'Thin' Windows 2000 debuts
Published: 01 Mar 2001 13:55 GMT
Microsoft yesterday released a new test version of Windows 2000 that will ship in thin servers, also known as server appliances.
Server appliances are special-purpose servers that don't need many of the features required by fully-fledged general-purpose servers. Companies selling server appliances can reduce memory requirements and improve performance by stripping out unneeded software components.
Windows 2000 Embedded is the second version of Microsoft's embedded operating system. When the final version ships later this year it will replace Windows NT Embedded, which is currently used by IBM, Compaq, Dell and Maxtor in various products.
The server appliance market is one area where Windows lags behind rival platforms -- Sun subsidiary Cobalt, which builds thin servers based on the Linux operating system, commands more than 90 precent of the mid-range server appliance market, according to analysts.
Last month Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer admitted that the software giant hasn't always been as committed to the embedded systems market as it could have been. During an hour-long keynote before nearly a thousand attendees at the Windows Embedded Developers Conference, Ballmer said Microsoft had taken a "highly sub-optimal approach" to the embedded market in the past, especially with regard to Windows NT, where "embedded was an afterthought".
One source familiar with the new Microsoft product said its advantages include better support for languages other than English and improved support for the Network File System popular in Unix networks.
Though Microsoft doesn't release pricing for the server appliance version, Dell and others have said they charge less per copy than for full-fledged Windows.
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