Microsoft® Windows Storage Server 2003 White Paper
Windows Storage Server 2003 Features
This section highlights the networking, file serving and storing capabilities of
Windows Storage Server 2003. This section provides feature highlights. For a summary of the major
advances in Windows Storage Server 2003, see “Key Improvements Since
Windows Powered NAS 2.0.”
Networking
Network Data Transmission Protocols
In order for clients to access storage on the NAS device, they must be connected to the local
area network, and network transport must be enabled. Clients most commonly connect to the
NAS server over Ethernet cabling using the TCP/IP protocol. Depending on the system platform,
other protocol layers may also be necessary for network transport. Windows Storage Server 2003
provides support for network protocols used by not only Windows systems, but also by Unix and
Apple systems (see Table 1), enabling networking across multiple platforms.
Table 1. Networking Protocols Supported by Windows Storage Server 2003
Network Protocols
Additional Information
TCP/IP
Used to connect hosts to the Internet.
AppleTalk
Networking protocol for Apple computers.
IPX
Internet packet exchange. (Administration through Remote Desktop.)
NetBEUI
NetBIOS Extended User Interface, used for Windows environments.
SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol, internet standard for network
management.
Telnet
Provides remote terminal access to host.
Fibre Channel
Transmits block-level data; most common in SAN configurations.
Ethernet
Physical network, transmits files; most common transport for NAS.
Network Security
Windows Storage Server 2003 uses the authentication services of Server 2003 to ensure that only
those users with permission to access data can do so. An additional layer of protection is available
through the data encryption capabilities of the Windows operating system (see Table 2). The NAS
Windows Storage Server is able to support security features for Unix and Macintosh environments, as
well as earlier Windows platforms.
