|
Good
Exceptionally stable
Default security is appropriately paranoid Many new scripting options Bad
Domain rename procedure not viable
Group Policy still needs rollback capability |
Windows systems programming and scripting capabilities are beefed up in Windows Server 2003. In addition to the new scripting interfaces for ADMT and GP, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) sports an expanded API and a friendly command-line interface, called WMIC.
One could argue that the array of scripting options included with Server 2003 might be confusing, but at least there are options. Microsoft's intent in providing these options is to encourage more network automation and thereby lower the cost of network management. And in my testing I couldn't make Server 2003 crash--the value add there must be considered.
The bottom line is whether Windows Server 2003 really provides a significant ROI. In my opinion, yes, it can, but the savings are not directly tied to the daunting task of migrating to Server 2003. Once its implemented, however, Server 2003 enables significant savings by easing management of the entire network--servers, desktops and machines at remote sites, and by simplifying user configuration settings. In the hands of capable systems/network engineers, these new tools will let midsize and large organizations automate network management and reduce the labor costs required to meet end-user service-level expectations by making central control of desktops more feasible.
Jim Ryan is an infrastructure architect with Princeton Systems Consulting in Redmond, Wash. Write to him at [email protected].
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