Compaq ProLiant 8500 Evaluating and Implementing Compaq Data Center Solutions - Page 4

Evaluating and Implementing Compaq Data Center Solutions for Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server 4 • Windows 2000 features, such as Active Directory • Enhanced 4-node clustering • Support for up to 64 GB main memory (vs. 8 GB for Windows 2000 Advanced Server) • Support for up to 32-way Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP) (vs. 8 processors for Windows 2000 Advanced Server) • Compatible with the Windows 2000 Datacenter Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) • Support for Winsock Direct, which streamlines communications between distributed components • Provides a VI System Area Network (SAN) Table 1 shows a comparison between the Windows 2000 operating systems. Table 1. Windows 2000 server operating systems Feature Processor limit Memory support Windows 2000 Server 4 4 GB Intel Windows 2000 Advanced Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Server 8 32 8 GB Intel Physical Address 64 GB Intel (PAE) Extensions (PAE) Network Load Balancing No MSCS Server clustering No Job object Job Object API Winsock Direct No Hardware Compatibility List Yes Yes (maximum 32 nodes) Yes (maximum 2 nodes) Job Object API No Yes Yes (maximum 32 nodes) Yes (maximum 4 nodes) Process Control tool Yes Datacenter HCL Certifying Windows 2000 Datacenter Server The certification process involves meeting stringent requirements set by Microsoft, and for Compaq, exceeding these requirements is key to achieving the total Data Center solution. Compaq extends the 14-day stress test by adding external storage to the systems in certification and adding applications with kernel level drivers such as backup, management, and virus protection software. Datacenter OEM Requirements Windows 2000 Datacenter Server and service pack updates can only be purchased through an OEM vendor certified by Microsoft. Because of the need for reliability and accountability, Microsoft set stringent requirements for OEM vendors to participate in Windows 2000 Datacenter. 13PS-0501B-WWEN