Windows Nt Essays - Advanced RISC Computing, Windows NT,

Windows Nt Windows NT Operating System Windows NT History. Since it was first released in 1993, Microsoft Windows NT Server has established itself as the network operating system (NOS) of choice for countless organizations of all sizes in private industry and public agencies. They have discovered that Windows NT Server is extremely reliable, highly scalable, and capable of handling the complex, mission-critical demands of even large Fortune 500 corporations. But the widespread adoption of Windows NT Server stems from more than just its operating system capabilities. What IT managers in every industry are discovering is that Windows NT Server provides a complete and solid platform for an all-encompassing range of services and activities. It combines the best aspects of an application server, a file and printer server, a communications server, and a Web server -- along with interoperability and management features that make it an excellent NOS for organizations, whether they have mixed computing environments or operate entirely on Windows NT S erver. ?Windows NT provides the backbone for a complete, organic system, where all elements working together seamlessly. When joined with other Windows NT-related products, including the BackOffice family of applications and Windows NT Workstation, Windows NT Server provides the foundation for a powerful and well integrated environment. That integration means that administrators and developers can focus on their jobs, instead of spending time and money wrangling with disparate systems and applications.?1 Scalability. Windows NT runs across both Intel- and RISC- based architectures, providing maximum flexibility and minimizing the number of operating system platforms that businesses need to support. Windows NT runs 32-bit applications , and many 16-bit applications. That's because each 16-bit application can run as a separate, multi-tasked process in its own memory address space--isolated from other active applications. This multi-tasking process also boosts application speed and responsiveness, and provides maximum data and application protection. Windows NT is also licensed for use on Symmetric Multi Processing (SMP) servers with up to eight processors for high scalability. Versions of Windows NT Server, available from select system vendors support even larger SMP servers? up to 32-processor support. Large SMP servers running Windows NT Server represent a powerful upgrade path for enterprise applications that need to handle more users and data. NT Enterprise Edition's 4 GB Memory Tuning feature (4GT) supports servers that have up to 4 GB of RAM. This new capability allows memory-intensive applications running on the OS to use up to 50 percent more RAM on 32-bit Intel-architecture servers. 4GT does this by reducing the potential RAM allocated to the Windows NT kernel from 2 GB to 1 GB and increasing the potential RAM allocated to applications from 2 GB to 3 GB. The result can dramatically improve performance.2 NT Security. The high level of security in Windows NT provides benefits in both standalone and connected environments, and works regardless of your choice of network operating system. That's because Windows NT a virtual gate through which all users, resources, and applications must pass--giving comprehensive control and security. The security features in Windows NT Workstation include: User authentication and access control Industry standard-based certificates to verify the origin of unknown code The Windows NT File System (NTFS) to protect the file system and its contents Auditing to identify potential risks Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) for secure Internet connections With Windows NT, you control which users and applications have access to your crucial data, line-of-business applications, and base operating system--so you can keep your system safe from tampering or user error. And you can set separate user profiles on a single desktop, each with its own set of clearances and prohibitions. ?A secure network system has many characteristics. A baseline measurement of a secure operating system is the U.S. National Security Agency's criteria for a C2-level secure system. Although C2 security is a requirement of many U.S. Government installations, its substantial value extends to any organization concerned about the security of its information.?3 The operating system must protect data stored in memory for one process so that it is not randomly reused by other processes. For example, Microsoft? Windows NT? Server operating system protects memory so that its contents cannot be read after it is freed by a process. In addition, when a file is