Client Hooks Windows 9x and NT 4.0 to Active Directory

Newly released client software lets Windows 95 and Windows 98 PCs query and update information in Windows 2000’s Active Directory and run some of Windows 2000’s enhanced network protocols. Similar client software is due in late spring of 2000 for Windows NT 4.0. The Active Directory client enables older PCs to exploit some of the security, administration, and performance benefits of a Windows 2000 Server network. However, companies that want all of Windows 2000 Server’s benefits (including the widely publicized Intellimirror) will have to eventually upgrade all PCs to Windows 2000 Professional.

Active Directory Access

Without the Active Directory (AD) client, a Windows 9x or NT 4.0 PC can’t get any of the benefits of a Windows 2000 Server network. The client gives these PCs access to some of Windows 2000’s capabilities by enabling the machines to look up and change information in Windows 2000 Server’s Active Directory.

Active Directory is a logically centralized database that stores entries about all objects on a Windows 2000 Server network, including users, printers, applications, and databases. Each entry includes attributes that describe the object; a printer, for example, includes attributes that identify its model and whether it supports Postscript. Windows 2000 Server relies on Active Directory to deliver both basic services (e.g., authentication) and advanced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) features, such as automated application deployment.