindview.html Aelita:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/97036_05-22-2000.html FastLane:
www.nwfusion.com/news/
1999/1101apps.html However, Active Directory is not a piece of cake. "If you don't plan well, you will be in a world of hurt. Don't underestimate the amount of resources needed," says Eric Craig, network architect for Continental Airlines. - Active Directory upgrade requires strong game plan, Network World, 03/13/00. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/news/
2000/0313focus.html Improved performance "Windows 2000 Server and Advanced Server are not only easier to install and administer than Windows NT 4.0, but they also offer considerably faster performance."-Server enhancements worthy, but costly, InfoWorld, 2/4/00. "Advanced Server offers also several additional software features. Network load balancing allows incoming traffic to be distributed to several servers, providing quicker response time and making it easy to expand capacity. Also, two-node server clustering protects critical applications from downtime, allowing servers to failover. This will help keep costs down in mission-critical environments and ensure that service is available to your users at all times. Advanced Server is a good fit when high server uptime is a critical consideration." - Server enhancements worthy, but costly, InfoWorld, 2/4/00. Giga Information Group says: "Fully five months after its grandiose Feb. 17 debut, customers say that W2K Professional and Server — correctly designed, tested and installed by trained administrators — delivers performance improvements and granular management enhancements that make it from two to 10 times more powerful, scalable, secure and reliable than any 1.0 release of a Microsoft desktop or server operating system to date." For more information:
www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/fixup.pl?
story=/articles/pi/xml/00/02/07/
000207piserver.xml&dctag=operatingsystems www.gigaweb.com/Content/Adhoc/RAH-082000-00014.html For those with concerns about network failures, Microsoft has added clustering and load-balancing capabilities to Windows 2000. The load-balancing feature directs client requests to a single server in a group and ensures that no one server is overloaded. The clustering software available for Windows 2000 Advanced Server lets users combine multiple physical servers into a single, virtual server. This technology can be used for load balancing and rolling upgrades, as well as for providing failover options should a single box fail. For more information on applications that support clustering:
www.microsoft.com/ntserver/
ntserverenterprise/exec/overview/
clustering/partnerlist.asp Most important for any system administrator is uptime. Microsoft's operating systems have been long chastised for their inability to stay up for a long duration. However, the company is said to have improved in this area. In a survey of 1,032 network professionals done by Sunbelt Software, 54% of respondents said that Windows 2000's reliability was "an order of magnitude or greater; it hardly crashes or has not crashed at all." For more information:
www.sunbelt-software.com/surveys.cfm Hardware architectures can also have an effect on system uptime. One company looking to help improve the efficiency of running Windows 2000 in a mission-critical environment is Stratus Computer. The computer maker's new ftServer is said to promise no more than one to five minutes of downtime per year. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/94315_05-01-2000.html System monitoring "Microsoft leads the pack in how well you can keep an eye on your server's internals. The Windows 2000 System Monitor lets you view a real-time, running graph of system operations, such as CPU and network utilization, and memory and disk usage. We used these tools extensively to determine the effect of our benchmark tests on the operating system. Another tool called Network Monitor has a basic network packet analyzer that lets you see the types of packets coming into the server. Together, these Microsoft utilities can be used to compare performance and capacity across multiple Windows 2000 servers." - King of the NOS hill, Network World, 01/24/00. [As compared to Novell NetWare 5.1, Red Hat Linux 6.1 and SCO UnixWare 7.1.1]. For more:
www.nwfusion.com/reviews/
2000/0124rev.html Virtual Private Networking Windows 2000 comes with built-in support for VPNs. The first version of Microsoft's VPN option supports Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) and Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) to make secure connections across the Internet. "Even competitors to Microsoft say its Win 2000 VPN client/server package is good for all VPN users and vendors. It gives customers who are upgrading to Win 2000 the option to try VPNs." - Network World VPN Newsletter, 3/15/00. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/newsletters
/vpn/0313vpn2.html A VPN uses encryption and the public Internet to extend the corporate Intranet to external users. Typically a client on the remote user machine creates a session with the host server and all traffic between the two points are encrypted for security. This allows organizations to save money on telecom costs by eliminating the need for private lines. Potential cost savings Pricing for Novell NetWare 5.1 ranges from $1,000 for a five-user license to $27,300 for 250 users. The suggested pricing for the desktop Professional edition of Windows 2000 starts at $319. Pricing for the Server Edition starts at $1,199 with 10 Client Access Licenses (CAL). The Advanced Edition of the server starts at $3,999 with 25 CALs. An Internet Connector license is available for $2,000 per server and allows an unlimited number of user authentications. The Meta Group also says organizations can cut up to $450 off the average per-desktop cost of upgrading to Windows 2000 Professional. The key here is to have a solid plan in place before beginning the migration process. See Dave Kearn's newsletter "Seminar on migration planning" for more information:
www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/
nt/0417nt1.html For more information on Novell pricing:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/98977_06-12-2000.html For more information on Windows 2000 pricing:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
1999/80026_11-15-1999.htm Built-in streaming media Microsoft was a bit late to the streaming media game, but the company has come on strong with the last couple of versions of its Windows Media Technology and Player. For those companies looking to stream audio and video to the corporate Intranet or via a public Web site, Windows 2000 comes with Windows Media Services built in to the operating system. Unlike its chief rival RealNetworks, Microsoft does not charge extra for a server license or on a per-stream basis. Also many of the tools used to create clips in the Windows Media Format are freely available on Microsoft's site. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/news/
2000/0218stream2k.html www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/
Possible rebuttal points:
What about integrating Active Directory with other directory services? Microsoft has its Metadirectory Services for integrating corporate directories, but users must be aware that metadirectories require lots of planning and politics to get in place. Microsoft has developed Services for NetWare 5 (SFN5) that is designed to synchronize user account information between Active Directory and Novell Directory Services (NDS). The tool can also be used to migrate print and file server activities. Microsoft has a similar tool for integrating with Unix systems. Both Services for Unix 2.0 and SFN5 cost $149. For more information on SFN5:www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/101971_07-17-2000.html For more information on Services for Unix 2.0:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/96599_05-22-2000.html NetVision also offers tools for help Active Directory co-exist with other directory products:
www.nwfusion.com/archive/
2000/89961_03-13-2000.html What about bugs in the software? Microsoft has released the first service pack for Windows 2000 which fixes a number of bugs, including 28 in Active Directory. The fixed include synchronization of domain controllers, DNS updates, and enhanced support for the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). Also, the service pack is said to further improve reliability. Many enterprise customers were waiting for this service pack to ship before making the move to Windows 2000, says Al Gillen, an analyst with IDC. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/news/
2000/0731msonline.html Windows 2000 and Active Directory require more administration "[In Active Directory] creating an additional domain takes a few moments; subsequent administration is a matter of cutting and pasting resources once. Novell believes this is extra work compared to NDS administration. True, but it's very little extra work." - Sparring Directories, Network World, 6/19/00. For more information:
www.nwfusion.com/research/
2000/0619feat.html Do our existing applications run on Windows 2000? On June 29, 2000, Microsoft claimed there were more than 100 third-party applications that were deemed "Certified for Windows" with some 500 new applications entering the testing queue per month. Of course, many applications do work with Windows 2000, they just don't carry Microsoft's official seal of approval. Find out if your applications are Windows 2000 ready:
www.microsoft.com/windows2000/
upgrade/compat/search/software.asp Be sure to check out our other Cheat Sheet: Making the case for NetWare. Got any technologies you'd like us to help you with? Send us your ideas at jmeserve@nww.com.
