Windows 2000 Special: Roll-out! Roll-out! The greatest OS on earth?

You've heard the hype and seen all the headlines - but what exactly is Windows 2000? And is it the right operating system for your needs?

Despite the name, it's an upgrade to Windows NT. It's aimed squarely at the corporate business market but could equally be at home running Quake. Why? Because there are four flavours to the operating system to help it meet each individual's requirements: Professional, Server, Advanced Server, and still to come, DataCenter Server.

Professional is the upgrade to NT Workstation, is designed for desktops and notebooks and will retail at £260*. Server, priced at £950, provides basic file and print sharing as well as a Web server and can be scaled to use up to four CPUs in a single machine. Advanced Server, priced at £3,185*, is for larger networks and ecommerce applications. DataCentre Server, due out mid-year, is designed to kill off the mainframe and run mission-critical business applications.

So what specific features are causing all the excitement?

First of all, Microsoft claims a variety of benchmark tests have shown it to be highly reliable and virtually crash-proof, thanks to memory protection features. It also has a host of security features intended to make it hacker-proof (although in reality it's virtually impossible to keep a determined hacker out). It supports the Kerberos protocol that sends encrypted passwords over a network instead of text; it can use smartcards or physical identification for those that distrust passwords; and it has a check box that turns on the encrypting file system and scrambles every file on the hard disk.

For notebook users, Windows 2000 Professional can reduce power consumption; has additional back-up features; and can be synchronised with the corporate network fairly easily. Multitasking, performance and speed have also been improved in the operating system.

And of course we mustn't forget Active Directory - currently being investigated by the EU for anti-competitive bundling (see 'EU investigation wipes $12bn off Microsoft share price' http://www.silicon.com/a35653 ) - which allow administrators to track and locate network resources.

But it isn't all good news for the corporate user. As Silicon.com has reported, end users aren't exactly champing at the bit to install Windows 2000 (see 'Behind The Headlines: Windows 2000 Special' http://www.silicon.com/a35816 ) - and they have good reason.

The first version to hit the market has around 63,000 defects, with the first patches expected to be released in June. Although most of the bugs and defects are minor, a patch was issued on 28 January for two serious security bugs in Microsoft's Index Server. Could it be a matter of time before a major hole is discovered in Windows 2000's security?

The implementation process also takes time and won't be cheap, and system requirements such as RAM, processors and hard drives might need to be upgraded. Even Microsoft's ally, Intel, admitted it underestimated the processor requirements to run Windows 2000 and reportedly had to spend an extra $50m on its own internal network.

Other hidden problems include the lack of operability with certain hardware drivers - such as those for high-end soundcards - and software.

For example, a company that has backed-up its critical data using an OnStream tape backup drive from Windows 98 or NT4 won't be able to access that data through Windows 2000. Users will also have to upgrade their virus protection software. And Active Directory lacks the maturity of rival products from Novell.

But as with most Microsoft releases, despite the problems, there is an inevitability that most corporates will choose to upgrade to Windows 2000. The more confident users will brave the inevitable pitfalls of the early edition - while the majority will sit tight and wait until the OS has proven itself to be worth it.

*Prices are for the installation of new versions only. Upgrades from other Windows operating systems will be cheaper.