Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003
Technologies
Microsoft Corporation
Published: August 2003
Abstract
®
This paper compares the features of the Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 family and Solaris 9 Operating
System from Sun Microsystems. Their hardware support, Internet services, reliability, manageability, and
development and deployment features are summarized and compared.
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
The information contained in this document represents the current view of
Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of
publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market
conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of
Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information
presented after the date of publication.
This White Paper is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT
MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS
TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT.
Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the
user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document
may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the
express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.
Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights,
or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this
document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement
from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any
license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual
property.
© 2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Microsoft, Microsoft, Active Directory, FrontPage, IntelliMirror, Visual
Basic, Visual Studio, Windows, and the Windows logo are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be
the trademarks of their respective owners.
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1
Packaging .................................................................................................................................... 2
Hardware Support.......................................................................................................................... 4
CPU, SMP, and Clustering Support ............................................................................................. 4
Device Support............................................................................................................................. 6
Hardware Summary ..................................................................................................................... 9
Internet Services .......................................................................................................................... 10
Internet Standards Support ........................................................................................................ 10
Scalability ................................................................................................................................... 11
Internet Service Management .................................................................................................... 13
Security ...................................................................................................................................... 14
Internet Service Summary ......................................................................................................... 16
Reliability ...................................................................................................................................... 17
Core System Reliability .............................................................................................................. 17
Fault-Tolerant Device Support ................................................................................................... 18
Fault-Tolerant Resource Sharing ............................................................................................... 19
Failure Recovery ........................................................................................................................ 19
Dynamic Reconfiguration ........................................................................................................... 21
Windows Datacenter Program ................................................................................................... 22
Reliability Summary ................................................................................................................... 23
Manageability ............................................................................................................................... 24
Management Interface ............................................................................................................... 24
Keeping Current ......................................................................................................................... 25
Directories and User Authentication .......................................................................................... 26
Managing the Desktop ............................................................................................................... 27
System Deployment ................................................................................................................... 28
Manageability Summary ............................................................................................................ 29
Development and Deployment ................................................................................................... 31
General Application Development Environment ........................................................................ 31
Web Application Development Environment ............................................................................. 31
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Development and Deployment Summary .................................................................................. 33
Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 34
Related Links ............................................................................................................................... 36
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Introduction
The server operating system is a core part of any company’s overall IT infrastructure. The operating
system on your servers must do much more than just share files among users on a local area network
(LAN). Servers must provide the infrastructure for IT, serve as the platform for business applications,
and provide sharing and collaboration services locally (over an intranet) and globally (over the Internet).
To work effectively, an operating system must provide a comprehensive and connected suite of
services, including data storage, directory, security, and backup services to support a range of
customer scenarios.
You must have an effective operating system that can support these services and can also provide
information and applications to users. The operating system must be flexible and able to meet many
different demands. The operating system must provide a reliable, available, and serviceable
environment that is easy to manage and use.
Recent trends have led to modular, flexible applications that use a number of independent but
compatible services. These services are provided by using a distributed computing model, which moves
the focus away from the desktop to an array of servers that can support a large number of service
requests on demand.
This change in how services are provided has led to a change in the way that servers are configured
and deployed. A large, central server that provides multiple services while it supports the needs of
many users is seldom the right choice because it lacks flexibility and the ability to be expanded in small
increments. Instead, customers are using an array of servers to provide a range of server and
application services. Each server is part of the integrated system, and the whole system must be easy
to manage and control.
The change in how services are provided has not changed the requirements for availability. Data center
applications are expected to always be available, and system downtime that is not scheduled is not
tolerated. To achieve a high level of availability, systems must support clustering and device failover,
such as the support that is offered by other storage systems. If you use multiple servers to provide a
service, you must also efficiently distribute requests to servers that can process the requests.
In every environment, the operating system must be scalable, whether in a small-sized or medium-
sized business that runs an internal service or in a large enterprise data center that supports a global
service.
For such an operating system to be viable, it must be easy to manage and low cost, both at the time of
the initial purchase and during its ongoing support and management.
Traditionally, UNIX platforms, primarily led by Sun Microsystems Solaris operating system running on
the SPARC platform, provided servers with this combination of features. UNIX, and more recently
Linux, has often been the solution of choice at all levels in all types of organizations. However, because
® ®
Microsoft Windows server technology continues to evolve, Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 now
provides features that are comparable to UNIX implementations. These features are often provided as
standard components of Windows Server 2003, including features that require additional software in a
UNIX environment. These features include directory services, load balancing, clustering, software
update services, and advanced network and resource management tools. Windows Server 2003
extends these features to include an integrated service that provides Web and Internet applications.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 1
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Solaris is available for the SPARC platform and a limited set of x86-based servers. The price and
performance of SPARC platforms have improved, but SPARC has not yet matched levels that are
provided by x86-based servers. To gain clustering and Web application support on the SPARC
platform, you must invest in additional hardware and software.
®
Windows Server 2003 takes advantage of the Intel platform and includes support for both the existing
IA-32 and the IA-64 processor architecture. The cost of Intel hardware, even with symmetric
multiprocessing (SMP) and advanced storage solutions, is much lower than comparable SPARC-based
servers. Recent advances also mean that memory and bandwidth limitations of Intel hardware are no
longer serious issues.
In today’s business environment, the most important criteria to use when comparing the two operating
systems include:
Hardware support. With the cost of hardware continually falling, an operating system must take the
best advantage of the leading hardware from a wide range of suppliers and take advantage of
compatible hardware enhancements that are offered by third-party companies.
Internet services. The way that a company deploys and manages its Internet presence affects how
customers and clients perceive the company. Access times, availability, and the ability to easily deploy
and build feature-rich sites are all critical components of a company’s Internet presence. The operating
system should provide a comprehensive foundation for Internet-enabled services.
Reliability. Companies are no longer expected to remain open only eight hours a day, five days a
week. Services, especially on the Internet, must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To
support this, the operating system must provide maximum reliability and availability through both
software-level services and hardware support.
Manageability. With servers distributed over multiple networks and locations, administrators need tools
that enable them to centrally manage their servers and provide comprehensive management and
support services to their users.
Development and deployment. Reducing the time to market for applications and services is vital.
Having a coherent environment where applications can be easily developed and deployed with a
minimum of effort is as important as the reliability of the target platform.
Packaging
In Solaris 9, Sun Microsystems has changed how it packages various management tools and
middleware applications. For example, Solaris 9 now includes a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
(LDAP) directory server, developer versions of a Java application server, and other tools. The
combination of Solaris and these applications is the Sun Open Network Environment (Sun ONE). There
is one version of Solaris 9 but with different licenses, including Workgroup, Midrange, and Datacenter,
depending on the CPUs on the Sun server.
Solaris 9 supports the main Internet protocols for TCP/IP networking, LDAP directory, e-mail, domain
name services, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and file transfer protocol (FTP). Solaris 9
also supports remote management capabilities and standard remote access features. Solaris 9 includes
development versions of the Sun ONE Web Server, Enterprise Edition 6.0; Sun ONE Portal Server 3.0
and Sun ONE Message Queue for Java 3.0; and the Sun ONE Studio development environment for
Java.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 2
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
The Windows Server 2003 family includes the following products:
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition. Includes four-way SMP support, support for up to
4 gigabytes (GB) of memory, and incorporates the standard suite of management tools, resource
sharing, and Web publishing systems.
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Supports eight-way SMP hardware and up to 32 GB of
RAM with 32-bit processors and 64 GB of RAM with 64-bit processors. Enterprise Edition also includes
support for clustering of up to eight nodes and network load balancing and is optimized for use in
environments that require high availability.
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. Supports 32-way SMP hardware, up to 64 GB of physical
memory, and 8-node clustering. Datacenter Edition includes support for clustering and network load
balancing features and is tuned for data warehouses that support online transaction processing (OLTP).
Windows Server 2003, Web Edition. Caters to the specific needs of Web servers. Based on Windows
Server 2003, Standard Edition, Web Edition also supports 2 CPUs and 2 GB of RAM. Highly optimized
for Web servers and includes the ASP.NET application technology and the Microsoft .NET Framework
for deploying Web applications.
Like Solaris 9, all Windows Server 2003 products support standard Internet protocols for TCP/IP
networking, LDAP directory services, domain name services, DHCP, file sharing and transfer (including
FTP), and remote management. Additionally, all Windows Server 2003 products incorporate the Active
Directory® directory service for managing access and authentication to systems and services on the
®
network, the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) for enterprise management, and IntelliMirror
management technologies for managing user files and configuration settings.
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, is supplied through authorized OEMs, who, in cooperation
with Microsoft, rigorously test the integrated systems that they offer. Support is offered through the
Microsoft High Availability Resolution Queue (HARQ). These support queues are staffed by OEM and
Microsoft personnel to help resolve problems quickly with one telephone call. The Windows Datacenter
Program now has third-party certified Datacenter Support Providers to expand customer support
options for Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 3
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Hardware Support
Cost is a key concern for chief information officers (CIOs) and IT managers. While hardware costs
decrease almost daily, the scalability and availability requirements that customers demand of data
centers are increasing. Many systems can now support large numbers of CPUs and have advanced
storage options, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID) arrays and storage area
networks. To best use this hardware, an operating system must support the equipment at the system
level. The operating system integrates with the hardware rather than relying on third-party applications
and extensions to provide access to standard equipment. One example is the integration of an
operating system and power management systems. The ability to switch over to an alternative power
source should be a feature of an operating system, because power is essential for availability.
Hardware and software costs are only one part of the total cost of ownership. Reducing the total cost
requires hardware and software that are low in initial cost and even more importantly, in their ongoing
support costs. In particular, today’s business environment requires the highest levels of availability and
exceptional management capabilities. Hardware must be resilient, and an operating system must be
aware of special high availability hardware features, both for monitoring purposes and for providing a
reliable solution.
An operating system must monitor the hardware configuration, detect anomalies, and then permit
actions that promote overall reliability. Support for reliability must be provided at the single system level,
such as when an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) switches to battery power, and at the distributed
system level. A business environment, for example, must be able to handle application server
component failure by using network load balancing or clustering solutions that provide redundant
servers and components to take over from failed devices without significant loss of service. This
configuration isolates users from the effects of a failure.
Providing this level of availability goes beyond the abilities of standard hardware technologies. A
support network has to support an operating system and hardware to ensure the continued
compatibility of the operating system and hardware. The support network must also make sure that the
operating system can take advantage of hardware features that support reliable operation. Any
additional hardware and software that you use should be subject to the same testing and standards as
the operating system.
CPU, SMP, and Clustering Support
Both Solaris 9 and the products in the Windows Server 2003 family support multiple-CPU
configurations. Solaris is primarily used on the Sun UltraSPARC microprocessor-based servers. The
UltraSPARC microprocessor architecture is a proprietary Sun design that is also licensed to third
parties. It is only used in desktop and server solutions from Sun and a few other low-volume
manufacturers. This means that Sun must amortize the huge design cost itself and can test across only
a small number of systems. Intel, however, can spread out its design cost across millions of computers
that are sold by hundreds of manufacturers. AMD is an additional source of Intel-compatible
processors, and they provide a competitive environment that Sun does not experience.
The current generation of UltraSPARC is UltraSPARC III, which is a standard component on a majority
of the Sun servers that are currently being shipped. UltraSPARC III speeds are currently in the
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 4
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
1 gigahertz (GHz) to 1.5 GHz range. Solaris 9 supports SMP solutions across the whole range of
SPARC-based servers and workstations.
By using UltraSPARC III, you can configure up to 106 CPUs in a single system (specifically the Sun
Fire 15K). For data center applications, you can cluster up to eight nodes to provide the maximum
performance or fault tolerance. The clustering technology requires additional hardware, including a Sun
1 GB Scalable Coherent Interconnect. Sun Scalable Coherent Interconnect increases the overall cost of
the clustering process.
Sun Cluster 3.0, a separate suite of cluster software, is also required. Sun Cluster 3.0 provides
clustering and resource sharing technologies that enable a single cluster to share memory and disk
storage and to provide these resources as a single logical system to clients. The operating system
automatically handles the distribution of the workload to best use the available resources. The
operating system can also be controlled by using the Sun Cluster Manager and the Solaris Resource
Manager to assign individual tasks to each processor in a single node or cluster.
All versions of Windows Server 2003 support the Intel Pentium processor family and the Intel Itanium
®
and Itanium 2, which are 64-bit Intel processors. All versions of Windows Server 2003 also support at
least two-way SMP systems. Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, supports 8-way SMP systems,
and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, supports 32-way SMP systems. The 64-bit versions of
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, support 64
processors, but no manufacturers currently offer compatible 64-way servers. Windows Server 2003,
Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, both include clustering technology at
no additional cost and support up to eight nodes in a single cluster. Unlike Solaris, Windows Server
2003 clustering can be operated over the small computer system interface (SCSI) bus standard.
Additional SCSI cards can provide resilience for the cluster communication without requiring additional
software.
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, support
scale-out and scale-up scalability. The scale-out model has network computing as its design center and
follows the traditional Windows path. You can increase capacity by adding more servers, using a
combination of the built-in clustering and network load balancing technologies. The scale-up model
follows the traditional UNIX path, adding more processors, RAM, and storage to an existing server.
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, take
advantage of Physical Address Extension support, which is part of the Enterprise Memory Architecture.
Physical Address Extension support enables 32-bit Intel-based systems to address more than the usual
4 GB memory limit. For Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, Physical Address Extension support
enables up to 32 GB of addressable memory; Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, raises the
addressable memory to 64 GB. Systems that use Physical Address Extension support will page to disk
less often, thereby increasing performance while taking advantage of the cost-effective 32-bit processor
model. Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, for
Intel 64-bit processors support 64 GB and 128 GB, respectively.
In addition to the SMP and clustering technologies, Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, supports
hardware partitioning. Hardware partitioning enables you to run multiple instances of the operating
system on the same server. Hardware partitioning is currently available on the Unisys ES7000 and IBM
xSeries 440. This level of control was previously only available on the larger UNIX systems.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 5
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
For resource management, Windows Server 2003 includes tools for you to allocate individual resources
for each application. For Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, and Windows Server, Web Edition,
this control is handled by the API for the operating system and enables software vendors to maximize
the performance of their applications. On Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows
Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, this control is achieved by using the Windows System Resource
Manager, which can allocate individual resources, including processors and memory, to each
application. Table 1 compares the CPU, SMP, and clustering support that each operating system offers.
Table 1. CPU, SMP, and Clustering Support
Windows Server 2003,
Windows Server 2003,
Windows Server 2003,
Windows Server 2003,
Solaris 9 Operating
Datacenter Edition
Enterprise Edition
Standard Edition
Environment
Web Edition
Feature
Platform Intel SPARC Intel Intel Intel Intel
Processor Bit Width 32 64 32 32 64 32 64 32
Maximum CPUs per Node
8 106 2 8 32 2
Maximum Nodes per
N/A 8 0 8 8 0
Cluster
Advanced Job Control Yes Yes Yes
1
Yes
2
Yes
2
Yes
1
Maximum Addressable
32 576 4 32 64 64 256 2
Physical Memory (GB)
1
Through the API.
2
Through the API plus Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM).
Device Support
Device support and management in any server environment is a vital component of an operating
system’s feature set. In addition to supporting multiple CPU and node-clustering abilities, an operating
system should also support enterprise-class storage devices, system health, and performance
monitoring technology.
For storage, support should include:
Online storage abilities, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID) hardware.
Nearline storage abilities that are offered by high-capacity removable media.
Offline storage provided by tape backup systems.
Monitoring features should track the physical environment to make sure that it is within working limits
and monitor power to avoid the effects of an imminent power failure.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 6
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
In today’s business environment, related system hardware, such as networking equipment and
peripherals and the associated drivers and support software, must be as resilient and reliable as the
server hardware. For example, tape backups must have software that can be used in a time-critical
environment without the risk of data loss.
Solaris 9 can monitor the core components of an UltraSPARC-based system, and then take appropriate
action. This ability depends on the Sun proprietary hardware designs (the high-end Sun Fire server line,
for example). Individual failures are monitored, and the operating system takes appropriate action
automatically, if possible. For example, if the temperature of a CPU module exceeds the defined range,
Solaris can turn off the CPU and allocate the processing to another CPU.
The Sun Fire range of servers (Sun Fire 12K and Sun Fire 15K) also adds the ability to configure an
SMP server as one or more logical computers through dynamic system domains. The configuration is
established by using the Solaris Domain Manager, and it can be configured while the computer is
running as CPUs are allocated to individual pools, as necessary. Although this configuration is typically
used to provide multiple services from a single fault-tolerant hardware platform, you can also use the
system to provide redundancy to all the components within the system, including processors, RAM and
input/output (I/O) cards, and devices.
However, Solaris has no built-in support for advanced storage solutions, such as removable storage or
nearline storage libraries. Solaris supports only the most basic backup tape systems, including tape
archive (tar) and cron. You must rely on additional Sun products or third-party products if you want to
use any other form of additional storage (nearline, offline, or online).
Solaris 9 includes basic tools for monitoring the network and network performance, but these tools are
designed for monitoring local systems instead of monitoring the whole network. Again, you must rely on
additional Sun or third-party software to monitor the whole network.
As a core aspect of the Microsoft operating system strategy, Windows Server 2003 has one of the
widest ranges of device support of any operating system. The Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL)
enables hardware makers to make sure that their products work with all versions of the Windows
Server 2003 software. Products that pass the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility Test (HCT) are placed
on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). This list enables users to immediately verify whether a
product is approved for use with Windows Server 2003.
Furthermore, in the case of Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, there is a more stringent
Datacenter hardware qualification program for products that have been thoroughly tested and proven to
be compatible and highly reliable. By agreement, hardware components that have not been qualified
through testing cannot be sold with a Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, system. The OEMs
that offer Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition systems also have to make sure that all hardware
drivers, kernel software, virus software, and disk, tape, and backup management software are also
rigorously tested for Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. This testing helps to maintain highly
dependable Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, systems. Microsoft has added more certification
options to expand the range of configuration options that are supported by Windows Server 2003,
Datacenter Edition.
Windows Server 2003 includes extensive support for many RAID systems, ranging from those that are
incorporated into server systems from companies such as Hewlett-Packard to RAID systems that are
built into off-the-shelf motherboards and many RAID PCI card solutions. Windows Server 2003 also
incorporates support for the recent developments in integrated device electronics (IDE)-based RAID
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 7
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
systems. IDE-based RAID systems provide similar storage and throughput demands as SCSI-based
systems but at a significantly lower cost per gigabyte.
Removable storage, ranging from Zip and Jaz drives to Magneto Optical libraries, is controlled by using
the same management console as with other storage, and they become a part of the standard storage
resources. You can monitor and track the storage on multiple removable devices and share these
devices remotely over a network.
By using the Distributed File System (DFS), you can make all storage on the Windows Server 2003
servers in a network available under a single structure. The system is available, whether the servers
are configured as a cluster or not. Also, the system supports a variety of storage methods, from single-
disk drives to RAID arrays, and enables removable storage to be made available across the network.
You can use the Windows Server 2003 Backup utility to back up a computer without any additional
software, and support for a wide range of tape devices, including multiple tape libraries, is built into the
operating system. You can also use the Windows Server 2003 Backup utility with removable storage for
archiving and performing backups that take place while the database is still active to reduce downtime
when you back up active databases and other services.
Windows Server 2003 includes technology for monitoring the internal systems of many standard
hardware configurations. This technology enables you to monitor Windows Server 2003–based
systems from a central console and identify problems such as overheating and device failures.
For power management, Windows Server 2003 can monitor the power supply on configured systems
and integrate UPS solutions. You can configure a Windows Server 2003–based system to lower the
power usage of systems that are running on backup battery power. In the event of imminent power
failure, you can put the system to sleep and configure it to wake when power is restored.
Microsoft has acquired technology from Connectix that enables users to run multiple copies of different
versions of Windows as guests by using Windows Server 2003. This technology provides capabilities
similar to those found in software such as Sun Dynamic System Domains.
Table 2 compares the device support that each operating system offers.
Table 2. Device Support
Feature Solaris 9 Windows Server 2003
RAID Storage (Software) Yes Yes
RAID Storage (Hardware) No Yes
Removable Storage No Yes
Nearline Library Storage No Yes
Distributed Storage No Yes
Backup Device Support Limited Yes
Tape Library Support No Yes
Environmental Monitoring Yes Yes
Power Management Yes Yes
UPS Monitoring No Yes
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 8
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Hardware Summary
There are two ways to increase the performance and reliability of a system. The first way is to increase
CPU and memory in a single system. The second way is to use clustering technology. Both approaches
imply a total cost overhead that you must consider when you select a solution.
Based on current TPC-C benchmarks for clustered and nonclustered servers, Intel-based hardware
provides the best price-performance ratio in the industry, and Windows Server 2003 is the leading
operating system for this platform. With the support for SMP hardware (currently only limited by
hardware availability) and the ability to build multiple node clusters (up to a maximum of eight) with
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, the cost of
expanding a Windows–based server is significantly less than with Solaris and the current SPARC
architecture. Solaris is limited by the hardware that Sun and its partners make, resulting in a significant
hardware cost premium even for mid-range equipment.
To ensure maximum availability, Windows Server 2003 provides comprehensive support for the
underlying hardware, including storage support and data center service monitoring. By incorporating
backup software into the operating system, you provide complete resilience. The monitoring abilities
also make sure that a Windows Server 2003–based server is aware of any imminent failures. By
monitoring temperature, power, and other environmental factors, a Windows Server 2003-based
system can ensure maximum availability by changing its configuration and can even shut down to help
ensure the system’s resilience to unscheduled system failures.
For more information about the fault-tolerant support offered by Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003,
see the Fault-Tolerant Device Support section later in this document.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 9
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Internet Services
The future of the Internet is in the e-commerce marketplace, an environment that requires interactivity
and demands high-performance and developer-friendly application support.
Operating systems must provide appropriate environments for hosting Internet applications. At the most
basic level, these environments must support the core Internet protocols, a range of appropriate
application development tools, and mechanisms to control access and authentication.
For high-traffic sites, an operating system must manage the connectivity and ensure the best
performance for individual users, either through intelligent management of the resources on a single
computer or by using clustering and network load balancing techniques to spread the load over a server
farm.
Internet Standards Support
Both Windows Server 2003 and Solaris 9 have strong support for Internet standards, although the level
of integration between the services and the operating system varies. Solaris 9 does not provide native
solutions for Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or Net News Transfer Protocol (NNTP), although it
does support Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Table 3
compares the Internet standards support that each operating system offers.
Table 3. Internet Standards Support
Internet Service Solaris 9 Windows Server 2003
HTTP By using Sun ONE Web Server Built-in, Internet Information
Services (IIS) 6.0
Secure HTTP—Secure Sockets By using Sun ONE Web Server Built-in, IIS 6.0
Layer (SSL)
SMTP Built-in Built-in, IIS 6.0
FTP Built-in Built-in, IIS 6.0
NNTP Public domain solutions Built-in, IIS 6.0
Post Office Protocol (POP) By using Sun ONE Messaging Built-in
Server
Internet Message Access By using Sun ONE Messaging By using Microsoft Exchange
Protocol (IMAP) Server Server
Solaris 9 relies heavily on the Sun ONE application suite to provide much of its Internet functionality.
The Sun ONE products include the Sun ONE Directory Server, which provides an LDAP–based
authentication service; the Sun ONE Web Server for Web serving, including Java Server Pages and
Secure HTTP support; and the Sun ONE Messaging Server to support client-side mail access through
the POP and IMAP protocols.
Together, these products provide a scalable environment for deploying Internet applications, but they
do not form an integrated and complete platform. For example, you can now install the Sun ONE
Directory Server with the operating system. It provides authentication and directory services that
augment, instead of replace, the existing file-based user and group access and Domain Name System
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 10
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
(DNS) abilities. However, the Solaris 9 Directory Server does not have the same degree of integration
with other operating system services that Active Directory offers.
The Sun ONE application suite is a set of discrete packages that work with Solaris to provide an
application platform. Because there is no low-level integration with Solaris, the application platform is
not as flexible as it can be, and it is not as easy to take advantage of other features of Solaris. For
example, network load balancing and the distribution of requests among a group of servers rely on
separate software. Integration over a cluster is also more difficult because it relies on a separate level
of integration with Sun Cluster services.
Windows Server 2003 includes IIS 6.0. IIS 6.0 provides native support for SMTP, FTP, SSL, NNTP,
POP3, SOAP, Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI), and HTTP protocols. IIS 6.0
integrates closely with Windows Server 2003, providing a unified authentication and security system
that is linked to Active Directory. This integration enables single sign on (SSO) authentication to e-mail,
FTP, NNTP, and XML-based Web services.
In addition to basic POP3 mail server support, the IIS SMTP service enables users to send messages
and perform SMTP routing and forwarding. IIS also provides e-mail forwarding security by using SSL.
For advanced client-based messaging, you must install Exchange Server. Exchange Server provides
both native Exchange Server e-mail services and Internet-based protocols for IMAP connections.
Because Exchange Server is integrated with Active Directory, users must log on to Windows only one
time to access file, Web, and e-mail services.
Scalability
As the users, transactions, and traffic on the Internet increase, the size of the infrastructure and servers
that are required to support Internet-based services must also increase. To successfully scale Internet
services, an operating system must respond to the increasing load, both within hardware constraints
and through the use of distributed computing technology such as clustering, network load balancing,
and transaction services.
Solaris 9 can manage the network resources for an individual server by using the Solaris Bandwidth
Manager. The Solaris Bandwidth Manager enables you to configure available network bandwidth on
wide area network (WAN) connectivity for each application and each user. For example, you can
allocate significant bandwidth to an Internet link to the HTTP protocol, ensuring maximum throughput
for Web applications. However, the settings are fixed according to individual protocols and computers—
there is no load balancing among multiple computers.
Additionally, you can configure a single Solaris 9 server to provide performance and services to specific
applications. By using processor sets, a multiprocessor server can assign groups of processors to
handle individual applications. This assignment ensures that mission-critical applications achieve
maximum performance without sacrificing individual CPU performance to noncritical tasks.
By using Solaris Dynamic System Domains on Sun Fire 38XX through Sun Fire 15K servers, you can
configure a SPARC-based SMP server to act as one or more physical computers. The configuration of
each Solaris domain is dynamic. For example, during the day, you can configure the system to provide
maximum performance to client-facing e-commerce applications, but at night, you can configure the
system to provide the best support for batch jobs, replication, or backup systems without completely
disabling the e-commerce site.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 11
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
For performance-intensive or mission-critical sites, you can purchase Sun Cluster 3.0 to support up to
eight nodes in a failover cluster on Solaris 9. You can configure the cluster either to ensure scalability
and availability or to ensure reliability. When Sun Cluster 3.0 is used with the Solaris Resource
Manager, the cluster can be configured to maximize the available resources on all servers. For
resilience, any individual server within a cluster can replace a failed server with only a small loss in
availability.
Like Solaris, Windows Server 2003 also supports advanced resource management, either through the
API that is used to build the applications or as part of the main operating system configuration. Like
Solaris 9, you can control all aspects of the processes that are running within the system, including
setting resource limits on applications and application groups and restricting applications to specific
processors or processor groups. In Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server
2003, Datacenter Edition, Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM) provides an easy-to-use
interface for assigning system resources to multiple applications and sets policy for resource allocation
to be managed dynamically.
Load balancing is also supported, both between servers in a single group and across servers in a
cluster. Windows Server 2003 additionally benefits from the integrated message queuing system. The
message queuing system enables servers to easily exchange requests and information at an operating
system level, instead of at the application level.
You can also take advantage of the improvements in IIS 6.0 to improve performance. IIS 6.0 is an
integrated part of Windows Server 2003. There is a core kernel-mode driver to provide key functionality,
including the initial handshake of the HTTP service, which is tightly integrated with Windows Server
2003. A separate application handler (or worker) is responsible for servicing the individual requests.
The two features work together to produce a significant performance increase—up to 100 percent—
compared with the system that IIS 5.0 employed in Microsoft Windows 2000.
The secondary benefit of this system is that a failure in a worker process does not affect the core
Internet service. User-defined scripts, script handlers, and the Active Server Page (ASP) service are all
handled within their own application compartment; the core kernel-mode driver never runs user-defined
code. Meanwhile, the kernel driver monitors the worker processes and queues requests. If a worker
process fails, the kernel driver creates a new worker process and passes it the next request in the
request queue.
The whole system works together to make sure that any problems with servicing requests from clients
do not affect the whole Internet service. There may be a failure, but the effects do not tie up the whole
Internet service while the problem is resolved. Worker processes can also be configured to renew, even
after they have successfully run, according to different criteria, including elapsed time, number of
serviced requests, and memory usage. By recycling worker processes, IIS makes sure that stale data
and unclaimed memory do not increase the chances of future failures.
Because of this compartmented application model, you can create specific worker pools for different
applications, and each pool can have its own configuration. For example, you might set one pool to use
recycling (as described previously) to achieve maximum throughput. You can also use the application
pools in combination with network load balancers—with or without cluster configurations—to
redistribute a failed request to an alternate application pool or even to another server.
To further improve performance, IIS 6.0 also incorporates Web garden technology that enables an
application pool to have more than one worker process at any one time. Unlike the queue model
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 12
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
described previously, a Web garden simultaneously distributes a number of requests to a number of
workers. A Web garden can help alleviate blockages in applications that might tie up a worker
process—for example, a large database query.
Solaris 9 requires additional software to provide Web server functionality. Depending on the Web server
technology that you use with Solaris 9, some of the features that Windows Server 2003 offers are also
available in the Solaris 9 server platform. For example, Solaris supports compartments for certain
applications, and you can use this feature to provide a certain level of protection when you combine it
with the Sun ONE Web Server. However, it is not as configurable as the IIS 6.0 solution.
You can also configure a Web garden and request queue system by using the Apache 2.0 Web server,
which is an Open Software solution for Web serving. However, there is no integration with the main
operating system, no queuing system, and no way to redistribute requests from the current server to
another server in the same server farm.
Although Solaris 9 provides tools to control the network bandwidth and resource use within a server
farm, there was no way of managing application performance across a network for Internet services
until the recent acquisition by Sun of a third-party application. Windows Server 2003 supports all of the
resource management features that Solaris 9 offers, as well as the ability to control the performance of
the network as a whole. This capability was introduced with Windows 2000 Server products.
Internet Service Management
Sun Web server services management on Solaris 9 is handled through a Web-based administration
console. Although the interface may be practical for remote management, it has significant limitations.
Because there is no integration between individual Internet services on Solaris, each service can have
its own administration interface. For most services, the only interface that is provided is through a
command-line interface. Although this is compatible with a remote connection, it is less than ideal for
most services. Additionally, because the different services use different management tools, the
administrator must understand a number of different systems.
This lack of integration also means that if a problem occurs for one service, the other services are not
automatically notified of the problem. For Internet applications, this lack of notification can have serious
result, including loss of service and possible data inconsistency or corruption.
As mentioned previously, IIS 6.0 is integrated in Windows Server 2003 and is part of the core operating
system functionality. IIS can be controlled by using the MMC, which is available in both native and Web
formats. IIS can also be managed remotely by using command-line administration scripts.
Because Internet service support is built into Windows Server 2003 with IIS, you can manage all
aspects of your Internet service from a single computer, either locally or remotely. This includes HTTP,
FTP, SMTP, and NNTP services. For remote management, you can also use an HTML-based
administration tool that enables the control of services from any frame and script-capable browser. By
using a combination of wizards and traditional property dialog boxes, Windows Server 2003 and IIS
make it easy for most any user to set up and manage Internet services.
Table 4 compares the Internet management services of each operating system.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 13
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Table 4. Internet Management Services
Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003
Service Sun ONE Web Server and IIS 6.0
GUI Web Site Management No Yes
GUI Mail Server Management No Yes
GUI Directory Management No Yes
Web-based Web Site Management Yes Yes
Web-based Mail Server Management No Yes
Web-based Directory Management No Yes
Command-Line Management Tools Yes Yes
Security
To support e-commerce applications, the operating system and the Web application environment must
be able to support communication security. Security for Web applications centers on the following
areas:
Access control. Used for controlling which files clients can access.
Internet Protocol Security (IPSec). Used to restrict access to specific IP addresses or domains.
Authentication methods. Used for identifying individual users.
Encryption. Used to support encryption of information across a network.
Because Solaris 9 does not provide an integrated solution for Web protocols, the available security
options rely on the Web server software that you use. If you use the Sun ONE Web Server, Solaris
provides very good overall security. Authentication on both systems occurs through a local registration
database, or it can be integrated into the Sun ONE Directory Server by using LDAP.
The authentication systems in the Sun ONE Web Server and the Sun ONE Directory Server provide
basic and encrypted authentication and certificate-based authentication. The Sun ONE platform also
offers a certificate server and management system for deploying and controlling authentication using
the certificate system. This system is offered at an additional cost.
Solaris 9 access control uses either built-in authorization tables, or you can integrate access control into
an LDAP directory service. However, the configuration of the access control system is in addition to the
permissions that are configured for each file and directory on the physical file system. The lack of
integration complicates the process and may make Web sites unavailable if the file system permissions
are modified.
Solaris 9 includes support for both 40-bit and 128-bit SSL encryption in both the Web Server and Sun
ONE applications. Solaris 9 supports integration with the operating system, but only if you also use the
Solaris Directory Server as the authentication system for user logons. Additionally, both the Solaris
Directory Server and the Sun ONE Directory Server offer unified authentication across Internet
services, allowing for a single logon-plus-password combination for e-mail, Web, and group
collaboration.
Windows Server 2003 uses the Active Directory service as the core for all authentication and control
when supporting Internet services. Active Directory is an integral part of the operating system, recording
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 14
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
not only information about users and accounts, but also directory information for services and resources
across the network. For compatibility, you can also access Active Directory by using standard LDAP
protocols.
By using Active Directory, you can configure a user with a single account that provides access to
Internet services and other services that are hosted by the network, including shared files and printers.
Users can have a single logon to gain access to the network.
The access control lists (ACLs) that govern the underlying file system also handle access control to
individual Internet services. Modifying file access within the file system also modifies access to the file
over the Internet. The use of a single access control reduces duplication of information across internal
and external systems.
For e-commerce, Windows Server 2003 supports the 40-bit and 128-bit SSL protocols and Server
Gated Cryptography (SGC), a common standard that is used for online transactions with financial
institutions. To further restrict access, IIS 6.0 supports IP-level security for restricting access by IP
address, domain name, or a combination of the two.
The Active Directory service and the Solaris and Sun ONE Directory Server services support multiple
databases. With multiple databases, you can spread authentication across multiple domains. However,
in Solaris, the partitions between directories are physically separate. Windows Server 2003 uses the
same unified directory structure for all the domains that it controls.
For network-wide searches, Solaris uses a referral system to forward an individual search across each
physical partition. This referral system increases the time that is required to search for authentication
information across individual LDAP directories and servers. Because Active Directory uses a single
database, searches across multiple domains occur concurrently.
Solaris 9 supports replication of the LDAP database by using a master-slave model. For each
database, there is one master directory that can be replicated onto multiple subordinate directories.
Synchronization takes place on a manual basis or at specific intervals. Because there is only one
master server, Solaris relies on one computer in the network to provide authentication services. With
Active Directory, all servers are peers. There is no single Active Directory-based server that holds the
core information for the whole network. If a security breach or hardware failure occurs, a server can be
taken offline and immediately replaced with a new server that duplicates the Active Directory
information from its peers.
Because the synchronization process for Active Directory is automatic and two-way, updates on a local
server also update the security records on the other servers that share the same Active Directory
service. Because all the computers in the network use the same unified directory, they can all
individually authenticate requests. This configuration is particularly useful in a distributed environment,
because it ensures that authentication provides access to the whole network.
Table 5 compares the security features of each operating system.
Table 5. Internet Security Features
Service Solaris 9 Windows Server 2003
Authentication Services Yes Yes
Encrypted Authentication Yes Yes
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 15
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Certificate-based Authentication Yes Yes
SSL Encryption (40-bit) Yes Yes
SSL Encryption (128-bit) Yes Yes
Access Control Yes Yes
IP-based Security Yes Yes
Transparent Storage Area Network (SAN) Support No Yes
LDAP Authentication and Integration Yes Yes
Authentication Integration No Yes
Unified Operating System and Internet Access Control No Yes
Internet Service Summary
By providing a solid base of Internet services, especially for e-commerce and Web applications,
Windows Server 2003 provides an advanced and developer-friendly solution compared to Solaris 9.
Beyond support for basic Internet protocols, Solaris 9 relies on combining a set of servers—which Sun
describes as ―integratable‖—to provide support for Web-related services and applications. Windows
Server 2003, on the other hand, incorporates support for traditional Internet protocols and Web servers
as a tightly integrated set of operating system features.
One of the greatest strengths in Windows Server 2003 is the integration of Windows Server 2003 and
IIS 6.0. Windows Server 2003 also provides advanced reliability and scalability across an Internet
server farm, because Windows Server 2003 can distribute requests based on the resource load of
individual servers.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 16
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Reliability
To ensure the maximum reliability of a system, reliability features must be incorporated into every
aspect of an operating system. The operating system must be able to tolerate faults and monitor the
server health to predict when faults may occur and take action to rectify any problems.
At a core level, an operating system must also be able to protect itself from the effects of the
applications that it supports. If an application stops responding, the whole system should not fail.
Therefore, the operating system must employ techniques to make sure that individual applications
cannot adversely affect one another or the operating system itself. An operating system must also be
able to apply and enforce appropriate security policies to prevent malicious use and deliberate attacks
from inside and outside your network.
For superior reliability, an operating system must be able to support fault-tolerant devices so that
automatic failover is enabled if hardware fails. This support includes RAID systems that allow for
recovery from disk failures and clustering to provide resilience if a complete hardware failure occurs.
Other fault-tolerant services include UPS support so that a system can be shut down with safety to help
prevent data corruption if a power failure occurs.
More importantly, if you are using many servers to provide a range of services over a LAN or the
Internet, an operating system must be able to handle failure across distributed servers. For example,
users must still be able to access information from other locations when file storage is shared.
To minimize downtime, you can use many methods to improve the recovery time after a fault has been
identified or after faults have been corrected. These methods include file system recovery tools and
backup and recovery systems. For diagnostic purposes, the operating system must also be able to log
its current status and provide the tools to examine the logs to trace the origin of the fault.
Although outages that are not planned present the most serious issue for high reliability, planned
downtime can also be a factor. The ability to dynamically reconfigure the operating system without
needing to restart the system can help to improve availability and reliability of the system.
Core System Reliability
Both Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 provide extended abilities to make sure that individual
applications do not affect the operating system. Both operating systems support protected kernels and
protected memory areas for individual applications. If an application fails because of a memory access
failure, the crash only affects the allotted area and not the whole operating system. While Solaris 9
features a hardened kernel to resist failures that are caused by faulty drivers, Windows Server 2003
introduced Windows Driver Protection. Windows Driver Protection was developed by Microsoft and its
third-party partners initially for Microsoft Windows XP and is included for the first time in Windows
Server 2003. It prevents the installation of drivers that are known to cause problems and directs
customers to an updated version of the driver. Additionally, driver rollback enables Windows Server
2003 to return to a working state more quickly if faulty drivers affect performance. If you perform side-
by-side DLL installations in Windows Server 2003, you can prevent the accidental removal or
overwriting of DLLs.
Windows Server 2003 also builds on this compartment model for its Web server, IIS 6.0. Individual
sites, directories within sites, and applications that run within a site can all be assigned to their own
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 17
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
compartment. If a system error or application failure occurs, only the compartment for that area of the
site fails. This configuration significantly reduces the crippling effects of a failure in your Web site on all
other areas of the system. Compartments also act as security barriers, preventing malicious software
from accessing other parts of the operating system and the other applications on the same server.
Solaris 9 provides Solaris Containers that isolate applications in their own compartments. If a single
container fails, the problem is not propagated to the other containers. However, Solaris Containers are
limited to individual applications, and they are difficult to use with a server application such as a Web
server.
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, introduces WSRM, which isolates applications and enables
fine-grained assignment of resources to optimize use of system resources.
Fault-Tolerant Device Support
Solaris 9 incorporates a monitoring ability that is designed for the SPARC platform, but it is not
designed for Intel hardware. In supported systems, this ability enables you to swap components while
the computer is running.
Sun Cluster 3.0 is a separate product and can provide a reliable environment. When you use Sun
Cluster 3.0 to deploy a cluster, you can configure up to eight computers as a single device. If one
computer in the cluster fails, the other computers in the cluster automatically take over the processes
and services that the failed device supported. The clustering facility requires specialized hardware to
link the individual nodes.
Solaris 9 includes the Solaris Volume Manager. Solaris Volume Manager enables you to combine
multiple disks into a single, large logical volume. There is, however, no built-in RAID or other fault-
tolerant disk support; for this, you need a separate hardware or software package.
Solstice Disk Suite is a separate software-based solution for disk management that provides RAID
features in software without requiring special RAID hardware. Disk configuration is handled in real time,
and for most operations, you do not have to restart for the changes to take effect.
Windows Server 2003 supports memory mirroring that enables fast failover for fault-tolerant servers.
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, both include
support clustering of up to eight nodes to provide system-wide redundancy for individual applications.
While Solaris requires special hardware to enable the clustering technology, Windows Server 2003
supports clustering on standard SCSI-equipped server hardware, thereby lowering the cost to provide
fault-tolerant clusters. Systems that support clustering are tested under the HCT.
Windows Server 2003 includes built-in support for software-based RAID solutions and extensive
support for many RAID controllers and RAID systems. This support includes those RAID solutions that
are built into many data center servers. You can use to Disk Administrator tool to configure all disks and
RAID systems to provide a consistent interface for managing data storage.
Additionally, Windows Server 2003 supports monitoring the system environment on appropriate
hardware and integrates with many UPS systems to support advanced reliability if a power failure
occurs.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 18
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Fault-Tolerant Resource Sharing
The resources that are made available by two or more servers must remain available if one of the
computers fails. Solaris 9, when it is used in combination with Sun Cluster 3.0, can provide some of this
functionality but only when sharing disk resources by using the network file system (NFS).
Sun Cluster 3.0 can redirect some resource and network requests in a cluster, but this function is
limited. Sun Cluster 3.0 cannot queue the requests for later distribution. It is also cannot redistribute
requests beyond the network load balancing techniques that were discussed earlier, although you can
write code to perform a similar function by using a Java-based application.
Active Directory can reduce the typical effects of a system failure, because there is no single point of
failure in Active Directory that would delay the processing of individual requests. Windows Server 2003
also includes an improved DFS. DFS enables you to aggregate multiple shares on different computers
into a single namespace. If you use this system to share your directories and files, you can eliminate
the complex relationships between drive letters and remote network devices. DFS also enables you to
create a single resource that is available, even if one of the DFS mount points fails.
DFS also integrates with the cluster management system to enable a single cluster to share resources
as one block. If a single node in the cluster fails, another node can take over for the missing mount
point without the failure becoming apparent to the client.
For additional resilience, Windows Server 2003 also incorporates Message Queuing (also known as
MSMQ). Message Queuing can automatically redirect requests or queue them, redistributing the
requests to a computer that can process the request. By using Message Queuing, you can bypass both
failed systems and overloaded systems. Message Queuing is also integrated with the cluster
technologies and provide similar fault tolerance in cluster-based server environments.
Failure Recovery
The most critical task to be performed after a failure is to verify the integrity of the information in the
permanent storage system. Solaris 9 includes the UNIX fsck utility, which enables the operating system
to repair a file system during a system restart. However, recovery is not always perfect, and you may
lose files and data. For fault-tolerant file systems, you can use the logging features that are provided
with the UNIX file system type. The logging features improve reliability by providing basic journaling
features. Changes are written to a log that can be more easily recovered and used to bring a file system
back into a safer state after a system failure.
Alternatively, you can purchase the VERITAS File System. The VERITAS File System provides
software-based RAID solutions and supports journaling. Windows Server 2003 includes the NTFS file
system, which also uses journaling technology. Unlike NTFS, the VERITAS system is only supported
for data storage volumes; you cannot use it with the operating system boot volume.
NTFS is very tolerant of disk failures. It employs a transaction logging technique to make sure that all
requests are recorded on the disk. If a system failure occurs, the file system can process the pending
changes that are recorded in the log to return the file system to the operational state before the
computer failure. When NTFS is used against a disk in a cluster environment, the log that is produced
during the checking sequence is kept so that changes can later be monitored.
If a system failure occurs, Solaris 9 automatically writes a log of the failure to disk. The computer then
automatically restarts to its normal operating state. On Solaris Enterprise Server systems, Solaris 9 also
supports Automatic System Recovery. Automatic System Recovery monitors the components within a
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 19
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Sun server, and if a component failure occurs, it automatically restarts the system. During the restart
process, the failed component is ignored or disabled by the operating system, and the operating system
continues to restart as usual. Automatic System Recovery supports unattended operation, because the
computer restarts even if a critical component on the computer is not working correctly.
For more serious problems, Solaris also supports an interactive environment for repairing the operating
system. However, effective repair requires extensive knowledge of the underlying file system and the
tools that are available for repair. For nontechnical users, this can be a daunting interface, and even if a
user has UNIX experience, repairs require a high level of expertise.
Solaris 9 includes a basic tape backup system, but it is not reliable or practical for most server
installations. The ufsdump utility requires command-line experience, and it cannot always restore your
system perfectly. Although ufsrestore recovers files and their contents, it does not retain inode numbers
and allocations, which might break some links and file relationships. Solaris 9 also requires additional
steps to restore boot settings. There are several options in Solaris 9 for recovering a system after
failure. One option is to start from a CD-ROM, and then use the mini-root system to perform the restore
operation. Another option is to reinstall the operating system and restore the files from a backup tape.
These options increase the recovery time significantly. In practice, most Solaris users purchase Sun
Solstice Backup or a third-party software, such as VERITAS NetBackup.
The UNIX File System (UFS) snapshot enables Solaris 9 to create a point-in-time image of a particular
file system. You can then use this image to bring the system back to a known, ready state if the system
fails. Windows Server 2003 uses the Volume Shadow Copy Service to create a shadow copy of a
particular file system. However, the Volume Shadow Copy Service enables users to recover files
without administrator intervention.
Other third-party solutions are available for Solaris 9 backups, including LEGATO Networker, but these
other solutions work on top of the operating system. LEGATO Networker integrates with other
application software, including Oracle, Sybase, and VERITAS, and provides tools to back up whole
networks and many different operating systems. However, it remains a separate component with a
separate management interface that can increase software and maintenance costs.
Windows Server 2003 supports an automatic restart option that can save memory contents to disk so
that you can trace a problem. To aid in the recovery process, Windows Server 2003 includes the
Recovery Console. The Recovery Console enables you to manage NTFS volumes from floppy disks or
from a bootable CD-ROM. If the file system fails, the Recovery Console enables you to recover the
system from the boot disk. Additionally, you can start a server that is running Windows Server 2003 in
safe mode, and then reconfigure the system without loading additional drivers and services.
The Microsoft Reliability Service enables you to monitor event data from your data center servers,
analyze the data, and then produce custom reliability and availability reports. It also enables you to
monitor the availability of software and hardware components in your system, identify root causes of
both planned and unplanned downtime, and then take preventive measures to improve system
availability.
You can use Cluster Administrator to set up and reconfigure Windows Server 2003 clusters remotely
without rebooting. Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter
Edition, both support up to eight-node clusters. New diagnostics tools in Windows Server 2003 can be
used to compare and correlate the logs from all the nodes in the cluster. You can then use the Cluster
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 20
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Recovery tool to reconstruct a disk and the cluster state and bring the cluster back online as quickly as
possible.
Windows Server 2003 also enables you to store the current configuration for a server in a separate
location. You can then use the configuration to reset the system back to its original state. This
information is useful not only if the system fails, but also when you install new device drivers and
hardware that may affect the system. Solaris 9 does not offer this feature, and you cannot implement a
system like this using Solaris 9, because the configuration information is saved in a number of files and
locations.
Windows Server 2003 includes a powerful backup utility that can back up files to tape depending on
different criteria. The Backup utility also supports powerful scheduling features. You can create a
recovery boot disk to start the system, and then recover files from the backup to recover your system in
the shortest possible time. The backup is also integrated into the rest of the operating system, thereby
enabling backup and recovery of Active Directory and Exchange Server.
Table 6 compares the system recovery features of each operating system.
Table 6. System Recovery Features
Feature Solaris 9 Windows Server 2003
File System Recovery Tools Yes Yes
Fault-Tolerant File System No Yes
Crash Logs Yes Yes
Kernel Dump Files Yes Yes
Automatic System Recovery Yes No
Interactive System Recovery Yes Yes
CD-ROM or Floppy Boot Recovery Yes Yes
Configuration Backup and Recovery No Yes
Simple Tape Backup System Yes Yes
Enterprise Tape Backup System No Yes
Dynamic Reconfiguration
Solaris 9 supports dynamic reconfiguration. Dynamic reconfiguration enables you to modify all aspects
of the operating system without restarting or resetting the system. The dynamic abilities extend to all
aspects of the operating system, from configuring devices and services to installing new device drivers.
This ability enables Solaris to support highly available installations, and it is common to have live
Solaris servers with availability times stated in months.
Solaris 9 also updates Solaris Live Upgrade, enabling you to upgrade the operating system while the
computer is running. The next time that you restart the computer, the upgraded operating system
version replaces the previous version. Having to restart the system is often underemphasized in the
Sun marketing literature. If problems occur, you can return to the previous version to get the equipment
back online as quickly as possible.
Windows Server 2003 also supports dynamic reconfiguration. Dynamic reconfiguration enables the
most common operations, such as adding Plug and Play devices, configuring virtual memory, and
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 21
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
modifying network settings, to be done on the fly. Additionally, Windows Server 2003 supports the
installation of companion products, such as Microsoft SQL Server™ and Exchange Server, without
having to restart and other applications that support the Microsoft Installer. By using the clustering
abilities in Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition,
you can perform rolling upgrades. If you use this ability, you can take one computer in a cluster offline,
upgrade that computer, and bring it back online to rejoin the cluster. You can then update each
computer in the cluster, thereby allowing an organization to upgrade a server environment without any
downtime.
Windows Datacenter Program
The reliability of servers and services is one of the most fundamental aspects of the computing
environment. However, achieving reliability depends on more than just the operating system. You also
need robust hardware designs that support the operating system features and communication between
the hardware and operating system to make sure that the reliability levels are kept at a maximum level.
To achieve this goal, Microsoft has teamed up with leaders in the server-manufacturing industry to
develop the Windows Datacenter Program. This program provides a complete package of the
hardware, software, and support services that are required for customers whose mission-critical
requirements extend up to and include large-scale server installations.
To help enforce the quality and reliability of the systems that are provided by the program, a customer
must obtain Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, as part of the complete solution offered by
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In addition to qualifying the basic system, other
components—including third-party hardware and software (for example, drivers and backup and
antivirus software)—must also be supplied as part of the system to be tested. The Datacenter Server
OEM rigorously tests the system, and then the WHQL validates the system test. The complete
configuration must pass a stringent 14-day testing procedure and must meet or exceed the minimum
99.9 percent scheduled availability before Microsoft approves it as a Windows Server 2003, Datacenter
Edition, offering. Building on this reliability, Microsoft Datacenter OEMs are required to offer Service
Level Agreements (SLAs) of at least 99.9 percent uptime. OEMs may offer higher SLAs if they choose.
The stringent qualification and rigorous system testing focus on the whole system and not just the
individual components. This focus helps to ensure the overall reliability of the system.
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, is supplied through authorized OEMs, who, in cooperation
with Microsoft, rigorously test the integrated systems that they offer. Support is offered through HARQ.
These support queues are staffed by OEM and Microsoft personnel to help resolve problems quickly
with one telephone call. The Windows Datacenter Program now has third-party certified Datacenter
Support Providers to expand customer support options for Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition.
After you select a system, the Windows Datacenter Program requires that the OEM offer a variety of
services, including full installation of the operating system and any required drivers. The Windows
Datacenter Program also requires an onsite evaluation of the system in your environment. The
Windows Datacenter Program also requires an onsite service program that is supported by the OEM or
a certified Datacenter Support Provider. You can even choose to subscribe to a yearly update license,
which provides the latest version releases, supplements, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
service packs.
The program provides an integrated hardware, software, and service offering that is a highly reliable
and rigorously tested solution that is supported by Microsoft and OEMs. Approved systems are
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 22
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
supported for the duration of the current version of Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, and for
the lifetime of the hardware plus 18 months. This ensures a complete support system, even after the
end of the systems’ normal life. The program also makes sure you have a single point of contact if a
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, system fails. This point of contact is set up through HARQ to
resolve the problem. The OEM and Microsoft then work to resolve the problem.
In addition to reliability offered by Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, the fault tolerant ftServer
6500 4-way system from Stratus Technologies further illustrates Windows Server 2003 reliability. By
working with Microsoft, Stratus Technologies offers a 100 percent uptime guarantee when you use
Windows 2000 Advanced Server on the ftServer 6500. Stratus expects to extend this offer to Windows
Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.
Although Sun provides HCLs for both SPARC and Intel versions of Solaris, these HCLs only apply to
individual components. They do not provide assurances for the majority of the systems that they sell,
and, in fact, they only warranty Sun equipment. Intel-based hardware is not covered.
Sun guarantees up to 99.95 percent uptime on single Sun Enterprise systems (such as the Sun Fire
10000, Sun Fire 12K, and Sun Fire 15K), and up to 99.975 percent uptime on any clustered Sun
1
Enterprise systems . Sun has initiated the SunUP program to support this guarantee. The SunUP
program includes a knowledge base, the SunVIP software vendor support program, and other services
to address the application environment.
The majority of Sun systems are sold through a series of distribution partners, although Sun provides
the support services for both Sun hardware and software. For the Sun Intel-based solutions, there is no
single point of contact. In this case, you can resolve issues on a case-by-case basis by contacting both
the hardware vendor and Sun.
Reliability Summary
Solaris is limited in both its core reliability features and its support for additional features that are
provided by hardware solutions. Solaris guarantees only specific levels of uptime on a very small range
of Sun-specific hardware. Certain server models support hot-swap devices, and Solaris 9 can manage
and cope with these changes but only within a limited hardware set. Third-party drivers and hardware-
plus-software combinations are required for more extensive support.
For the data center, Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, provides robust system reliability. By
making sure that the system that is delivered to the customer has passed testing and qualification
levels that are required by Microsoft before the initial installation, Microsoft and OEM partners can
easily guarantee the 99.9 percent and greater uptime levels. Approved Windows Server 2003,
Datacenter Edition systems also cover third-party hardware and software, not just the core components
of the operating system.
Windows Server 2003 also incorporates a number of reliability tools and features into the standard
operating system, including support for hardware- and software-based RAID arrays, built-in backup and
recovery tools, distributed storage, and directory and application-level services. You can back up or
restore configurations at any time, and system recovery can be handled from a CD-ROM and tape
combination without any additional software.
1
For more information, see the Sun Web site at http://www.sun.com/datacenter/continuity/availability/
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 23
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Manageability
Networks are no longer controlled from one central location and are not supported from a single server
or managed from a single console. Additionally, they are often not even supported by multiple servers
in the same location. Having a distributed network with multiple servers spread over different floors,
buildings, and even continents is now considered a normal practice. To manage these disparate
services, you need a simple way to control and monitor your network without having to visit each
computer individually.
Managing server resources is one challenge. The other challenge is managing the resources on
individual users’ computers. You must control users’ access to applications and shared resources and
make sure that they cannot upset the configuration of their computers, which may increase support
requirements and total cost.
Management Interface
Solaris 9 also supports a unified management interface through the use of Solaris Management
Console. The Solaris Management Console is limited in scope and only controls some of the most
basic elements of Solaris 9. Most of the management of complex systems and applications is still
handled by using text files (which requires hand modification) or by using a selection of X Windows–
based tools. You can now control some aspects of the system through a Web interface that is built on
top of the Solaris Management Console. However, this Web interface is also limited to a very small
section of the whole operating system.
Both Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 support Web-based Enterprise Management (WBEM), a
system that the Distributed Management Task Force designed to make managing and monitoring
individual computers accessible over the network. Integrating the access rights and group policies into
Active Directory enhances support in Windows Server 2003.
Windows Server 2003 uses the MMC, a central application that controls nearly all aspects of the
operating system. The MMC provides a simple unified interface and reduces the information that the
systems administrator must learn.
The MMC provides a consistent interface and uses a combination of wizards and property dialog boxes
to control all aspects of the operating system. Each subsystem and service is made available through a
series of snap-ins that provide templates for controlling services. Individual sets of extensions can be
configured in the MMC, thereby enabling administrators to set up different management extension
collections. For example, you can create one extension set for controlling security and another for
managing network-based services, such as printers and shared folders.
The MMC is network-capable. Individual snap-ins enable you to manage services on a remote
computer over a network. You can use the MMC from an individual computer to control the services
and abilities of remote computers. The MMC is optimized to use the minimum amount of network
bandwidth, which makes it perfectly suited to manage services over WANs. Windows Server 2003
provides a Web-based interface for certain parts of the operating system to enable better control of
remote systems. For example, you can monitor the printer queues on a Windows Server 2003–based
server from a Web browser, and you can pause or reassign individual jobs.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 24
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Finally, Windows Server 2003 includes an updated Telnet service and the Windows Management
Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) support. The WMIC follows the standard DOS and UNIX
conventions and uses existing shells, utilities, and the ability to be extended through additional scripts.
An Alias system, which is a part of WMIC, enables you to create your own tools, with custom input,
output, and report formats so that you can customize your administration environment.
In addition to the support that Windows Server 2003 offers natively for operating system configuration,
the MMC also enables third-party companies to provide snap-ins that control the applications and
systems that they support. For example, you can control Exchange Server by using the MMC either
locally or remotely. The management process is further simplified because systems administrators must
only learn one management system.
Table 7 compares the management features of each operating system.
Table 7. Management Interface Features
Feature Solaris 9 Windows Server 2003
Command-line Management Yes Yes
GUI-based User/Group Tool Yes Yes
GUI-based Network Tool Yes Yes
GUI-based Printer Tool Yes Yes
GUI-based File Sharing Tool No Yes
GUI-based Service Tool No Yes
Extensible Management Tool No Yes
Remote GUI Management Tools Partial Yes
Unified Management Tool No Yes
Web-based Management Interface Yes Yes
Compliant with Distributed Management Task Force Yes Yes
WBEM
Keeping Current
Keeping your server current with the latest system fixes, security patches, and updates can be an
enormous task, even for a small network. Both Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 incorporate tools
that simplify the process of checking and updating your computer to make sure that you are running the
latest and most secure version of your operating system.
Solaris 9 uses the Sun Management Center Change Manager, a software product that connects directly
to the Solaris Patch Manager so that you can keep current. Only ―free‖ patches are available to all
users through this service. For complete support, you must have a service contract with Sun. Updates
are handled and distributed on an individual system basis. Updating a number of computers requires a
separate installation on each system in your network. Patches for serious security or stability risks are
made available to the public for free only after several weeks of use by Sun Support Services
subscribers.
Windows Server 2003 uses Windows Update, which was first used on operating systems such as
Microsoft Windows 98 and Windows XP. Microsoft has significantly updated and improved Windows
Update to provide free updates to all versions of Windows. You can download and select updates
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 25
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
manually, or you can set an automatic update schedule. Many of the updates do not require you to
restart the system during installation, which further reduces downtime.
For larger sites, you can also install Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS). SUS acts as a local
distribution node for your network and enables all the servers and clients on your network to keep
current through communication with a server on your own network. SUS helps to reduce expensive
Internet bandwidth—you download an update package only one time, and then all clients can obtain the
updates from your local server. You can update your computers faster and also reduce the effects of
serious security problems by reducing the time that is required to patch the servers in your network.
SUS also enables administrators to custom select the updates that they want to distribute to clients and
servers on their networks.
Directories and User Authentication
Centralized management requires a service that stores information about a network and provides a
coherent interface for recording user and resource information on an enterprise basis. This service
must use standard Internet protocols and be integrated into the other services that the server network
provides. Additionally, it should be resilient to failures.
The reliance on a single server for authentication and directory information leads to potential problems.
There is a single point of failure, even when the server is used in combination with other fault-tolerant
services, such as clusters or hardware partitioning.
Solaris 9 provides a centralized authentication facility by using the Network Information Service
(NIS/NIS+). The NIS/NIS+ system uses a central server to propagate information to other servers within
the network at specific intervals. The central server controls authorization for local computers, although
clients can cache information to increase speed. The main disadvantage for clients that use this system
is that there is no single point of authorization—users must authorize connections to each server, even
if they all use the NIS/NIS+ system.
For more extensive integration with Solaris 9, you can also use Sun ONE Directory Server. Sun ONE
Directory Server builds on the LDAP standard to provide a centralized directory for user logons and
contact information. Sun ONE Directory Server supports authentication at user logon and through
integration with the Sun Internet Mail Server and the Sun ONE product family for e-mail, XML-based
Web services, and group collaboration projects.
Sun ONE Directory Server is not an integrated solution, and Sun has indicated that they will not use
NIS/NIS+ in future versions of Solaris in favor of Sun ONE Directory Server. Sun ONE Directory Server
is available as part of the Sun ONE product family, but it is installed as part of Solaris 9. Although you
can use Sun ONE Directory Server for user-level authentication, its primary role is as an application-
level authentication system. You typically back up the system by using file-based or NIS/NIS+ user
authentication systems. Additionally, because Sun ONE Directory Server uses a standard LDAP
implementation for storage and distribution, integration across multiple directories is complex. Each
LDAP server must forward requests that it cannot handle to another preconfigured server. There is no
automatic referral to another directory.
Windows Server 2003 uses Active Directory to store information about users, computers, and servers
on the network. Active Directory uses a distributed model to share directory information. This model
prevents a single computer failure from bringing your network to a stop.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 26
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Active Directory is also used by and made available to other applications, including the XML-based
Web services that IIS, Exchange Server, and SQL Server support. All the applications share the same
authentication information. This authentication information also controls access to the files and folders
on each server. Windows Server 2003 does not require a separate authorization scheme.
The Group Policy Management console (GPMC) is a new feature in Windows Server 2003. The GPMC
simplifies the way that you define policies for a group of computers or individuals. You use the
information in Active Directory to define and control Group Policy. For example, you can use the GPMC
to create a new Group Policy for a department, and then apply this policy to a range of different
applications and services. You can export and import policies on different computers. This ability
enables you to quickly and easily apply a set of policies across a number of computers without
manually setting permissions on each server.
Table 8 compares the directory and authentication systems of each operating system.
Table 8. Directory and Authentication Systems
Feature Solaris 9 Windows Server 2003
Integrated Directory/Authentication Service Partial Yes
Integrated Directory/DNS Service No Yes
Integrated Directory/File Security Service No Yes
LDAP Compatibility Yes Yes
Group Policy Management Partial Yes
Import/Export Policies Across Servers No Yes
Distributed Directory No Yes
Smart Card Authentication Yes Yes
Kerberos Authentication Yes Yes
X.509 Certificate Authentication Yes Yes
SSO Capability No Yes
Managing the Desktop
Solaris 9 is not a client-oriented operating system. Native Solaris clients are terminals or X Window
devices. Solaris supports more intelligent client computers to provide services such as file sharing,
printer sharing, and mail and group collaboration services (by using the Sun Internet Mail Server or Sun
ONE). Solaris does not manage client computers or the information and individual resources that each
computer can access, except through the NFS and Automounter security settings.
Windows Server 2003 incorporates the IntelliMirror management technologies. IntelliMirror enables
administrators to set up user profiles that define the data that users can access, where the information
they use is stored, and what applications they can access—either published or through a subscription.
IntelliMirror uses the user profile information to set up a user’s computer when the user logs on to a
network. Any user can use any computer within the network—IntelliMirror automatically sets up the
computer according to the user’s profile with the same storage abilities and applications. This ability
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 27
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
reduces the need for individual computers for each user in a network. Instead, users can work at any
computer without restriction.
For added resilience and because most users use the same computer each day, IntelliMirror keeps a
copy of each user’s files on their current computer and on the server. If a server fails, a user can still
access the files. If a user moves to a different computer, the information is available to the user at that
computer.
IntelliMirror also enables you to define applications for users. IntelliMirror dynamically installs and
configures these applications if a user moves to a new computer. If a user tries to access another
application, the application is also installed on the computer in real time, or it is loaded from the server.
As the administrator, you can modify an application’s availability for each user, group, or computer. This
ability enables you to install an application on all the computers in the network without visiting each
computer.
Microsoft has also improved the control and distribution of applications to client computers in Windows
Server 2003. Windows Server 2003 includes the ability to set software restriction policies so that
individual users are restricted to a specific set of applications, whether or not the application is installed
on their computers.
By centralizing the process of storing user-specific data and the applications that each user requires,
you eliminate many of the problems with supporting users in networks. Users are no longer restricted
by the computer that they use. Because users cannot reconfigure their computers, they cannot break
their computers, which helps reduce the number of help desk calls and lowers costs.
Table 9 compares the desktop support that each operating system offers.
Table 9. Desktop Support
Feature Solaris 9 Windows Server 2003
User Data Management Limited Yes
Desktop Application Limited Yes
Management
User Settings Management No Yes
Roaming User Support No Yes
System Deployment
Solaris 9 supports remote booting. This ability enables administrators to start any SPARC-based
computer from a central server without any form of local storage. This ability also makes it easier to
install software and drivers. After you install the software or driver on the remote boot system, all
computers that restart remotely will use the new version of the operating system and any software that
the server supports.
Solaris 9 provides Jump Start, which enables a central server to be the remote boot and installation
point for new client installations. However, Jump Start is only an installation method for the operating
system, and it does not manage or control the new client after the operating system is installed.
If you want to provide a central server that all clients must use to execute applications, both operating
systems provide a solution. Solaris uses the X Windows system. Here, X Window clients run on the
server while the front-end graphical user interface (GUI) appears on a remote computer. For non-GUI
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 28
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
applications, you can use Telnet or Secure Shell services with the traditional text-based interface to the
underlying UNIX system. Although it acts like a remote desktop, you are actually running multiple
instances of the same application for individual clients. This functionality creates a process-heavy
environment as well as a large volume of network traffic, and it does not resolve issues with user-level
access. One user is like another on a multiple-user platform.
Solaris does not directly provide integration services with other platforms. Sun uses Samba for sharing
file and printer resources with both Mac OS/OS X and Windows clients as a supported part of its Linux-
compatibility software bundle. However, there is no integration of these third-party tools into Solaris,
and you cannot manage these systems with the other operating system features.
Windows Server 2003 incorporates tools that provide remote booting of clients, if required. However,
because of the nature of individual computers, Microsoft recommends that you use standard computers
with IntelliMirror. IntelliMirror provides an efficient way to distribute software and support clients
because it is used on a user-by-user basis instead of on a client-by-client basis. When you use
IntelliMirror with the Active Directory user management and logon abilities, you can provide a
completely dynamic deployment environment for your users.
For the initial installation, Remote Installation Services (RIS) enables a single server to deploy all
versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, and Windows Server 2003 (except Windows
Server 2003, Datacenter Edition) to new computers in the network. RIS is integrated into Active
Directory, IntelliMirror, and Windows Update to make the installation and setup of a new computer as
easy as possible.
Windows provides Terminal Server, which works similar to X Windows. Terminal Server provides a
desktop service to the remote client. After the user has logged on, they access a terminal server as if
they are using a local computer. The terminal server runs the applications remotely. Unlike X Windows,
which provides the service for each application, Terminal Server provides the whole remote computer.
Terminal Server also shares resources, not applications, so multiple instances of an application are
shared more efficiently, thereby reducing the system requirements while increasing the number of
supported clients. Remote Desktop Connections are available for a variety of platforms, including
Windows, Macintosh OS/OS X, and Microsoft Windows CE. The Open Source program rdesktop can
also be used to access a Terminal Server, as long as the necessary Client Access Licenses are
purchased.
To integrate a Windows installation into an existing network environment, provide as much compatibility
as possible with the existing systems. Windows Server 2003 already provides file and printer sharing
functionality for Macintosh OS-based and Macintosh OS X–based clients. This functionality is fully
integrated into the same systems that are used for Windows clients. You can also use this functionality
combined with the Services for UNIX 3.0 add-in to provide file sharing through NFS, printer sharing
through lpr, and network services, including importing and sharing NIS data with Active Directory. You
can also use Services for UNIX during migration.
Manageability Summary
Solaris 9 provides few management tools. You configure most of the Solaris system by using a
command-line interface or a number of highly-focused applications that are disparate and are not
integrated into the operating system. Although Solaris 9 provides remote management abilities through
a Telnet or Secure Shell interface or various Web-based tools, it lacks a coherent system for managing
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 29
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
computers, either locally or remotely. However, Solaris 9 does provide remote booting for Solaris
clients.
Other issues include the fact that Sun ONE Directory Server is an additional component that offers little
or no collaboration with the operating system where it is running. Additional core components and
applications in the Sun ONE product family are also separated from the operating system. They act as
applications instead of aiding the operating system to provide a complete service.
Windows Server 2003 uses the MMC, which provides a simple and consistent management interface to
both local computers and to remote services. For authentication and directory management, Windows
Server 2003 includes Active Directory, which provides a central location for all the resources on the
network. The information is shared and available to all servers, which enables users to log on to the
network one time, and the uses never have to enter a password to access resource on the network.
By using IntelliMirror, Windows Server 2003 provides a coherent way of distributing applications to
client computers and enables users to sit at any computer within the network and access their files,
applications, and environment. For more direct control, you can use Terminal Server and Remote
Desktop Connections.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 30
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Development and Deployment
Developing applications on any platform requires a rich environment for your programmers and an
appropriate deployment and distribution facility to make your application available as quickly as
possible. These capabilities are especially true with Web-based applications, where the need for an
application can be measured in days or hours, not years or months.
General Application Development Environment
Both platforms support a wide range of languages and application development environments. Sun
provides the Sun ONE Studio environment, which includes development support for C++ but primarily
supports development of Java-based applications.
The .NET Framework is a complete solution for developing and deploying applications. Microsoft
supports an application development environment, Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET. Visual Studio .NET
®
is a direct complement to Windows Server 2003 and includes support for C++, Java, and Visual Basic .
Visual Studio .NET also supports C# and J#. Visual Studio .NET enables developer to take advantage
of the new functionality offered by the .NET Framework, an integral part of Windows Server 2003.
Web Application Development Environment
For Web development, there are a number of solutions available for Solaris 9 when used in conjunction
either with Sun ONE Web server or Apache. These solutions include the traditional Common Gateway
Interface (CGI) technologies, such as Perl, C, C++, and other compiled and scripted languages, but
they also include Java and Java Server Pages.
Solaris 9 along with appropriate Sun ONE applications support Java and Java Web applications (or
servlets). These applications enable you to deploy complex interactive applications with two-way
communication between the client’s browser and the Web server. The servlets are loaded dynamically
and allow for the best use of system resources. You can modify servlets without interrupting user
applications, which helps to improve Web service availability.
Sun also provides Sun ONE Active Server Pages, which enables you to deploy ASP-based Web sites
and applications that were developed by using Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe GoLive, and
®
Microsoft Office FrontPage . Sun ONE Active Server Pages integrates with Sun ONE Web Server,
Apache Web servers, or Zeus Web servers.
Solaris 9 also has a wide range of Web serving solutions available. However, even when you use Sun
ONE Web Server, the Web server platform and the operating system are not integrated. Similarly, the
Web development solutions are not integrated with the Web server or the operating system.
Solaris 9 does not include native support for Web protocols. Instead, Solaris relies on the Sun Web
server 2.1 or Apache Web Server. These platforms support Java, JavaScript, CGI technology, Perl, C,
C++, and other scripted and compiled languages.
Windows Server 2003 uses IIS 6.0 as the Web serving platform. As discussed earlier, IIS is tightly
integrated into Windows Server 2003 such that the features of Windows Server 2003 can be shared
and used within IIS and the Web applications that it supports.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 31
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
IIS supports CGI applications and languages and development environments that use the Internet
Server API (ISAPI) to provide integrated Web applications. By using Microsoft ASP.NET, you can use a
wide range of languages to develop your Web applications.
The .NET Framework enables you to develop applications in a variety of languages, and you can use
several languages in the same application, because all languages use the .NET common language
runtime. The .NET Framework also improves the support for the Component Object Model (COM).
Through COM, individual components can be developed and then shared among all the applications on
a computer.
This combination of technologies enables you to quickly develop stand-alone or Web-based
applications by using the same code base. ASP.NET provides an interface that supports COM-based
applications on the Web. Using ASP.NET and COM technologies decreases the development time,
because you can reuse objects. The .NET Framework also provides tools and technologies that enable
objects to work across a range of servers.
Web applications are often provided in a number of discrete services by using SOAP. SOAP enables
you to access and manipulate objects on a remote server from the client computer. These objects can
provide simple services from converting values to complete data access applications.
Windows Server 2003 is fully integrated with the .NET Framework and offers native support for XML-
based Web services standards, including Extensible Markup Language (XML), SOAP, and UDDI. This
support makes it easy to discover, share, and reuse XML-based Web services.
Support for XML-based Web services technology in Solaris 9 relies on the programming language that
you use. Java incorporates support for all the XML-based Web services technologies, but you must
program and develop them individually.
Table 10 compares the Web application features that each operating system offers.
TABLE 10. Web Application Features
Language or Application Environment Solaris 9 Windows Server 2003
C/C++ Yes Yes
Perl Yes Yes
Python Yes Yes
Visual Basic No Yes
Java Yes Yes
Java Servlets Yes No
Server-Hosted Scripts Yes Yes
JavaScript Yes Yes
ASP Yes Yes
FrontPage Extension Support Yes Yes
Web Service Support Through third-party Yes
SOAP, XML-RPC Support Through Java or third-party Yes
UDDI Through Java or third-party Yes
Message Queuing Services No Yes
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 32
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Transaction Services No Yes
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) Interface Yes Yes
JDBC Interface Yes Yes
OLE DB No Yes
®
Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) No Yes
Development and Deployment Summary
Although Solaris 9 offers a great deal of flexibility for developing applications, there are limitations.
There is no integration with the operating system unless developers incorporate it, and without
additional development technologies, such as XML-based Web services, distributed applications and
services would not exist.
Windows Server 2003 provides integration with the .NET Framework, a powerful library of tools and
technologies that provides functionality for XML-based Web services, distributed computing, and
developing applications that integrate closely with the operating system and the features it offers, such
as Message Queuing, network load balancing, and clustering technologies.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 33
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Summary
Solaris provides some advanced reliability and scalability features that are aimed directly at data
centers, including SMP and clustering support. Windows Server 2003 provides scalability and clustering
for Intel hardware. Considering the lack of certain features in Solaris 9 that have to be complemented
with additional Sun or third-party software, Solaris is an expensive solution because of the cost of
ownership and management time.
Solaris 9 requires UNIX expertise for management and additional software to provide even the basic
functionality that Windows Server 2003 provides. Sun ONE Directory Server and Sun ONE are layered
products that somewhat provide an Internet solution for Solaris, and the incorporation of Java into the
Solaris 9 kernel shows that Sun is committed to supporting an Internet-focused operating system.
Solaris 9 concentrates its abilities on expensive, single-system solutions, such as the Sun Fire servers,
that are used in data centers. Although single-system solutions are centralized, they limit the effective
reliability across the network. Because Solaris 9 does not provide a distributed solution as Windows
Server 2003 does, Solaris 9 is vulnerable to many different single points of failure. There is no network-
level resilience—a single computer failure within a Solaris 9 network can make the whole network
unusable.
In contrast, Active Directory forms a core part of Windows Server 2003. By controlling all aspects of the
resource management process, Active Directory ensures consistency across the network from access
to the network as a whole to individual authorization of shared folders and other network resources.
Sun Directory Service addresses some of these problems, but the technology is restricted to
authentication on a single resource basis rather than on a network basis.
With particular attention to the data center, Windows Server 2003 offers a more cost-effective solution
for reliability. The Windows Datacenter Program makes sure that any hardware solution, after it has
been tested and approved, can easily keep to its 99.9 percent availability guarantee. Because the
whole hardware and software system is tested and approved, including the core operating system,
backup systems, and software, customers can be confident that the system they purchase can provide
the maximum level of availability. Additionally, the backup of a coherent support system by the Joint
Support Queue makes sure that any problems are resolved within the required availability constraints.
Windows Server 2003 supports many of the high-availability facilities that Solaris 9 offers. The Windows
Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, both support 32-
processor SMP systems and eight-node clustering. The advances in Intel hardware and the
improvements that Windows Server 2003 supports mean that performance for many applications—
particularly in the data center and e-commerce arena—may exceed those that Solaris offers on either
Intel or UltraSPARC hardware. The release of a 64-bit Intel Itanium processor provides another
significant advance in performance, and Microsoft has been working hard with Intel to ensure maximum
performance from the new processor.
The wide range of Windows Server 2003–supported hardware enables you to deploy solutions across
your network without worrying about the scalability of your existing hardware or software platforms.
Clustering on Windows Server 2003 is handled using standard components, and you can deploy
Windows Server 2003 on a much wider variety of hardware at a much lower cost.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 34
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
For deploying applications to the public over the Internet, Windows Server 2003 also demonstrates a
clear advantage. With built-in support for the major Internet protocols and the support of the .NET
Framework, you can use Windows Server 2003 to provide Web applications and XML-based Web
services using SOAP, XML-RPC, and UDDI.
The management support that Windows Server 2003 lowers the total cost for the network. By
centralizing the management process, the typical overhead costs that are associated with supporting a
distributed client-server network are significantly reduced.
Additionally, because Windows Server 2003 provides a network-oriented solution, it offers a much more
resilient solution to the problem of providing network resources. By building clustering, network load
balancing, and distributed storage into the operating system, you can deploy a Windows Server 2003
network without having to worry about the future scalability of the network.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 35
Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 White Paper
Related Links
See the following resources for further information:
For additional information about enterprise management services, see the Microsoft SMS Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/smserver/default.asp
For additional information about Active Directory, see the Active Directory Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/activedirectory/default.mspx
For additional information about the technical differences between Active Directory and Sun Directory
Service 3.1, see ―Comparing Microsoft Active Directory with Sun Directory Service 3.1‖ at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/compare/adandsds.asp
For the latest information about Windows Server 2003, see the Windows Server 2003 Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003.
Comparing Sun Solaris 9 and Windows Server 2003 Technologies 36