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Microsoft Server 2003
Setting up print services is as easy as installing a printer. Once a physical printer is installed and shared on the server, clients can install the network printer and get drivers from the server. Permissions are the same as file-sharing permissions and are straightforward. Printers can be published in Active Directory so users can find them quickly.

Web and App Services

Novell OES
OES includes version 2.0 of Apache, the most popular Web server in use on the World Wide Web today. Apache comes in a Windows version that gives 2003 users an option to switch from IIS, but it isn't bundled with 2003. OES includes a Jakarta-Tomcat servlet container (also referred to as Apache Tomcat) including Tomcat 4 and 5, enabling Apache to run Basic Java Servlet, Java Servlet 2.4, Java Server Pages (JSP), and JSP 2.0. Server 2003 can support Tomcat too (either through IIS or Apache), but it doesn't come included. Perl and PHP are included as Apache modules and work seamlessly out-of-the-box. Mono can also be installed for .NET development.

Microsoft Server 2003
2003 comes with IIS v.6 and ASP.NET. For simple Web servers, Microsoft offers a cheaper Web Edition of Server 2003 (figure about $399) that's stripped down primarily for use as a Web server. Getting 2003 set up and configured as a Web server is done through the Microsoft Management Console used by IIS and other 2003 services. But default features like ASP, ASP.NET, Server-Side Includes, and WebDav publishing are disabled for security reasons. Enabling them as well as integrating other applications and extensions is done through the management console. 2003's Web services aren't limited to Web sites. FTP, SMTP, NNTP, and WebDav publishing are other available features. Server 2003 has a wizard for configuring Application Services using the server management UI. Stepping through the wizard configures ASP.NET, COM+ as well as IIS. IIS can be run in a dedicated application mode, allowing all application code to run in an isolated environment. Though 2003 can act as an application server, it's clear that that the biggest limitation is the type of services supported out-of-the-box. Without additional third-party software Server 2003 as an application server is limited to Microsoft's .NET-, ASP- and ASP.NET-based apps.

Clustering Services

Novell OES
Included is a two-server cluster that can be expanded to support up to 32 nodes. Clustering is also supported between kernels supporting mixed clusters of NetWare- and Linux-based OES servers. Administration and management is made easy through iManager with its cluster configuration and a monitoring GUI.

Microsoft Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 is limited in its clustering abilities because the servers have to be the same OS. This also applies to 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the same OS. You can't co-mingle operating system versions with Server 2003. Another limitation to 2003 clustering is the number of nodes supported (two in the Standard Edition, eight in the Enterprise one). Cluster creation and management is done through a separate non-MMC-based tool called the "Cluster Administrator." Server 2003 has added some new features for clustering like scripting cluster creation and better Active Directory integration. Server 2003 supports clustering of storage, print, network (Web), and terminal servers.

Identity Management/Directory Services

Novell OES
Novell's OES brings eDirectory into the Linux environment, letting both NetWare- and Linux-based installations use a common directory service for identity management. eDirectory is a significant improvement over OpenLDAP, the previous directory service used by Novell's Linux systems. Though the advantages in ease of implementation and management over OpenLDAP would be enough to convince some, eDirectory also lets both NetWare and Linux environments exist under a common directory service to bind them together. As far as managing eDirectory goes, iManager 2.5 has an easy-to-use browser plug-in that also manages most services. Though eDirectory can sync user info across NT domains, Active Directory, and older eDirectory and NDS-based system, both NetWare and Linux users will find that connecting to a Windows-based Active Directory requires a bit of extra work. Samba proxy services (included) can be installed to make the connections, but leaves you with two layers of directory services requiring extensive work to synchronize them. However, eDirectory is easier to set up and use than Active Directory and provides better wide area network services. Bringing eDirectory over to the Linux kernel scores major points for Novell in this area.

Microsoft Server 2003
Server 2003 continues to use Active Directory for its Directory Service. Security has been improved, with the addition of Cross-Forest authentication features as well as software restriction policies to regulate potentially unsafe software by defining security levels for a Group Policy Object. A new credential manager was also added allowing users' credentials to be stored and saved for future access. Also available via a separate download from Microsoft's site is "ADAM", or Active Directory Application Mode. ADAM is an LDAP directory service run as a user service rather than as a system service that addresses directory-specific application scenarios.

Management Services

Novell OES
OES comes with iManager 2.5, a Web-based management tool for eDirectory, iFolder, iPrint, and more. iManager is Web-based so server management can be done securely (over SSL) from anywhere. iManager handles virtually all OES services and is easy to understand and use. From iManager other management tools can be utilized such as SNMP, Server Monitoring, cluster management and partition management to name a few. YaST (Yet Another Setup Tool) is another system management tool that eases setup of network, eDirectory and other services, but is rarely used when iManager is installed. Also included is Novell Remote Manager, which allows monitoring of your server's health and performing diagnostic and debugging tasks remotely.

Microsoft Server 2003
Server 2003 comes with basic management tools to assist in the management of each of the server's roles, but offers additional management tools, such as the new Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) and Automated Deployment Services (ADS). The GPMC consolidates the several tools required to manage Group Policy into a single console and also adds features such as backup/restore of Group Policy Objects as well as a redesigned UI for easier management. IntelliMirror (a policy manager based on business roles, groups, and locations), Remote OS installation (which can be used with IntelliMirror), Windows Management Instrumentation Command Line (WMIC), and Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM) are other highlighted management features. Remote management with Server 2003 is not Web-based and therefore cannot be done from anywhere.

Conclusion
Novell's Open Enterprise Server (OES) is an up and coming challenger to Windows 2003 Server. If you are currently evaluating a new server deployment and the reliability and security of Linux is attractive, you should strongly consider OES as an option. The one caveat is that you need to evaluate the expertise of your system administrators and determine whether the ease of installation and use of Windows 2003 Server outweigh the extensibility and flexibility available on OES.

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