Microsoft servers have been a great addition to the business world, and many companies have used them to improve their business control and efficiency. The Microsoft server world was built on the main servers, which were the Server 2003 replaced by the Server 2008 version, with the Microsoft exchange server for using e-mails and the Microsoft SQL server, for Database use.

Those main servers have built the base for a whole organizational network infrastructure where all of the company’s employees could get their whole services out of the same Microsoft environment and developers could use the Microsoft Visual Studio (which is now at version 2010) to develop applications for the same Microsoft network environment.

The Microsoft server 2008 includes more technologies to enable IT, professionals, to increase reliability, stability and flexibility for their servers infrastructure and enable the control needed for managing the organization’s needs. This system includes Virtualization tools, enhanced management and great integration with the Windows 7 operating system (as it is the OS system designated for the client computers on the network, replacing the Windows XP and Windows Vista versions).

This version is also cost-benefit and provides a more efficient data center. The IIS (Internet information system) is more advanced at version 7.5, better updates system, Hyper-V platforms, and window PowerShell version 2.0 to enable better control for customers, increasing efficiency and availability pushing performance to the front line of businesses today.

Summarizing the Microsoft Server 2008 platform is saying it is the most efficient and solid server system by Microsoft, more reliable, stronger, and efficient. Businesses that were using the previous version, should upgrade and get more efficient ways to conduct their business.

The SQL Server by Microsoft is one of the best-enhanced databases out there. This Microsoft SQL server now at version 2008, is stronger and more efficient than it predecessors. The database delivers the same reliability and flexibility needed by programmers/developers and much more. Microsoft developers have grown to love the flexibility this database enables, to create whatever is needed by their programs.

The Microsoft SQL Server has proved that it can contain a large amount of data, and process it with an efficiency that is so required by large organizations. Large companies, with even 1000’s of employees require efficiency, and performance for their applications. Since most of the programs who compute and store a large amount of data need to perform quickly and efficiently the Microsoft SQL server delivers that requirement, and Microsoft keeps updating and improving this great database system.

The Microsoft Exchange server system, is one of the most common ones, for large enterprises. This is a communication system that is cost-effective and flexible. Which can deal with the enormous amount of communication and data being transferred by large organizations? This system is one of the best in the market (again for large companies), it might not fit smaller companies who wants to save on spending a large amount of expense on a mail server.

For large organizations, this is the system to have. It grew much since it began, and got more reliable, more efficient and its performance got better.
Like any system developed there are always things you might find irritating, but in global, this system has improved greatly, and when used by a professional who got to know all of its techniques, and organization can soundly sleep knowing the system works, and the communication will be received and delivered on time.

Summarizing the Microsoft main servers systems, we have to acknowledge that Microsoft has proved that their system is the best as a whole package, and they keep improving them, to enable large organizations to feel at home and trust that the systems will deliver when it counts.

What can we say about Microsoft that no one heard before, there is almost no one who works with computer and never heard about Microsoft and their operating system series. The operating systems of Microsoft have changed the way we were using computers, from a nongraphic user interface to a graphic interface, using a keyboard and a mouse to be able to do so many things with ease, than the way we have done before using a nongraphic interface, where every action was a series of commands, which of course where only working on a nongraphic way.

The graphic interface of the Microsoft operating systems enabled us to see what we are doing (not just numbers and lines in a report kind of a way) and be able to use the internet, write documents, and change fonts, sizes of texts, insert photos, and pictures into the document, etc…

The operating systems were starting with the Windows 3.11 version which was the beginning of Microsoft Windows graphic interface was real progress from the way we have conducted our work with computers and started the developments of better and improved windows operating systems by Microsoft.

Microsoft Windows Desktops:

Microsoft Windows 3.0 – 3.1 – Started in March 1992 – it was a 16-bit operating system and different versions of it where being issued between 1992-1994 until it was replaced by Windows 95. This operating system was the basic change of the way the home user and businesses were using computers. There were new tools and technological ways of using our computers.

Microsoft Windows 95 – Released on August 1995 – It was a larger enhancement of the previous windows 3.1 operating system. It contained more color – This operating system was the most popular at those times, and it was replaced by Windows 98 – which enhanced and fixed issues that were collected on the Windows 95 operating system. This operating system was a better fit with the business orientation of the Windows NT (network server operating system).

Microsoft Windows 98 – Release on May 15th, 1998 – This operating system supported 16bit & 32bit work. This operating system was the first to use the new “Windows Driver Model” (WDM), hardware manufacturers where developing drivers to enable these common operating systems to use their hardware devices.
Microsoft Windows 2000 – Released on February 17, 2000, this operating system was designated for the client computers for a business environment, as a desktop operating system. This operating system was serving as a client for Windows NT and was a very solid stable operating system. It was replaced by the successful Windows XP.

Microsoft Windows XP – Released on October 25th, 2001, This is one of the most used windows operating system ever, most users have moved to this operating system that was stable and very user-friendly.  When Vista got out, many people who received the Vista operating system requested to downgrade to the Windows XP operating system, since it was much better and fit almost any platform of computers, even weak ones.

Microsoft Windows Vista – Released on July 22nd, 2005, This I have to say wasn’t a very good operating system that was developed by Microsoft. This operating system forced you to increase your computer’s performance, you had to have at least 2GB RAM to work properly. This operating system was heavy and its performance was not as her previous versions.  The graphic and the ability to use more than 3GB RAM were some of the OS’s improvements from her predecessors (previous operating systems).

Microsoft Windows Servers:

Windows NT server – Release in July 1993 – This operating system was the first server like an operating system that could serve many clients, and use its resources to share resources, operations, and other server type software that could serve multiple users.

Windows 2000 server – Released on February 17th, 2000 – This server operating system was more advanced from its predecessor the Windows NT. This version was a more advanced server which included datacenter server, supported 64bit version, this version included the MMC (Microsoft Management Console) that enabled more control over the server features and options. This OS issued the first “Active Directory” that enabled a centralized control interface to manage the users and security features of the server’s network.

Windows Server 2003 – Released on April 24th, 2003 – This server operating system was the more solid, stable and very useful server operating system. Most organizations have moved to it, after the windows NT and windows 2000 server has received many improvements on the server 2003 version, which made the active directory and the management features which included forests and a very organized control center to monitor and manage a large organization and made it easier for IT managers and network administrators to have better control over their network.

Windows Server 2008 – Released on February 4th, 2008 – This version of the server operating system was built upon the same code as the Vista operating system (from the desktop version). There was much more control using the command-line interface (from the DOS screen) and many other cool features that enabled a more sophisticated and easy to use network platform.

Windows Server 2012 – Released on September 4th, 2012– This version of the server operating system has no support for Itanium-based computers and has four editions. Various features were added or improved over Windows Server 2008 R2, with emphasis on cloud computing, Hyper-V support, IP addressing management role, new task manager version, new file system.

All of those operating systems by Microsoft have shaped the way we do our computer business or use our home computers, there is no other way to avoid this, Microsoft has a real place in the pages of history for giving us these Windows operating systems which shaped the way we use computers today.

Active Directory is a package designed by Microsoft to manage an organizational network, this package is using different tools to organize and manage the corporate network. Basically before we get into specifics, the Active Directory is creating a managerial environment, where all of the network clients (end users) are connected to it, and anyone who connects to it is registered and monitored by the Active Directory system. That enables it, to manage the end users, what they are allowed to do, what they can’t, which resources will be available to whom. It creates groups and give those groups policies (group of rules) which binds that group into those rules, and every end user that is defined within this group is bind by it rules, and accordingly can or can’t do things within the network.

The Active Directory, has been built inside the windows servers (server 2003, 2008) and the Active Directory is it’s source of organization. Anyone who connects to the server is actually connected to the Active Directory, and through that can use the network resources, as defined in the Active Directory rules.

So how does it work ?
The tools that Active Directory uses, are the LDAP (lightweight directory access protocol) which is basically a library service. There is the authentication protocol based on Kerberos (authentication protocol for client/server services that enables connection and communication using secret encrypted codes over the internet), then there is the DNS (domain name system, which translate names like website addresses into IP addresses) and finally the group enforcement, making sure the group rules are working properly.

The Active Directory has a Physical aspect which includes a database that is residing on DC (DomainControllers), those DCs can do various operations and purposes, or the same operation for redundancy and loading performance and separations, where each change in domain is replicated using a replication mechanism, to the other domains and of course updating the whole organization accordingly. The Logical aspect of it is hierarchical concepts, like a pyramid, the higher structure is a forest, which is containing trees which resemble a collection of DCs. The forest is actually any object on the network, anything connected to it, and the rules apply using that hierarchy.

Each object on the network is an “Entity” and each entity has its own definitions which divides into 3 types: resources, services & users. Every object has it’s unique GUID (ID), which identifies against the library (the LDAP) and that is how it gets identified.

This is the basic operation of the Active Directory. It’s use and functionality is to centralize manage all of the computerized resources in the organization. The policy can be implemented using a management tool called GPO (group policy) which can manage the policies given to different groups in the organization’s network.

This whole concept enable the network administrator to obtain control over the whole network from one computer (DC) and  to define what type of desktop will a user have, which directories he can access, what tools he can use etc…