Upgrading and Installing Member Servers
Upgrading and Installing Member Servers |
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Application servers provide a central location for programs that are used by multiple users. Rather than loading an application on 1,000 clients, you can have users access the application through a share. Depending on the amount of disk access required when the program is in use, such a server might need high levels of resources. For example, an application server for a database program might need more memory and disk space than a server that hosts a word processing program.
When performing a new Windows 2000 Server installation, or upgrading from Windows NT 4.0, make sure that you back up any data related to applications that work with Windows 2000 Server. After you back up the applications and data, upgrade the application server in a test environment to ensure compatibility.
An application member server can host a variety of programs and services. See Table 15.1 for a description of some of these services.
Table 15.1 Programs and Services on an Application Member Server
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Component Services | Manages server components such as Application Load Balancing, Transaction Services, Application Management, and Message Queuing. |
| Terminal Services | Software services that allow client applications to be run on a server so that clients can function as terminals rather than as independent systems. |
| Database | Provides an operation and management platform for database programs such as Microsoft® SQL Server™. |
| Provides an operation and management platform for mail servers such as Microsoft® Exchange Server. |
Note
For database and mail servers, other applications will need to be installed on top of Windows 2000. These services are not supplied with native Windows 2000.
With the exception of Microsoft® Exchange Server and Microsoft® SQL Server™, you can configure each of these services by using the Configure Your Server wizard after you install Windows 2000 Server.
Application member servers provide a platform to run component services such as Application Load Balancing, Transaction Services, Application Management, and Message Queuing. You can add these services through Add/Remove Programs and the Windows Components Wizard shown in Figure 15.3.
Figure 15.3 Wizard for Adding Component Services
If you are upgrading from Windows NT Server 4.0, ensure that services from the previous operating system are migrated properly by checking their configuration after the upgrade.
Terminal Services allows client applications to be run on a server so that clients can function as terminals rather than independent systems. The server provides a multisession environment and runs the Windows-based programs being used on the clients. Terminal Services can also be loaded using the Windows Components Wizard. For more information about Terminal Services, see "Deploying Terminal Services" in this book.
Windows 2000 application member servers provide a stable platform for running and managing database software such as SQL Server. When you install Windows 2000 Server, no further configuration of the operating system is needed to run the database service.
If you are upgrading from Windows NT version 4.0 or earlier to Windows 2000 Server, be sure to back up any database you have on the member server before beginning the upgrade. Also, if you are using a database application other than SQL Server, ensure that it is Windows 2000 Server compatible. For more information about SQL Server, see the Microsoft® SQL Server™ Resource Guide, which is part of the Microsoft® BackOffice 4.5 Resource Kit.
