Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on July 14th each year. The French National Day commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution with the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789.
Now, 227 years later, Systems Administrators everywhere might remember this day as the day support ended for Windows Server 2003 in 2015. The successor to Windows 2000 Server it included features from Windows XP that were well loved by IT Pros and consumers alike, leading to it’s wide-spread adoption.
Released on April 24, 2003, Windows Server 2003 was very security minded for the time, reducing the attack surface by limiting the number of features installed by default. It also included several compatibility modes to allow older applications to run with more stability and continued to support Window NT 4.0 networking. Improvements were also made to ease the transition from the NT 4.0 directory to Active Directory.
Windows Server 2003 was also the first operating system released by Microsoft after the announcement of its Trustworthy Computing initiative, and as a result, contains a number of changes to security defaults and practices. Some of the cutting edge features of the time included Internet Information Services (IIS) v6.0, the “Manage Your Server” administrative tool to help with server configuration and improvements to Active Directory and Group Policy administration.
Here are some other great milestones and inventions that we saw in 2003:
- iTunes Music Store also opens in April 2003.
- FluMist by MedImmune released as an alternative to the flu shot.
- The Intelligent Oven (www.tmio.com) keeps your food refrigerated until the programmed cooking time. Can be remotely controlled via the Internet or by telephone.
- Because the CD-ROM was the primary storage medium in the early 2000s, the CD-ROM shredder came onto the scene in 2003.
- Java Logs (http://www.pinemountainbrands.com/products/pine-mountain-java-log-4-hour-firelogs) – for those of you who love the open fire but feel bad about burning wood.
If you are still running Windows Server 2003 in your datacenter (a solid year after support has ended), you might want to check out some current training on Microsoft’s latest server offerings. Enjoy!
TECHBUNNY 