Microsoft introduced the Active Directory with the release of Windows 2000. This major release of Windows delivered an administrative architecture that will be a strong foundation for many years to come. This document is a guide to the many administrative features in Windows Server.

Windows Server Architecture

Although Windows has many administration features, its architecture was designed for the following.

	32 or 64-bit Operating System Preemptive multitasking Scalable with multiple processors
	Supports mission-critical applications Memory protection Recoverable file system
	Support for native Win32 applications plus Win16 and DOS applications OS/2 and POSIX applications
	Configuration databases The Registry is machine specific The Active Directory is enterprise-wide
	Enhanced security Kerberos authentication improves server connection time Certificates can be stored on smart cards for authentication Certificate Server can issue certificates for authentication