NT Server 4.0 retains the major features of NT Server 3.51, including in-the-box native support for Microsoft's legacy NetBEUI protocol, NetWare-compatible IPX and Internet-standard TCP/IP. Basic file and printer sharing are standard, as is NetWare gateway support. You'll also get remote-access support for up to 256 simultaneous users (provided sufficient hardware and licenses are available), multidomain administration and directory replication. NT Server 4.0 also supports on-the-fly IP address allocation using DHCP and on-the-fly Internet name assignment using Windows 95, 3.1x and NT Workstation; Windows Internet Name Service (WINS); DOS; OS/2 and Mac clients.
New features in NT Server 4.0 fall into the categories of improved UI, better Internet support, new (or improved) administration tools and performance enhancements.
The Internet Connection
Other outstanding NT Server 4.0 features are mainly Internet related. In particular, NT Server ships with Internet Information Server (IIS) version 2.0, a native Web, ftp and gopher server.
This, along with other new Internet-related features like point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP) and the new TCP/IP security settings, should help to cement NT's position as the server platform of choice in many Internet/intranet scenarios.
Two Internet-related features are of special interest to administrators. First, Microsoft is finally adopting the UNIX-style domain name service (DNS) as a standard. You can now type in DNS names (or IP addresses), and they'll be recognized as valid names (assuming a working DNS host is available). This doesn't solve the problem of DNS supporting only static addressing, though. To deal with that, Microsoft has combined DNS support with its own proprietary WINS, producing what it calls a true dynamic DNS. When a WINS client attempts to resolve a name, it checks the WINS database first, then it checks DNS. So, either a WINS (resolved on the fly) or DNS (static, unchanging) name will work. To DNS clients, either appears as a DNS name. When a name is submitted to the DNS/WINS host, it will first check its DNS names and then, if necessary, resolve the name dynamically using the WINS database.
NT 4.0 also includes a Web-based administration tool that makes the features of the NT administrative tools suite available through any Web browser. For security, use a Web browser that supports either direct NT log-in (such as Internet Explorer) or one that supports secure sockets layer (SSL) communications, assuming you have an appropriate certificate to use SSL on your server.
The new versions retain NT Server 3.51's two licensing modes: per-user licensing and concurrent connection licensing. The former requires an access license for each user who will connect, but the license allows connection to any number of systems. The latter licenses a server for a specific number of users.
