Windows 2000 DataCenter Targeting High-End Unix Servers

In late summer, selected manufacturers will begin shipping a new generation of Intel-based servers running Microsoft’s new Windows 2000 DataCenter Edition. The first generation of these systems will not be running Intel’s upcoming 64-bit Itanium processors, but rather 32-bit Intel Xeon processors. Nevertheless, these systems will be able to scale far beyond the CPU and memory limits of today’s eight-way systems. At the same time, these hardware manufacturers and Microsoft will partner to provide levels of testing, certification, and support never before available on Windows NT–based systems. To be successful, both parties must overcome cultural and technical obstacles, and it may take years before the effort pays off.

A Demanding and Growing Market

While Microsoft has enjoyed great success in the market for smaller distributed servers with Windows NT, it has been less successful in penetrating the market for large, centralized, mission-critical servers at the enterprise level. Neither Windows 2000 Server/Advanced Server nor its NT 4.0–based counterparts have been able to meet this market’s long list of stringent technical requirements.