Windows NT Design Goals

Windows NT was not designed as an upgraded version of an earlier product. Its architects began with a clean sheet of paper and this list of goals for a new operating system:

• In making this operating system compatible, the designers included the well-received Windows interface and provided support for existing file systems (such as FAT) and applications (including those written for MS-DOS, OS/2 1.x, Windows 3.x, and POSIX). The designers also provided network connectivity to several existing networking environments.
• Portability means that Windows NT runs on both CISC and RISC processors. CISC includes computers running with Intel® 80386 or higher processors. RISC includes computers with MIPS® R4000™ or Digital Alpha AXP™ processors.
• Scalability means that Windows NT is not bound to single-processor architectures but takes full advantage of symmetric multiprocessing hardware. Today, Windows NT can run on computers with from 1 to 32 processors. Windows NT allows you to add bigger and faster workstations and servers to your corporate network as your business requirements grow. And, it gives you the advantage of having the same development environment for both workstations and servers.
• Windows NT includes a uniform security architecture that meets the requirements for a U.S. government rating. For the corporate environment, it provides a safe environment to run mission-critical applications.
• Distributed processing means that Windows NT is designed with networking built into the base operating system. Windows NT also allows for connectivity to a variety of host environments through its support of multiple transport protocols and high-level client-server facilities including named pipes, remote procedure calls (RPCs), and Windows Sockets.
• Reliability and robustness refer to an architecture that protects applications from damaging each other and the operating system. Windows NT employs the robustness of structured exception handling throughout its entire architecture. It includes a recoverable file system, NTFS, and provides protection through its built-in security and advanced memory management techniques.
• Localization means that Windows NT will be offered in many countries around the world, in local languages, and that it supports the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Unicode standard.
• Extensibility points to the modular design of Windows NT, which, as described in the next section, provides for the flexibility of adding future modules at several levels within the operating system.