Windows Server
2003 Service Pack 1 Released
April 5, 2005
(WEB HOST GEAR) - Microsoft has recently announced the new release of
Server Pack 1 (SP1) for their Microsoft Windows Server 2003 product line.
"Microsoft has wrapped up development on the first major update to its
Windows Server 2003 operating system and released it for download, The
company said that Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 is currently available
for download via Microsoft's site and will soon start showing up on new
servers.
Among the primary
benefits of the free update is the inclusion of security enhancements
similar to those added to Windows XP with last year's Service Pack 2.
News.com.com has more details and commentary." The benefits to the new
update include a added security, wireless tools and performance improvements
along with some changes to IE. "Windows 2003 SP1 includes the new Security
Configuration Wizard (SCW), a graphical tool that walks you through the
server configuration process.
The tool uses
Windows 2003's roles-based infrastructure to examine the ports and services
that must be enabled for a server to fulfill its intended roles. The SCW
turns off unneeded services and closes unneeded ports. Because the wizard
uses XML-based security templates, you can easily create new templates
related to specific needs or export templates to replicate a particular
setup across a wide range of machines.
Windows 2003 SPI
also includes a new Wireless Network Setup Wizard that helps administrators
configure secure wireless networks. Like its XP SP2–based counterpart,
the Wireless Network Setup Wizard in Windows 2003 can copy configuration
settings to USB flash drives or other removable media, then use the information
to configure other servers. (Malicious users can also use this data to
compromise your wireless network, if you're not careful.) " |
