Versions of Microsoft Windows Servers



Version Chart / Overview


This is a brief chart of the versions of network servers based on the Microsoft Windows operating system that Microsoft has produced.


VersionYearNotes
Windows NT Advanced Server 1993 This was based on work on OS/2, a secure operating system Microsoft developed with IBM in the late 1980s. Microsoft positioned Windows NT to compete with Novell NetWare, a hugely popular network server for small offices running Windows desktop computers, by providing file and print sharing services. It was also intended to match the power and versatility of UNIX-based computers and run UNIX-based programs for serious scientific applications. Its interface looked like the popular Windows 3.1, which was current at the time. It was not marketed heavily or widely used commercially, because Microsoft considered it to be still in a kind of final testing stage.
Windows NT Server 3.5 1994 An upgrade to the first version, with many of the early problems fixed, and additional features. At the time of its release, Microsoft was ready to push it as a valuable business system, along with their Back Office suite of products that included SQL Server (a database server) and Microsoft Mail (the precursor to Microsoft Exchange).
Windows NT Server 4.0 1996 The next upgrade in the Windows NT line, which incorporated the popular new desktop interface of Windows 95. It also included a web server called IIS, along with the other Internet services available in previous versions. In the next few years, Microsoft released other editions, such as Enterprise Edition (supporting server clustering) and Terminal Services Edition (for hosting remote desktops).
Windows 2000 Server 2000 Major upgrade that extended the potential scalability of Windows by introducing the hierarchical network management and security system called Active Directory, which all Windows servers use to this day. Released along with Windows 2000 Professional, the desktop/workstation version of the same core operating system. It also introduced greater ability to configure Windows workstations on the network from the server. Many of Microsoft's other server-based products, such as Microsoft Exchange 2000, would only run on Windows 2000 Server or later. Windows 2000 Server also offered additional editions apart from the base product, called Advanced Server and Datacenter Server, supporting different levels of hardware and capabilities.
Windows Server 2003 2003 Added many new features, and performance gains, to keep up with advances in computer hardware over the years preceding its release. This version of Windows Server is equivalent to Windows XP, and the look and feel of its interface are similar. It's the first Windows server version that used a different name than its equivalent desktop version of Windows, to break away from a perception that it is merely a server edition of the operating system. This came with even more editions at various prices which were introduced over the succeeding years, such as Standard Edition, Home Server, Web Edition, Storage Server, Enterprise Edition, and Datacenter Edition. In 2005, Microsoft released Windows Server 2003 R2 (short for Release 2), which was not a free upgrade like Service Packs and other updates. R2 is primarily the same operating system, with all previous bug fixes included, and some new features.
Windows Server 2008 2008 The current version of Windows Server, this is equivalent to Windows Vista in its underlying architecture, and includes the same new security functions introduced with Windows Vista, as well as a new architecture for managing and configuring Windows desktop computers on the network. It further improves on capabilities in supporting virtual servers and clustering that were available in previous versions. This also came with many editions, now including something called the Foundation edition for very small networks. There is also an R2 release for this (from 2009), which is based on the underlying architecture of Windows 7.
Windows Server 8 (codename) TBD Planned for release this year. Its new features are almost entirely focused on virtualization, a.k.a. cloud computing services.


Click here to view the versions of Microsoft Windows for desktop computers.