Windows NT is not a further development of pre-existing products. Its architecture was created from scratch, taking into account the requirements for a modern operating system. The features of a new system based on these requirements are listed below.
In an effort to ensure compatibility (compatible) of the new operating system, the developers of Windows NT kept the familiar Windows interface and implemented support for existing file systems (such as FAT) and various applications (written for MS - Dos, OS / 2 1.x, Windows 3.x and POSIX). The developers also included various networking tools in Windows NT.
Achieved portability of the system, which can now work on both CISC and RISC - processors. CISC includes Intel - compatible processors 80386 and higher; RISC is represented by systems with MIPS R4000, Digital Alpha AXP and Pentium P54 series and higher ...
Scalability means that Windows NT is not tied to a single-processor architecture of computers, but is able to fully exploit the capabilities provided by symmetric multiprocessor systems. Windows NT can now run on computers with 1 to 32 processors. In addition, as users' tasks become more complex and their computing requirements expand, Windows NT makes it easy
add more powerful and efficient servers and workstations to the corporate network. Additional advantages are provided by the use of a single development environment for both servers and workstations.
Windows NT has a uniform security system that meets US government specifications and complies with the B2 security standard. In a corporate environment, critical applications are provided with a completely isolated environment.
Distributed processing means that Windows NT has networking capabilities built into the system. Windows NT also allows communication with different types of host computers by supporting a variety of transport protocols and using high-level client-server facilities, including named pipes, remote procedure calls (RPCs), and Windows sockets.
Reliability and robustness provide architectural features that protect applications from being damaged by each other and the operating system. Windows NT uses fault-tolerant structured exception handling at all architectural levels, which includes recoverable NTFS and provides protection with built-in security and advanced memory management techniques.
Localization capabilities (allocation) represent the means for working in many countries of the world in national languages, which is achieved by using the ISO Unicod standard (developed by the international organization for standardization).
Windows NT concepts
The Windows NT operating system is available in two flavors: Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation. Windows NT Server 4.0 is a network operating system with Internet applications, file and print services, remote access service, built-in router, file indexing, and network management. The second variant of Windows NT - Windows NT Workstation 4.0 resembles NT Server in many ways, but it is optimized as an operating system for a workstation. In terms of architecture and capabilities, Windows NT Server is a superset of Windows NT Workstation and includes all the capabilities of the latter. Further, in cases where it is not indicated which OS is meant, the comments refer to both.
The origins of Windows NT
The beginning of work on the creation of Windows NT falls on the end of 88th year. Microsoft has appointed David Cutler to lead a new software project: the development of a new technology OS (New Technology - NT). David Cutler was the main consultant of DEC, he worked in this firm for 17 years, developing OS and compilers: VAX / VMS, OS for MicroVAX I, OS RSX-11M, VAX PL / 1 compilers, VAX C.
Windows NT first evolved as a lightweight version of OS / 2 (OS / 2 Lite) that could run on less powerful machines by truncating some features. Over time, however, after seeing the success of Windows 3.0 being accepted by consumers, Microsoft refocused itself and began developing an improved version of Windows 3.1. Microsoft's new strategy was to create a single family of Windows-based operating systems that spanned many types of computers, from the smallest notebooks to the largest multiprocessor workstations.
Windows NT, as the next generation of Windows systems was named, ranks at the highest level in the hierarchy of the Windows family. Originally supporting the familiar Windows graphical user interface (GUI), this operating system was Microsoft's first fully 32-bit operating system. The Win32 API, a programming interface for developing new applications, made available to applications improved OS features such as multi-threaded processes, synchronization, security, I / O, object management.
The conceptual advantages of Windows NT over the MS-DOS / Windows 3.1 pair were obvious. Its 32-bit framework, along with true multitasking and multi-threading, greatly increased the system's potential.
The first operating systems of the NT family - Windows NT 3.1 and Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1 - appeared in July 1993. The codename for the next version of Windows NT 3.5 - Daytona - coinciding with the name of the Florida expressway, may indicate that its main advantage is speed. Indeed, the performance of version 3.5 increased 1.5 times compared to version 3.1, and after its appearance, many corporate users who rejected version 3.1 for one reason or another, reconsidered their attitude to the NT line: in 1995, the share of Windows NT in their market sector has doubled and amounted to 15%.
Features of Windows NT 4.0
In August 1996, the next version of Windows NT 4.0 was released. This next version of Windows NT was originally supposed to be numbered 3.52, but it was numbered 4.0, which was previously mentioned in the computer press in connection with another upcoming version of Windows NT, codenamed Cairo. Perhaps this suggests that this latest version (Windows NT 4.0) has so many important new features that require more meaningful encoding changes. The innovations introduced in Windows NT Server 4.0 are mainly related to improved user interface, increased Internet support, new and modernized administration tools, and improved system performance.
Windows NT 4.0 introduced many significant changes, of which the following are the most significant:
implementation of the interface in the style of Windows 95;
orientation towards the Internet and intranet;
architectural changes that dramatically improve the performance of graphics operations;
modification of the means of interaction with NetWare - Gateway and NCP client now support NDS;
support for multi-protocol routing;
the appearance in Windows NT 4.0 of an emulator of Intel "ovsky processors for RISC platforms.
There are other improvements in 4.0. For example, Windows NT Server 4.0 significantly improves scalability over Windows NT Server 3.51, which allows for significantly higher performance on computers with 4 processors, and also provides linear performance gains on machines with eight or more processors.
The performance of Windows NT Server 4.0 when working as a file server also increased significantly and exceeded the performance of Windows NT Server 3.51, according to some reports, more than 2 times.
The new Windows NT administrative tools can be run remotely on Windows 95 clients. In addition, Windows NT Server provides a remote boot service for Windows 95 clients. (This is useful for diskless workstations.)
Windows NT 4.0 introduces a new Windows 95-style graphical user interface. While some users may not always like this change, Microsoft is restoring the "one interface for all platforms" concept that was originally considered one of the strengths of Windows NT. On a network with client stations running Windows 95 or Windows NT (or a mixed network that includes such stations), Windows NT Server administrators can perform their functions using the same interface as workstation users.
Aside from the outside changes, the GUI upgrade hasn't had a huge impact on the way the network is managed. The basic Windows NT Server administrator tools remain the same. User Manager for Domains, Server Manager, Disk Administrator, Event Viewer, Performance Monitor, DHCP Manager, WINS Manager, Network Client Administrator, License Manager, and Migration Tool for NetWare have not changed significantly. The Remote Access Administrator hasn't changed either, but it's now moved from a separate folder under the Administrative Tools menu. The new System Policy Editor, compatible with both Windows NT and Windows 95, replaces the User Profile Editor familiar from Windows NT Server 3.x. Version 4.0 includes four additions: Administrative Wizards, the aforementioned System Policy Editor, and the advanced Windows NT Diagnostics and Network Monitor (a network monitoring program previously available only with Microsoft Systems Management Server).
Administrative Wizards wizards allow you to easily, step by step, perform such actions as creating user accounts, managing their groups, controlling access to files and directories, installing a new printer, installing and uninstalling programs, connecting a modem, preparing packages for installation floppies for new customers and monitoring compliance with license agreements for installed programs. All of this will be useful for administrators who find that Windows NT's management tools are complex despite having a graphical interface.
Windows NT 4.0 has several useful system monitoring components borrowed from Microsoft's Systems Management Server. The main application is Performance Monitor, which graphically monitors selected system events. In particular, Performance Monitor can be used to obtain graphs of CPU utilization, total I / O of network cards and the number of bytes transferred over HTTP.
Another application, Monitor Tool, is also capable of capturing and monitoring network traffic coming and going from an NT computer. The monitoring scenario (for example, the description of which frames of which protocols need to be tracked, which traffic characteristics to measure, from which workstations or users) can be saved and reused if necessary.
The set of wizards is still far from complete functionality. For example, it does not have a program that would move the user's budget from one domain to another, that is, it would perform the procedures associated with the need to delete one account and create another.
Other innovations in Windows NT Server 4.0 are mainly related to the Internet and intranet. An important place among them is occupied by the following included in the delivery set, software components:
Internet Information Server (IIS) version 2.0 is a Microsoft product that provides Web-, ftp- and gopher-server services, the capabilities of Internet Information Server are comparable and, in a number of tests, surpass the similar popular Server Netscape product. Microsoft Internet Information Server 2.0 is the fastest Web server for Windows NT Server — 40 percent faster than its 1.0 predecessor;
Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM), which provides secure communication between components over the Internet;
DNS / WINS Server, which makes it easy to find the desired Web sites on the Internet or intranet networks;
pPTP (point-to-point tunneling protocol) technology, which expands the functionality of Windows NT Server Remote Access Server (RAS) and provides the ability to create private networks on the Internet;
frontPage, which allows you to create Web pages based on a variety of templates, validate links and perform overall management of the Web sites you create;
index server Microsoft Search Server, which allows you to easily find information on distributed servers intranet-network within any documents, including those created in Microsoft Office.
Two features of the new system designed to work on the Internet are of particular interest to administrators. The first is the DNS name service. It allows the use of DNS names, but only supports static addressing. To address this limitation, Microsoft is offering DNS and WINS integration, calling this combination "true dynamic DNS". Now, when the WINS client needs to determine the IP address corresponding to the symbolic NetBIOS name, it first accesses the WINS database and then the DNS itself. Thus, both dynamically resolved WINS names and static DNS names can be used as equals in the system.
In addition, Windows NT 4.0 includes a Web-based administration utility that allows you to access Windows NT administration tools from any Web browser. For security reasons, remote administration should use Web browsers that can log the user directly to the Windows NT server (such as Internet Explorer) or support SSL.
One of the enhancements is that the growing role of the Internet and client / server systems is driving an increase in the number of mobile users. Microsoft has therefore improved RAS (improved ISDN support) and provided the means to secure RAS over the Internet. PPTP (creates encrypted traffic over the Internet) and Multilink PPP (allows you to combine multiple channels into one) Clients can be Windows NT 4.0 Workstation or Windows 95.
The Distributed Component Object Model is another key addition to Windows NT Server 4.0. The Object Composition Model (COM) allows software developers to create applications that are composed of discrete components. The Distributed Model (DCOM) in Windows NT Server 4.0 extends COM to allow individual components to communicate over the Internet. DCOM is a growing Internet standard, published according to the format defined in RFC 1543.
In developing Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft decided to sacrifice stability for performance. To this end, changes were made to the architecture: the window manager and GDI libraries, as well as the graphics adapter drivers were moved from user mode to kernel mode. This change represents a departure from the microkernel concept in previous versions of Windows NT 3.x.
Moving the graphics library and drivers to the kernel area improves the speed of graphics I / O. These changes have a particular impact on the speed of execution of Win32 applications, while Windows-16 applications and graphical DOS applications work in much the same way as in version 3.5.
At the same time, the described changes make the operating system less reliable in principle. Indeed, since the software for graphics cards is usually developed by the manufacturers of this hardware, and this software changes frequently (along with the hardware), it is difficult to expect from it the reliability that is required for the operating system modules.
New Windows NT 5.0 Features
Windows NT 5.0, an enhanced version of Windows NT, is expected in late 1997. It will be not only fully 32-bit, but also fully object-oriented. Windows NT 5.0 is based on an object-oriented file system implemented on the basis of the OLE 2.0 standard, which allows you to store objects rather than files. An object-oriented approach allows you to cost-effectively ensure the correctness of multiple copies of data, such as documents, spreadsheets, applications, and other types of information stored on different machines on the network.
Windows NT 5.0 promises a lot, and the innovations will primarily affect the following subsystems:
Active Directory is a global reference service that develops a 2-tier approach to DNS name resolution. Active Directory contains information not only about files, but also about objects of other types, for example:
Computer name, IP address, Username, password, mailing address, Application name, computer, version, access rights.
Distributed File System (Dfs) is a distributed file system (freely available at www.microsoft.com). The directories of this file system located on different servers are mounted in a common tree starting on the root server with the root share name. Different subtrees of the same share can consist of not only Microsoft file systems, but also Novell NCP and Sun NFS. Certain branches of the distributed file system can be transparently replicated if the administrator wishes.
Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) - software objects (ActiveX or others) can be distributed across network servers and called by applications from any computer. Information about the location of objects is registered in Active Directory.
Security features: Windows NT 5.0 will use Kerberos or electronic signature to verify document access rights, and encrypted document transmission over the network.
Hardware Requirements
Opinions vary as to whether Windows NT has high hardware requirements. Some people think that they are too high, and some consider these requirements to be quite acceptable. It all depends on what tools or what kind of computer equipment is at the disposal of a potential consumer of Windows NT, and what tasks it faces.
To run Windows NT Workstation 4.0, the computer must have an i486 or higher processor (Microsoft has dropped any support for i386 processors in this version of the system), at least 12 MB of RAM, and 108 MB of disk space. And although this OS is quite functional on computers with less than 16 MB of RAM, it is recommended to install it if you have RAM, the capacity of which is twice the allowed minimum, i.e. 24 MB, and free disk space is at least 216 MB. You can run Windows NT Workstation 4.0 on a system with fewer resources, but then the user is unlikely to be satisfied with its performance.
For Windows NT Server 4.0, Microsoft specifies the following hardware requirements: i486 processor or higher, 16 MB RAM, and 148 MB or more contiguous free disk space. To get acquainted with the functionality of the system, this may be sufficient, but for "industrial" use these minimum requirements are clearly not enough. A server with a low to moderate load (determined by the number of users served) requires 32 MB of RAM and a hard disk with a capacity of at least 1 GB.
For a complete list of hardware tested for compatibility with Windows NT, see the system documentation and on the server. www.microsoft.com.
Areas of use for Windows NT
With its high performance, stability, advanced security tools, and having a wide range of basic system functions in its arsenal, Windows NT Server can find applications in various fields, and, above all, it can be used as a server in a corporate network. Here, its ability to act as a domain controller is very useful, which allows you to structure the network and thereby simplify administration and management tasks. It is also used as a file server, print server, application server, remote access server, and communication server (software router).
Clients on a network with Windows NT Server can be computers with different operating systems installed on them. Supported as standard: Windows NT Workstation, MS-DOS, OS / 2, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95, UNIX clones, Macintosh. Basic clients are included as standard with Windows NT Server.
Windows NT Server is a powerful platform for complex network applications, especially those built using client-server technology. Combined with BackOffice servers, it can meet a very wide range of corporate user needs. For example, Windows NT Server can run Microsoft's SQL Server database server, as well as other well-known database servers such as Oracle and Sybase database servers, Adabas and InterBase.
The powerful Microsoft System Management Server administration system can be installed on the Windows NT Server platform, the functions of which are inventory of hardware and software configuration of network computers, automatic installation of software products on workstations, remote control of any computer and network monitoring.
Windows NT Server can be used as a communication server with IBM mainframes and IBM AS400 systems. For this purpose, a special product Microsoft SNA Server has been created, which allows you to easily combine IBM PC-compatible workstations and powerful mainframes in one network. SNA Sever is a gateway that allows workstation access to both LAN servers and mainframes without the need for two NICs or multiple network protocol stacks. This leads to lower hardware costs and less RAM required. By providing transparent access to mainframes, SNA Server integrates with NT Server security to provide host access authorization. SNA Server can work with any of the protocols supported by NT Server: IPX / SPX, TCP / IP, or NetBEUI.
Windows NT Server is the platform for Microsoft Exchange, a new high-performance collaboration suite built on top of a mail server.
Finally, the latest version of Windows NT 4.0 provides a robust platform for Internet-facing applications: Web servers, Web browsers, information retrieval systems, and Internet e-commerce systems.
The Windows NT Workstation operating system is positioned primarily as a client in Windows NT Server networks, as well as in NetWare, Unix, Vines networks. On NetWare networks, Windows NT workstations fill a known gap — the lack of a good application server. A computer with Windows NT installed on it can be a workstation in peer-to-peer networks, performing simultaneously the functions of both a client and a server. Windows NT Workstation can be used as an OS for a stand-alone computer when increased performance or security is required, as well as when implementing complex graphical applications, for example, in CAD systems.
In late 1988, Microsoft commissioned David Cutler to lead a new software project: Microsoft's new operating system for the 1990s. He assembled a team of engineers to develop a New Technology (NT) system.
The original plan was to develop NT with OS / 2-style user and programming (API) interfaces, but OS / 2 sold poorly, and Windows 3.0 had great and consistent market success. After seeing the market benchmarks and the complexities of developing and maintaining two incompatible systems, Microsoft decided to change its course and direct its engineers towards a strategy of one cohesive operating system. This strategy was to develop a family of Windows-based operating systems that spanned many types of computers, from the smallest notebooks to the largest multiprocessor workstations. So, the next generation of Windows systems was called Windows NT.
Windows NT supports the Windows graphical interface (GUI), and is also the first Windows-based operating system from Microsoft to support the Win32 API, a 32-bit programming interface for developing new applications. The Win32 API makes the advanced features of the operating system available to applications such as multi-threading, synchronization, security, I / O, object management.
In July 1993, the first operating systems of the NT family appeared - Windows NT 3.1 and Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1.
Versions
- Windows NT 3.1 (July 27, 1993)
- Windows NT 3.5 (September 21, 1994)
- Windows NT 3.51 (May 30, 1995)
- Windows NT 4.0 (24 Aug 1996)
- Windows 2000 (February 17, 2000)
- Windows XP (October 25, 2001)
- Windows XP 64-bit Edition (March 28, 2003)
- Windows Server 2003 (April 25, 2003)
- Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003 (December 18, 2003)
- Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (October 12, 2004)
- Windows XP Professional x64 Edition (April 25, 2005)
- Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (July 8, 2006)
- Windows Vista (November 30, 2006)
- Windows Home Server (November 7, 2007)
- Windows Server 2008 (February 27, 2008)
Windows NT structure
Structurally, Windows NT can be represented in two parts: a part of the operating system that runs in user mode and a part of the operating system that runs in kernel mode.
The kernel-mode part of Windows NT is called the executive part. It includes a number of components that manage virtual memory, objects (resources), I / O and the file system (including network drivers), process communication, and partly security. These components interact with each other using intermodular communication. Each component calls the others through a set of well-specified internal procedures.
The second part of Windows NT, which runs in user mode, is made up of servers - the so-called protected subsystems. Since subsystems cannot automatically share memory, they communicate with each other by sending messages. Messages can be transmitted both between a client and a server, and between two servers. All messages go through the Windows NT executive. The Windows NT kernel schedules threads of protected subsystems in the same way as threads of regular application processes.
The executive part provides support for protected subsystems. Its constituent parts are:
- Object manager. Creates, deletes, and manages executive objects - abstract data types used to represent system resources.
- Security monitor. Sets up protection rules on the local computer. Protects operating system resources, protects and registers executable objects.
- Process manager. Creates and terminates, suspends and resumes processes and threads, and stores information about them.
Virtual memory manager.
- I / O subsystem. Includes the following components:
- an I / O manager that provides device-independent I / O;
- file systems - NT-drivers that execute file-oriented I / O requests and translate them into calls to ordinary devices;
- network redirector and network server - file system drivers that transmit remote I / O requests to and receive requests from machines on the network;
- executive part device drivers - low-level drivers that directly control the device;
- a cache manager that implements disk caching.
The runtime, in turn, relies on the lower-level services provided by the NT kernel. The kernel functions include:
- process planning,
- handling interrupts and exceptions,
- synchronization of processors for multiprocessor systems,
- system recovery after failures.
The kernel runs in privileged mode and is never removed from memory. The kernel can only be accessed through an interrupt.
Windows NT protected subsystems run in user mode and are created by Windows NT at boot time. Immediately after creation, they begin an endless cycle of their execution, responding to messages coming to them from application processes and other subsystems. Among the protected subsystems, one can distinguish a subclass called environment subsystems. Environment subsystems implement operating system application interfaces (APIs). Other types of subsystems, called integral subsystems, perform tasks required by the operating system. For example, most of the Windows NT security system is implemented as an integral subsystem, network servers are also implemented as an integral subsystem.
The most important subsystem of the environment is Win32, a subsystem that provides access for applications to the 32-bit Windows API. Additionally, this system provides a graphical interface and controls user input / output.
Each protected subsystem runs in user mode, invoking a system service in the executive to perform privileged kernel mode actions. Network servers can run in either user mode or kernel mode, depending on how they are designed.
Subsystems communicate with each other by passing messages. When, for example, a user application calls an API procedure, the environment subsystem providing that procedure receives the message and executes it either by calling the kernel or by sending a message to another subsystem. Upon completion of the procedure, the environment subsystem sends a message to the application containing the return value. The sending of messages and other activities of the protected subsystems are invisible to the user.
The primary tool that holds all Windows NT subsystems together is the Local Procedure Call (LPC) mechanism. LPC is an optimized version of the more general remote procedure call (RPC) tool that is used to communicate between clients and servers located on different machines on a network.
Based on NT (New Technology) kernel, developed by Microsoft Corporation. The system was aimed at corporate users. Windows NT had a graphical user interface and provided Win32 API - a 32-bit application programming interface for developing new applications that could use all the capabilities of high-level operating systems, which, in particular, include multithreaded (or multitasking) processes, synchronization, protection from unauthorized access, I / O and object management. Windows NT could interact with other Microsoft operating systems, with the Apple Macintosh, with UNIX-like systems over various types of networks. The interaction could occur with both uniprocessor and multiprocessor computers built using CISC or RISC technologies. Initially, Windows NT was developed separately from the Windows 9x family of operating systems and was positioned on the market as a solution for workstations (Windows NT Workstation) and servers (Windows NT Server). Windows NT gave rise to a family of operating systems, which includes Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003.
In November 1988, a joint project of IBM and Microsoft was launched to create a new generation operating system - OS / 2 NT, which could run programs written for both Windows and OS / 2, and was supposed to replace both systems. But in May 1990, Windows 3.0 was released, which brought Microsoft commercial success, and the company decided to make the Windows programming interface (API) mainstream in OS / 2 NT. This caused discontent from IBM, which was promoting the OS / 2 API. As a result, the contract was terminated, and companies began to develop the existing common code on their own. OS / 2 3.0 was developed by IBM and Windows NT, which appeared in August 1993, by Microsoft. Subsequently, it was assigned the number 3.1 to correspond to the Windows 3.1 released a little earlier. The new system was distinguished from Windows 3.1 by the following features:
- 32-bit. The new system could use all the capabilities of 32-bit processors, including running 32-bit programs and addressing large amounts of memory (up to 4 gigabytes);
- preemptive multitasking. The operating system did not wait for the process itself to want to free the processor, but forcibly removed it from execution after it had consumed the allotted time;
- lack of MS-DOS. Windows NT 3.1 was a standalone operating system with its own boot loader. When shutting down, the system did not exit to MS-DOS, but offered to turn off or restart the computer;
- uNICODE support. It was the first operating system to support UNICODE internally;
- multi-platform. Windows NT ran not only on 32-bit x86-processors, but also on 64-bit MIPS R4000 and DEC Alpha 21064;
- support for 16-bit OS / 2 programs. Some of the rights to the OS / 2 code remained with Microsoft, so this and all subsequent versions of Windows NT could run such programs;
- source-level POSIX 1.0 application compatibility;
- symmetric multiprocessing support (up to 16 processors);
- file systems support: native NTFS and HPFS inherited from OS / 2. In both systems, unlike FAT, it was possible to use long file names, up to 255 characters;
- improved networking capabilities. In addition to the supported NetBEUI and IPX protocols, SMB, TCP / IP and SNMP have been added;
- tree registry editor, in which all system settings were stored.
Windows NT 3.1 had the same user interface as Windows 3.1 and came in two editions - Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server. Subsequently, three Service Packs were released for this system, and in September 1994 a new version appeared - 3.5. Added compatibility with NetWare networks, support for long file names in FAT, support for the OpenGL API, improved work of 16-bit programs for Windows and MS-DOS (each now worked in its own address space). Like its predecessor, it came out in two editions - Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server. Windows NT 3.51 appeared in May 1995. The differences from the previous version were minor: the installer with a new graphical interface, a new help system with content, and support for PowerPC processors. Three Service Packs were released for NT 3.5, and five for 3.51.
Simultaneously with the release of NT 3.51, the Shell Technology Preview package appeared, providing a new interface with the Start menu. This interface was implemented by default in Windows 95 two months later, and in August 1996 in Windows NT 4.0. In addition to the new interface, the fourth version of the system was distinguished by improved networking capabilities (included in the standard delivery of Internet Explorer 2.0, IIS and DNS server, support for multi-protocol routing), new DCOM technology and a large number of editions. In addition to Workstation and Server, Server Enterprise Edition was released in 1997 with improved scalability and limited cluster support, and in 1998 - Terminal Server with the ability to remotely connect users. In addition, a special version for embedded systems was developed - Windows NT 4.0 Embedded. For NT 4.0, 7 Service Packs were released, the latest version was called 6.0a.
In September 1997 and August 1998, two beta versions of the Windows NT 5.0 operating system were released, and in October 1998 it was renamed Windows 2000. The system was released in February 2000. New features included Active Directory, Plug & Play and FAT32 support, newer versions of networking software (IE 5.0 and IIS 5.0), improved encryption capabilities (including support for the Encrypted File System), and built-in remote administration tools. Unlike NT 4.0, Windows 2000 only ran on the IA-32 architecture, and was released in four editions: Professional, Server, Advanced Server, and Datacenter Server. For Windows 2000, 4 Service Packs were released, and in August 2001, a 64-bit version of Advanced Server for Itanium processors was released.
The new version of NT 5.1 appeared in October 2001 under the name Windows XP and was an evolution of Windows 2000 Professional. The main changes were an improved user interface, fast user switching, improved remote administration, system restore and driver installation rollback. The system received two update packages and was released in the following editions:
- Professional (basic version);
- Home (with truncated network capabilities);
- Media Center Edition (with additional multimedia applications);
- Starter Edition (very limited, no network features);
- 64-bit Edition (for Itanium processors)
- x64 Edition (for processors with AMD64 or EM64T extensions);
- N (no Windows Media Player);
- Tablet PC Edition (for tablet computers);
- Embedded (for embedded systems).
In April 2003, the server version of Windows XP was released, called Windows Server 2003 and has an internal version 5.2. Differences from Windows XP: .NET platform included in the installation and IIS 6.0 web server, improvements in the Active Directory service, built-in firewall, extended set of utilities for system administration. The system was released in four editions: Web Edition, Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition and Datacenter Edition. The last three of them were also released in versions for 64-bit x86-processors, and Enterprise and Datacenter - also for Itanium. In 2005, there were two updates, Service Pack 1 and R2.
(NT 6.0)
Almost, not used
Actively used
Almost, not used
Almost, not used
Actively used
Server Windows
| Logo | Version | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Not supported Usually not used |
||
| 1994 | |||
| 1995 | |||
| 1996 | |||
| 2000 | |||
| 2003 | Not supported Still in use |
||
| 2005 | |||
| 2008 | |||
| 2009 | Supported Actively used |
||
| 2012 | |||
| 2013 | |||
| 2016 | |||
| 2018 | Getting started |
All Windows versions by ruler + chronology
| Ruler | Years | Enumeration of versions |
|---|---|---|
| 16 bit | 1985 - 1995 | Windows 1/2/3 |
| 32 bit (9x) |
1995 - 2001 | Windows 95/98 / ME |
| NT (32 and 64 bits) |
since 1993 | Windows NT 3.1 / NT 3.5 / NT 3.51 / NT 4.0 Workstation / 2000 / XP / Vista / 7/8 / 8.1 / 10 |
| NT Servers (32 and 64 bits) |
since 1993 | Windows NT 3.1 / NT 3.5 / NT 3.51 / NT 4.0 Server / 2000 Server / 2003/2003 R2 / 2008/2008 R2 / 2012/2012 R2 / 2016/2019 |
History of success
This success story reflects the frequency of use of the system; number of glitches encountered by users; reviews.
| Windows 1 | Failure | |
| Windows 2 | Neutral | |
| Windows 3 | Success | |
| Windows 95 | Failure | |
| Windows 98 | Success | |
| Windows Millenium | Failure | |
| Windows 2000 | Neutral | |
| Windows XP | Big success | |
| Windows Vista | Failure | |
| Windows 7 | Success | |
| Windows 8 | Failure | |
| Windows 8.1 | Failure | |
| Windows 10 | Success |
* in spite of the failure of some versions of the operating system, they carried new functions that were transferred to the already successful versions. For example, in the millennium beautiful icons and windows appeared, which moved to Windows 2000. Therefore, failure should not be judged as a failure.
Windows 1
Years of support: 1985 - 2001. Branch: 16 bit.
Editions: -
What's new
Before Windows 1, there was MS-DOS, so the most important innovation is the graphical interface and the ability to operate with the mouse.
System requirements
Windows 3
Years of support: 1990 - 2008. Branch: 16 bit.
Editions: -
What's new
- The first (from Microsoft) user-friendly interface.
- The appearance of the program manager.
- The emergence of multimedia capabilities.
- Network support (since 3.1).
System requirements
Windows NT 3.1
Editions: -
What's new
- The first system based on the NT kernel.
- Support for NTFS file system.
System requirements
| CPU | Intel 80386 |
|---|---|
| RAM | 2 Mb |
| Hard disk space | 8 Mb |
Windows NT 3.5 Workstation
Editions: -
What's new
- Built-in support for Winsock and TCP / IP.
- The emergence of server and client DHCP and WINS.
- VFAT support.
System requirements
| CPU | 33 MHz |
|---|---|
| RAM | 12 Mb |
| Hard disk space | 70 Mb |
Windows NT 3.51 Workstation
Editions: -
System requirements
Windows NT 4.0 Workstation
Editions: -
System requirements
Windows 98
Years of support: 1998 - 2006. Branch: 9x (32 bit).
System requirements
Windows Millenium
Support years: 2000 - 2006. Branch: 9x (32 bit).
System requirements
Windows 2000
Years of support: 2000 - 2010. Branch: NT.
System requirements
Windows XP
Editions: XP, XP Professional
System requirements
Windows Vista
Years of support: 2006 - 2017. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate
System requirements
Windows 7
Years of support: 2009 - 2020. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate
System requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 32-bit | 64-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit |
| CPU | 1 GHz | |||
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | |
| Hard disk space | 16 GB | 20 GB | 16 GB | 20 GB |
Windows 8
Years of support: 2012 - 2016. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
System requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 32-bit | 64-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit |
| CPU | 1 GHz | |||
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | |
| Hard disk space | 16 GB | 20 GB | 16 GB | 20 GB |
Windows 8.1
Years of support: 2013 - 2023. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: 8, 8 Professional (Pro), 8 Corporate (Enterprise)
System requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 32-bit | 64-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit |
| CPU | 1 GHz | |||
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | |
| Hard disk space | 16 GB | 20 GB | 16 GB | 20 GB |
Windows 10 (latest for personal computers)
Years of support: 2015 - 2025. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions
- Home. For most home computers. There is no way to configure a remote desktop so that you can connect to the system remotely; there is no possibility of using group policies and joining the domain.
- Professional (Pro). Contains all the functions of the home version + the ability to join a domain, use group policies, the ability to connect to a computer using remote desktop.
- Corporate (Enterprise). Some features of the home version have been cut. Has all the additional features of the Pro + DirectAccess version, AppLocker.
- S. Is a stripped down version; preinstalled on some devices. Does not support standard installation of applications - installation is possible only from the Windows store.
What's new
Windows 10 is undergoing major changes with new builds. Therefore, we will consider innovations on the basis of this.
- Improved performance.
- New built-in Microsoft Edge browser.
- Automatic shrinking of an adjacent window when the active window is pressed against one of the sides of the desktop.
- All Apps in Start supports displaying 2,048 items (previously only 512).
- Forced installation of updates.
- Using the virtual voice assistant Cortana.
- The updated start menu is a hybrid of previous versions and Windows 8 (the old disclosure option returned, and tiles appeared on the right side).
- The ability to create multiple desktops.
- Ditching the Windows 8 tiled system.
- Handwriting capability (Windows Ink).
- Webcam identification.
- Synchronization from a mobile device notifications.
- Change the system settings menu.
- Built-in support for virtual reality headsets.
- Game Mode
- By default, it offers a command line in Powershell.
- Access to the classic control panel is hidden from the context menu. Now it can be called with the command control.
- Improving the built-in antivirus.
- Webcam authentication for Active Directory.
- The ability to create a screenshot with an area selection using the keyboard shortcut Win + Shaft + S.
- Braille support.
- Longer battery life.
- Ability to run Cortana on one device and end up on another.
- Disable SMBv1 protocol. You can enable it manually.
- The People panel appears.
- GPU information in Task Manager.
- Microsoft Edge full screen
- Longer battery life (Power Throttling).
- The emergence of the emoji panel.
- Selective OneDrive sync.
- Correction of the problem of braking in games.
- The ability to recover your password using security questions.
- Dark theme for explorer.
- The ability to access messages from the phone ("Your phone" function).
- An isolated desktop for safe application launch.
* this list contains some of the innovations. The full list is on the Wikipedia page.
System requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 32-bit | 64-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit |
| CPU | 1 GHz | |||
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | |
| Hard disk space | 16 GB | 20 GB | 16 GB | 20 GB |
Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server
Years of support: 1993 - 2001. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 16, 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: -
System requirements
| CPU | Intel 80386 |
|---|---|
| RAM | 2 Mb |
| Hard disk space | 8 Mb |
Windows NT 3.5 Server
Years of support: 1994 - 2001. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 16, 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: -
What's new
- Built-in support for Winsock and TCP / IP.
- The emergence of DHCP and WINS servers.
- Sharing files and printers.
- VFAT support.
System requirements
| CPU | 33 MHz |
|---|---|
| RAM | 16 Mb |
| Hard disk space | 70 Mb |
Windows NT 3.51 Server
Years of support: 1995 - 2001. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 16, 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: -
System requirements
| CPU | 33 MHz |
|---|---|
| RAM | 16 Mb |
| Hard disk space | 70 Mb |
Windows NT 4.0 Server
Years of support: 1996 - 2004. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Server, Enterprise Edition, Terminal Server
System requirements
Windows 2000 Server
Years of support: 2000 - 2010. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Server, Advanced Server and Datacenter Server
System requirements
Windows Server 2003
Years of support: 2003 - 2015. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Web, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter
System requirements
Web, Standard, Enterprise:
Datacenter Edition:
Windows Server 2003 R2
Years of support: 2005 - 2015. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter
System requirements
Standard, Enterprise:
Datacenter Edition:
Windows Server 2008
Years of support: 2008 - 2020. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Web, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, HPC, Storage, Itanium
System requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 32-bit | 64-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit |
| CPU | 1 GHz | 1.4 GHz | 2 GHz | |
| RAM | 512 MB | 2 GB | ||
| Hard disk space | 10 GB | 40 GB | ||
Windows Server 2008 R2
Years of support: 2009 - 2020. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 64 bits.
Editions: Foundation, Small Business, Web, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, HPC, Itanium
System requirements
Windows Server 2012
Years of support: 2012 - 2023. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 64 bits.
System requirements
Windows Server 2012 R2
Years of support: 2013 - 2023. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 64 bits.
Editions: Foundation, Essentials, Standard, Datacenter
System requirements
Windows Server 2016
Years of support: 2016 - 2026. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 64 bits.
Editions: Essentials, Standard, Datacenter
What's new
- Licensing for physical processor cores (minimum 16).
- New installation mode - Nano.
- The emergence of container virtualization.
- OpenGL and OpenCL for RDP.
- Encryption of virtual machines and internal network traffic.
- Block replication of file storages.
System requirements
Windows Server 2019 (latest for servers)
Years of support: 2018 -?. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 64 bits.
Editions: Standard, Datacenter
What's new
- Enhanced Security - Built-in Defender ATP and Defender Exploit Guard technologies.
- Windows Subsystem Linux (WSL) - Containers to support Linux layouts.
- To build a cluster with an even number of nodes, a USB disk can be used as a witness disk.
In late 1988, Microsoft commissioned David Cutler to lead a new software project: Microsoft's new operating system for the 1990s. He assembled a team of engineers to develop a New Technology (NT) system.
The original plan was to develop NT with OS / 2-style user and programming (API) interfaces, but OS / 2 sold poorly, and Windows 3.0 had great and consistent market success. After seeing the market benchmarks and the complexities of developing and maintaining two incompatible systems, Microsoft decided to change its course and direct its engineers towards a strategy of one cohesive operating system. This strategy was to develop a family of Windows-based operating systems that spanned many types of computers, from the smallest notebooks to the largest multiprocessor workstations. So, the next generation of Windows systems was called Windows NT.
Windows NT supports the Windows graphical interface (GUI), and is also the first Windows-based operating system from Microsoft to support the Win32 API, a 32-bit programming interface for developing new applications. The Win32 API makes the advanced features of the operating system available to applications such as multi-threading, synchronization, security, I / O, object management.
In July 1993, the first operating systems of the NT family appeared - Windows NT 3.1 and Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1.
Versions
- Windows NT 3.1 (July 27, 1993)
- Windows NT 3.5 (September 21, 1994)
- Windows NT 3.51 (May 30, 1995)
- Windows NT 4.0 (24 Aug 1996)
- Windows 2000 (February 17, 2000)
- Windows XP (October 25, 2001)
- Windows XP 64-bit Edition (March 28, 2003)
- Windows Server 2003 (April 25, 2003)
- Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003 (December 18, 2003)
- Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (October 12, 2004)
- Windows XP Professional x64 Edition (April 25, 2005)
- Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (July 8, 2006)
- Windows Vista (November 30, 2006)
- Windows Home Server (November 7, 2007)
- Windows Server 2008 (February 27, 2008)
Windows NT structure
Structurally, Windows NT can be represented in two parts: a part of the operating system that runs in user mode and a part of the operating system that runs in kernel mode.
The kernel-mode part of Windows NT is called the executive part. It includes a number of components that manage virtual memory, objects (resources), I / O and the file system (including network drivers), process communication, and partly security. These components interact with each other using intermodular communication. Each component calls the others through a set of well-specified internal procedures.
The second part of Windows NT, which runs in user mode, is made up of servers - the so-called protected subsystems. Since subsystems cannot automatically share memory, they communicate with each other by sending messages. Messages can be transmitted both between a client and a server, and between two servers. All messages go through the Windows NT executive. The Windows NT kernel schedules threads of protected subsystems in the same way as threads of regular application processes.
The executive part provides support for protected subsystems. Its constituent parts are:
- Object manager. Creates, deletes, and manages executive objects - abstract data types used to represent system resources.
- Security monitor. Sets up protection rules on the local computer. Protects operating system resources, protects and registers executable objects.
- Process manager. Creates and terminates, suspends and resumes processes and threads, and stores information about them.
Virtual memory manager.
- I / O subsystem. Includes the following components:
- an I / O manager that provides device-independent I / O;
- file systems - NT-drivers that execute file-oriented I / O requests and translate them into calls to ordinary devices;
- network redirector and network server - file system drivers that transmit remote I / O requests to and receive requests from machines on the network;
- executive part device drivers - low-level drivers that directly control the device;
- a cache manager that implements disk caching.
The runtime, in turn, relies on the lower-level services provided by the NT kernel. The kernel functions include:
- process planning,
- handling interrupts and exceptions,
- synchronization of processors for multiprocessor systems,
- system recovery after failures.
The kernel runs in privileged mode and is never removed from memory. The kernel can only be accessed through an interrupt.
Windows NT protected subsystems run in user mode and are created by Windows NT at boot time. Immediately after creation, they begin an endless cycle of their execution, responding to messages coming to them from application processes and other subsystems. Among the protected subsystems, one can distinguish a subclass called environment subsystems. Environment subsystems implement operating system application interfaces (APIs). Other types of subsystems, called integral subsystems, perform tasks required by the operating system. For example, most of the Windows NT security system is implemented as an integral subsystem, network servers are also implemented as an integral subsystem.
The most important subsystem of the environment is Win32, a subsystem that provides access for applications to the 32-bit Windows API. Additionally, this system provides a graphical interface and controls user input / output.
Each protected subsystem runs in user mode, invoking a system service in the executive to perform privileged kernel mode actions. Network servers can run in either user mode or kernel mode, depending on how they are designed.
Subsystems communicate with each other by passing messages. When, for example, a user application calls an API procedure, the environment subsystem providing that procedure receives the message and executes it either by calling the kernel or by sending a message to another subsystem. Upon completion of the procedure, the environment subsystem sends a message to the application containing the return value. The sending of messages and other activities of the protected subsystems are invisible to the user.
The primary tool that holds all Windows NT subsystems together is the Local Procedure Call (LPC) mechanism. LPC is an optimized version of the more general remote procedure call (RPC) tool that is used to communicate between clients and servers located on different machines on a network.
