Microsoft Servers

Logo of Microsoft Servers.

Microsoft Servers (previously called Windows Server System) is a brand that encompasses a line of Microsoft server products. This includes the server editions of Microsoft Windows operating system itself, as well as products targeted at the wider business market. Unlike Microsoft Dynamics or Microsoft Office product lines, most of the products sold under this brand are not intended to be line-of-business services in and of themselves.

Servers

The Microsoft Servers line of software and technology includes:

• BizTalk Server – Business process design and integration tools
• Commerce Server – E-Commerce portal
• Exchange Server – E-mail and collaboration server
• Internet Information Services (IIS) – Web server, FTP server and basic email server
• Forefront – Comprehensive line of business security products
  • Threat Management Gateway – Firewall, routing, VPN and web caching sever, formerly known as Microsoft ISA Server or Microsoft Proxy Server in its earlier iterations
  • Protection for Exchange Server
  • Protection for SharePoint Server
  • Online Protection for Exchange
  • Unified Access Gateway
  • Identity Manager
• Host Integration Server – Data and management connector between Windows environments and mainframe systems such as AS/400, formerly known as Microsoft SNA Server^[1][2]
• Identity Integration Server – Identity management product
• Speech Server – Speech applications for automated telephone systems, including voice recognition
• SQL Server – Relational Database Management and business intelligence server
  • SQL Server 2000
  • SQL Server 2005
  • SQL Server 2008
  • SQL Server 2008 R2
• Microsoft Hyper-V Server
• Virtual Server – Platform virtualization of operating systems
• Windows Server – Server operating system
  • Windows 2000 Server
  • Windows Home Server and Windows Home Server 2011 – Home server operating system
  • Windows Server 2003
  • Windows Storage Server – File server-focused edition of Windows Server, with built-in back-up tools
  • Windows Compute Cluster Server – High performance computing server
  • Windows Server 2003 R2
  • Windows Small Business Server – Windows Server and additional technologies
  • Windows Server 2008
  • Windows Essential Business Server 2008 - Server offering for mid-size businesses
  • Windows HPC Server 2008
  • Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Windows MultiPoint Server, a server operating system that allows multiple simultaneous local users on one computer
  • Windows Home Server 2011 - Home server operating system
  • Active Directory, a directory services technology
  • Active Directory Federation Services
  • Windows Server Update Services – Software update services for Windows and other applications

Microsoft Office server products

Some of the products included in the Windows Server System product branding are designed specifically for interaction with Microsoft Office. These include:

• Forms Server – Server-based electronic forms
• Groove Server – Collaboration server; works in conjunction with Microsoft SharePoint Workspace
• Lync Server – Instant messaging and presence server, integration with telephone PBX systems. Integrates with Microsoft Lync
• Project Server – Project management and resource allocation services; works as the server component to Microsoft Project
  • Project Portfolio Server
• SharePoint Server – Produces sites intended for collaboration, file sharing, web databases, social networking and web publishing.
• PerformancePoint Server – Business performance management server
• Search Server

Microsoft System Center

Microsoft System Center is a set of server products aimed specifically at helping corporate IT administrators manage a network of Windows Server and client desktop systems.

• System Center Configuration Manager – Configuration management, hardware/software asset management, patch deployment tools for Windows desktops (previously Systems Management Server)
• System Center Data Protection Manager – Continuous data protection and data recovery
• System Center Essentials – Combined features of Operations Manager and Windows Software Update Service (WSUS), aimed at small and medium sized businesses
• System Center Mobile Device Manager – Mobile device management (PDAs, smartphones, etc.)
• System Center Opalis - Opalis is an automation platform for orchestrating and integrating IT tools to decrease the cost of datacenter operations while improving the reliability of IT processes. It enables IT organizations to automate best practices, such as those found in Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Opalis operates through workflow processes that coordinate System Center and other management tools to automate incident response, change and compliance, and service-lifecycle management processes.^[3]
• System Center Operations Manager – Services and application monitoring
• System Center Reporting Manager
• System Center Service Manager – Ties in with SCOM, SCCM for asset tracking as well as incident, problem, change and configuration management (code name: Service Desk)
• System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 – Virtual machine management and datacenter virtualization

Discontinued server products

• Services for UNIX - SFU for Windows XP Pro and Windows Server 2003 only
• Microsoft Application Center – Deployment of web applications across multiple servers. Some of its capabilities are now in System Center.
• Microsoft BackOffice Server
• Content Management Server – Web site content management and publishing. Merged into Microsoft SharePoint Server.
• Microsoft SNA Server – replaced by Microsoft Host Integration Server
• Microsoft Site Server – replaced by Microsoft Commerce Server
• Microsoft Merchant Server - replaced by Microsoft Site Server
• Microsoft Proxy Server – replaced by Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway (also known as ISA Server)
• System Center Capacity Planner – Provides purchasing and best-practice capacity planning guidance

References

1. ^ "Overview of Microsoft SNA Server". Microsoft TechNet. Microsoft Corporation. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc978124.aspx. Retrieved 13 September 2011. 
2. ^ "What Is SNA Server?". MSDN. Microsoft Corporation. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa266957%28v=VS.60%29.aspx. Retrieved 13 September 2011. 
3. ^ "System Center Opalis website". http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/en/us/opalis.aspx. 

External links

• Official Microsoft Servers web site
• Official Microsoft System Center web site
• Official Windows Small Business Server web site