Big MS Bet: WinServer ’03

Finally, it arrived. Windows Server 2003 was one of those stage entrances
this April that take too long to happen. Inevitably, as with Microsoft, its
biggest operating system server launch in three years also arrived with both a
lot of ballyhoo and a lot of brickbats. The ballyhoo was about stability,
greater interoperability, ease-of-use and most of all, better security. The
company called it the "most secure server offering from Microsoft so
far." The brickbats–about a year-long delay, the fourth renaming, and
lack of interoperability with some of its own applications.

More importantly, with this launch Microsoft enters new territory–it
announced 64 bit versions of the Win Server 2003 Enterprise and Datacenter
Editions. Out of the box, the Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition will
support 128-way servers with single partitions of up to 64 Itanium 2 chips and
512 GB RAM. Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition supports eight Itanium 2
chips and a 64 GB RAM. "Microsoft and Intel have been working hand-in-glove
for years with our Windows Server 2003-Itanium plans", said John Davies, VP
Sales and Marketing group and Director, Solutions Market Development at Intel
said just before the launch.

Internally incompatible

There are issues at hand however that Microsoft and developers still need to
deal with. The biggest –the fact that some of Microsoft’s own applications
don’t run on Win Server 2003. Some of the problems come from the fact that the
Internet Information Server (IIS) has been completely overhauled. The IIS 6.0
that will be shipped now is significantly different from IIS 5.0 and
applications that were dependent on the older version will be seriously
affected. While there is a compatibility mode in IIS 6.0 that will allow some
apps to run, some others will never run. But the biggest piece missing–Microsoft
Exchange server 2000 (and earlier edition of Exchange server 5.5). A newer
version–Exchange Server 2003–is expected, but not till next year. There are
options to get around the problem. But tedious ones. The company is betting
however on the fact that by the time companies are ready for a server software
upgrade, they will all have the pieces in place and working together.

What? Me worry?

In the long run though, is the MS-Intel combination a viable threat to IBM’s
zSeries mainframe on Linux or Unix based machines from Sun Microsystems?
"For all the hype, we are not in the least bit threatened by Windows Server
2003-Itanium combination. To begin with we’ve been hearing about the Itanium
for the last 7-8 years and frankly we don’t think it has a serious business
case," says Anil Valluri, Director Systems Engineering at Sun Micro India.
Valluri maintains, "Most enterprises will not even opt for 64-bit
computing. They’ll stay with their x86 systems and I’m not sure if the
code-base of Windows Server 2003 is optimized for the x86 architecture."
Windows Server 2003 achieves stronger security by turning off many features by
default. Microsoft doesn’t quite see it that way. Both the 32 and 64-bit
versions of Windows Server 2003 are optimized for Itanium 2 and provide advanced
clustering capabilities, Windows Resource Manager and a revamped Active
Directory. The bet both companies are making is that they will fuel demand for
each other.

But it’s not an exclusive relationship. Microsoft has clear plans to
support AMD’s 32 and 64-bit Opteron which is making quite some waves since its
recent launch. "The AMD Opteron looks like a good prospect", admits
Valluri. Intel meanwhile continues to partner with HP and members of the Linux
camp–Redhat and Suse. "We will work with other partners but we firmly
believe in the combined capability of Windows Server 2003 and Itanium 2 to
deliver. Yes, it is a symbiotic relationship", says John Davies. For now
though, developers are probably reaching for the patches and fixes and hoping
the rest of apps will be delivered in time.

Sarita Rani & S Chinmayee