Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 was launched in April 2003 and promised to solve all the issues that remained outstanding in previous versions of the software. The product was introduced to the market in four flavours: standard, enterprise, datacenter and web edition. In this page, we only make reference to the standard package.

Hardware requirements

The software will only install in computers that meet the minimum hardware requirements. The Autorun program in the CD automatically detects whether this is the case with your machine. Microsoft's recommendations of a 733MHz CPU, a bootable CD ROM, 256MB RAM (maximum of 4GB), 1.5GB HDD for setup will suffice for a basic installation of the system. We recommend at least: 1GB CPU (preferably 2 processors), 40GB HDD space, 1-2GB ECC RAM (for parity) and, preferably, plug-and-play compliant hardware throughout the entire system (to avoid potential complications with BIOS settings).

Before attempting to install the software, check your existing equipment against the Hardware Compatibility List file issued by Microsoft and consider replacing any parts in your system not found in this list. A copy of the HCL file can be found in the support folder of your installation disk.

Licensing modes

Microsoft's licensing system for Server 2003 software is equally as complicated as it was in previous versions. The terms are different depending on which version of the software is used.

In the standard edition, there are two options to choose from: per-server and per-seat. Per-server means that a client computer in the network must have a license to access the server. For example, if you have 10 client computers and 2 servers, and the 10 clients access both servers, you need to purchase a total of 20 client licenses. Per-seat licensing, on the other hand, means that each client computer in the network only needs one license to access any or all the network servers. Using the scenario presented earlier, the total number of client licenses you will need to purchase is 10. Per-seat usually works out cheaper because additional servers can be added at no extra cost.

Microsoft allows one conversion to the licensing mode: per-server-->per-seat, but not the other way round and, if you decide to change the mode, you will not be able to revert back later on.