Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2a Enterprise Edition x64 + 25CAL EOM (MUI)

Windows Server 2003 R2a Enterprise Edition x64 + 25CAL EOM (MUI) Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise, x64 Edition, is well-suited for business-critical applications such as large databases and line-of-business applications, as well as for Terminal Server deployments that use Terminal Server Session Directory.

Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise, x64 Edition, supports up to 1 TB of RAM on 1- to 8-way servers. Supported processors include:

- AMD Opteron
- AMD Athlon 64
- Intel Xeon with Intel EM64T
- Intel Pentium with Intel EM64T

Microsoft designed and built the Windows Server 2003 family to help businesses meet the growing needs for reliable, scalable, and secure business applications. Building on the features and functionality of Windows 2000 and providing broader and more in-depth support for industry standards, the Windows Server 2003 family became the most dependable, connected, and productive family of servers ever built. This success has led to the introduction of Windows Server 2003 R2, which is built on the reliable and scalable foundation of Windows Server 2003 SP1 and adds support for several new and compelling scenarios. Windows Server 2003 R2 makes it easier and more cost-effective to manage remote locations and branch offices, manage identities and data storage throughout and beyond an organization, interoperate with UNIX systems, as well as take advantage of virtualization technology.

Additionally, Microsoft understands that system architects are called upon more and more often to do more with less. A modern computing infrastructure requires an ever increasing range of functionality. Windows Server 2003 is flexible, so it can continue to meet IT needs as they change over time, including the ability to add more capacity without taking the system offline. Therefore, Windows Server 2003 R2 also provides the best economics available to your organization.
The flagship product of the Windows Server family, Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition, has been designed specifically to meet the needs of many important workloads, from the regional branch office to the application server to the corporate data center that houses mission-critical applications. The following features of Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition** provide enhancements in the areas of reliability, scalability, security, and manageability.

<b>Reliability</b>

Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition is the most reliable operating system Microsoft has ever offered. Reaching 99.99 percent (four nines) uptime—that’s less than an hour downtime per year—has become much easier with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition. With a reliable software system, you can ensure that your enterprise’s servers are consistently available to your customers.

<b>Scalability</b>

As business demands grow, and new advances in hardware are achieved, you want your applications and your server platform to keep up with the pace. Microsoft designed Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition to give your applications the headroom they need to grow with the business. Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition was designed with both scaling up (adding memory and processing power) and scaling out (adding additional servers) in mind. Since your enterprise may expand to deal with more clients, customers, or simply greater workload, the ability to easily scale can help keep your IT infrastructure in line with your business goals. Furthermore, improvements in Windows Server 2003 R2 allow for increased scalability in a branch office scenario.

<b>64-Bit Support</b>

The 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition are optimized for memory intensive applications, such as terminal services and Web servers, while still providing high-performance support for 32-bit applications. This support lowers your total cost of ownership by delivering superior price performance and reducing administration costs.

The Windows Server 2003 family supports two different 64-bit architectures. Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based systems is well suited for native 64-bit applications requiring the highest levels of scalability. Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions let you take advantage of the wealth of existing 32-bit Windows applications while also powering the latest 64-bit technology.

While optimized for 64-bit architectures and applications, Windows Server 2003 will continue to run 32-bit applications at high performance. Therefore, your enterprise will be able to migrate easily to a 64-bit infrastructure, running both 32-bit and 64-bit applications.
In describing FullArmor's challenge to upgrade the computer systems of a New York hospital to Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Enterprise Edition, Chief Technical Officer Danny Kim says, "With the power of the 64-bit Windows Server System family, building high-value products using the latest integrated development environment tools like Visual Studio® 2005 is easy.

<b>Support for 1 TB of RAM</b>

Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition, supports up to 1 TB of physical RAM on 64-bit systems. The more RAM added to a server beyond minimum requirements, the more memory is available for applications to use. Online transaction processing, data mining, and many other enterprise applications benefit from the scalability of Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition because they can handle heavier transaction loads, service more users with a single system, and perform data analysis much more quickly.

<b>Hot Add Memory</b>

Hot Add Memory allows banks of memory to be added to a computer and made available to the operating system and applications as part of the normal memory pool. No rebooting and no downtime are required. With the proper hardware support, the act of installing memory automatically invokes the Hot Add Memory feature in Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition, making the memory instantly available to demanding applications.

<b>Security</b>

Along with reliability and scalability, security has quickly become one of the biggest concerns for an enterprise. To provide you with a more secure computing environment, the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system includes many important new security features. While robust IT security is intrinsically valuable, a well-secured infrastructure can also help you improve server reliability and reduce costs.

<b>Active Directory® Directory Services Federated Services (ADFS)</b>
New in Windows Server 2003 R2, ADFS provides Web-based extranet authentication/authorization, single sign-on (SSO), and federated identity services for Windows Server environments, which increases the value of existing Active Directory deployments to B2C extranet, intracompany (multiforest) federation, and business-to-business (B2B) internet federation scenarios.
Extranet authentication and SSO services extend the strong authentication and distributed session capabilities Windows has for internal networks to internet-facing perimeter networks. Identity federation makes it possible for partner organizations to share a user's Active Directory identity information securely over federation trusts, facilitating collaboration with partners and delegating user management.

<b>Encrypting File System (EFS)</b>

Using EFS, data can be encrypted as it is stored on disk. EFS uses public key encryption to encrypt local NTFS data. For servers, this means that even if the hard drive is removed from the server, the information on that disk can’t be read without the appropriate encryption key. Regulatory compliance is increasingly dependent on having the right level of encryption for sensitive data.
EFS provides end users an integrated, easy to use method of encrypting files, simply by selecting the check in the file’s Properties dialog box. For server administrators, there are controls available to assign encryption keys to users, define where users can encrypt data, and which folders should automatically encrypt files that are placed there. Additionally, administrators can recover data that was encrypted by another user. This ensures that data is accessible if the user that encrypted the data is no longer available or has lost their private key.


<b>Manageability</b>

Finally, Enterprise Edition provides manageability. Better managed systems are more secure and more reliable, providing more application uptime and lower costs. This ease of manageability, in turn, has a direct effect on your ability to deliver to your customers. Easier to deploy, configure, and use than previous versions, Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition provides centralized, customizable management services to help reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO). Thus, you can take advantage of the cost saving capabilities of industry-standard change and configuration management practices.
These features of Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition make your system more manageable:

<b>Active Directory</b>

Active Directory is the integrated, distributed directory service that is included with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 family. Many of the applications and services that previously required a separate directory and user ID/password can now use Active Directory, eliminating the need to manage security separately for each application or service. With Active Directory, the administrator of the organization can add a user to Active Directory and, through that single entry, enable remote access to the network, enable the same user account for Microsoft Exchange messaging, and grant database access for accounting, client relationship management, or other applications. This reduces administration and increases security by enabling single sign-on for its users.

Windows Server 2003 R2 and Active Directory help even small and medium sized organizations with a reliable working environment for the end users, offering the highest levels of reliability and performance, so users can get their work done as efficiently as possible. Active Directory also provides a more secure and manageable environment to make the lives of the IT staff easier. In addition, Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS), new in Windows Server 2003 R2, allows Web-based extranet authentication/authorization, single sign-on (SSO), and federated identity services for Windows Server environments, which eliminates the burden of re-creating user accounts for people outside the company.

<b>Group Policy Management Console (GPMC)</b>

Along with Active Directory, Group Policy Management Console makes it easier to manage users and computers. Microsoft Group Policy Management Console provides a single solution for managing all Group Policy-related tasks. GPMC lets administrators manage Group Policy for multiple domains and sites within one or more forests, in a simplified user interface (UI) with drag-and-drop support. Highlights include new functionality such as backup, restore, import, copy, and reporting of Group Policy Objects (GPOs). These operations are fully scriptable, which lets administrators customize and automate management. Together, these advantages make Group Policy much easier to use and help you manage your enterprise more cost effectively.

<b>UNIX Interoperability</b>

With Windows Server 2003 R2, interoperability with UNIX-based systems is easier and more cost-effective than ever. Windows Server 2003 R2 provides tools to perform cross-platform management, application integration, and to phase migrations of applications from UNIX to Windows. The result is seen in lower costs, a simplified infrastructure, and use of existing IT skills, utilities, and code.

Windows Server 2003 R2 provides the ability to run re-compiled UNIX code natively with the Sub-system for UNIX-based Applications (SUA). SUA allows you to run existing legacy code on a Windows Server, integrate applications by delivering some components written for Windows, and run utilities, scripts, and shells familiar to UNIX administrators. Network File and Print Services for UNIX uses the NFS protocol to share files between UNIX and Windows systems and allows Windows Server to act as a file server for UNIX clients. Identity Management for UNIX (IdMU) is a set of tools for interoperability with UNIX authentication, using NIS and Active Directory. This functionality allows the synchronization of NIS and AD users and passwords and provides the ability to host NIS directly from AD.