Windows NT Workstation and Server Optimized For Different Roles

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Microsoft optimized both Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server to better serve their intended purposes. Windows NT Workstation is a great corporate client for users who need the power, scalability, fault tolerance, or security it offers. Windows NT Server is a powerful server environment for customers who want to leverage its application server, file and print services, or remote access capabilities. The following optimizations were made in Windows NT version 3.5:

• The write-throttling mechanism (the point at which dirty data is flushed to disk) is implemented differently for the Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation. This allows the server to handle server-like loads and the workstation to handle desktop-like tasks.
• The internal code that provides the Windows NT Server server functionality (SRV.SYS) is less pagable. This leads to better response times under heavy server-type loads.
• Under Windows NT Workstation, the Windows NT Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) is pre-loaded for improved application startup times. Windows NT Server does not pre-load the VDM, but instead optimizes server file operations.
• Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server use a different number of system worker threads and threads for blocking operations. Windows NT Server is optimized for fast server type I/O operations and Windows NT Workstation is optimized for desktop applications.
• Windows NT Server can be optimized for file and print server performance or application server performance, allowing you to tune it for maximum throughput depending on the type of server usage. Windows NT Workstation does not have this feature. Internal testing has also shown that Windows NT Workstation performs about the same as Windows NT Server up to approximately 10 different, simultaneous inbound user connections. This enables Windows NT Workstation to function well in a small peer environment. Windows NT Server is the correct choice if you want to deploy a server in a larger environment or want to scale your network in the future.

These optimizations changed the performance of Windows NT Workstation when used as a server. As a result, peer networking is still supported for basic connectivity between users on a network. You can still make unlimited outbound connections to server resources. However, Windows NT Workstation now supports a maximum of 10 simultaneous inbound connections. Our research has shown that systems with this many connections are almost always being used as dedicated file, print and/or application servers.

While Windows NT Server can certainly provide excellent file and print services, it can also be used extensively as an application server platform for database and other services. The Windows NT Server file and print capabilities can be selectively implemented.

Windows NT Server includes the following capabilities not available on Windows NT Workstation:

• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server service (Both Windows NT Workstation and Server have DHCP Protocol)
• Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS)
• Single network logon
• Data protection features (disk striping, RAID 5, disk mirroring)
• Remote Access Server service can handle 255 concurrent incoming calls (Windows NT Workstation limited to one incoming call)
• Gateway Services for NetWare(GSNW)
• Gateway to NetWare file and print resources for MS network clients

• Services for Macintosh (allows Macintosh clients to access file and print resources on the Windows NT Server, and allows Microsoft network and Macintosh clients to access AppleTalk-based printers)
• Netlogon request authentication (for running logon scripts)
• Account lockout security
• Network Client Administrator
• Administrative tools (Server Manager, User Manager for Domains)
• Support for remote boot of diskless workstations (RPL)

Because Windows NT Server is optimized as a server platform, it is required to run Microsoft BackOffice products (Systems Management Server, SNA Server, SQL Server, and the upcoming Exchange Server).

Microsoft recommends Windows NT Workstation as a desktop operating system and Windows NT Server as a server operating system for server applications. This provides you an environment that is architecturally very clean, since both the desktop and server are running the same operating system, and have the same APIs, etc.