Transcript The Windows NT 4.0 Environment

The Windows NT 4.0 Environment
Zhudan Zheng
Southeastern University
Introduction
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Microsoft Windows Operating System

Windows NT Architecture Overview
Microsoft Windows
Operating Systems
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Windows 95
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Windows NT Workstation
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Comparing Windows 95 to Windows NT
Workstation
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Windows NT Server
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Comparing Windows NT Workstation to
Windows NT Server
Windows 95
Windows 95 Features
Feature
Benefit
Desktop performance
Supports preemptive multitasking for Microsoft Win32 and Microsoft MS-DOS-based
applications. Windows 95 does not support multi microprocessors for true
multitasking performance.
Creates and maintains a list of hardware configurations to meet specific computer
needs.
Provides a browser that is fast and simple to use and compatible with existing
standards.
Receives and stores e-mail, including files and objects created in other applications.
Runs 32-bit and 16-bit Windows- and MS-DOS-based applications. This includes
applications that directly access hardware, or those that depend on undocumented
designs of previous operating systems.
Runs on most computers, including hardware that is several years old. The minimum
hardware requirements for Windows 95 are the following:
Computer with a 386DX/20 or higher microprocessor
4 MB of RAM (8 MB recommended)
40 MB of free disk space (typically)
Provides power management support for laptop computers, and Plug and Play for both
portable and desktop systems.
Hardware profiles
Microsoft Internet
Explorer
Windows Messaging
Compatibility with
existing software
Compatibility with
existing hardware
Plug and Play support
Windows NT Workstation
Windows NT Workstation Features
Feature
Benefit
Desktop performance
Supports preemptive multitasking for all applications. Windows NT Workstation
supports multiple microprocessors for true multitasking performance.
Creates and maintains a list of hardware configurations to meet specific computer
needs.
Provides a browser that is fast and simple to use and compatible with existing
standards.
Receives and stores e-mail, including files and objects created in other applications.
Provides a personal Web server, optimized to run on Windows NT Workstation 4.0.
Provides local security for files, folders, printers, and other resources. Users must be
authenticated by either the local computer or a domain controller in order to access
any resources on the computer or network.
Supports each application in its own memory address space. Malfunctioning
applications will not affect other applications or the operating system.
Hardware profiles
Microsoft Internet
Explorer
Windows Messaging
Peer Web services
Security
Operating system
stability
The minimum hardware requirements for Windows NT Workstation are:
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A computer with a 486DX/33, MIPS R4400-based, Digital Alpha AXP-based, or PReP-compliant PowerPCbased microprocessor.
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12 MB of RAM (16 MB recommended on x86 and required on RISC).
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110 MB of free disk space.
Comparing Windows 95 to
Windows NT Workstation
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Common Features
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Technical Differences
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Key Decision Criteria
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Mixed Environments
Common Features
Common user interface.
 Common utilities, such as Microsoft
Internet Explorer
 System policies, user profiles, and
hardware profiles.
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Technical Differences
Windows 95 has less demanding
hardware requirements.
 Windows 95 has broader application and
device compatibility.
 Windows 95 offers broad mobile support
through Advanced Power Management
(APM) and Plug and Play.
 Windows NT Workstation has higher
performance, greater reliability, and better
security.
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Key Decision Criteria
Does Windows NT Workstation support all
existing hardware and applications?
 Is the necessary hardware for Windows
NT in place?
If the answers to the preceding questions
are yes, Windows NT Workstation may be
the best choice.
If the answer to either question is no ,
Windows 95 may be the best choice.
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Mixed Environments
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For many customers, particularly those who rely on
mobile computing, a mixed environment of Windows
95 and Windows NT Workstation may be the most
appropriate solution for business needs
The many common features of the two operating
systems simplify the tasks of installing, managing,
and using a mixed operating system environment.
Microsoft provides information to enable customers to
choose the right mix of systems. (Information
resources include the Windows 95 and Windows NT
Workstation Deployment Guides, which can be
downloaded from www.microsoft.com/)
A Comparison of Windows 95 and
Windows NT Workstation
Technical area
Minimum recommended
hardware standards
Software compatibility
Windows 95
Lower: 486 with 8-16 MB.
Windows NT Workstation
Higher: Pentium with 16-32 MB.
Very high: Supports most Windowsand MS-DOS-based application.
Hardware and device
compatibility
Installation and
deployment
Very high: Supports more legacy
devices.
Comprehensive detection code and
dynamic device configuration support
accurately recognizes, configures,
and supports hardware.
Built-in APM support for laptops and
Plug and Play for both mobile and
desktop systems.
High: Preemptive multitasking for
32-bit applications.
High: Improved over Windows 3.11
and Windows for Workgroups.
High: Support for server-based
validation of the logon process.
High: No support for applications that breach
Windows NT security (any application that
directly access hardware).
High: Supports most current devices.
APM and Plug and Play
Performance
Reliability/stability
Security
Less Comprehensive detection code
and static device driver support.
None Built-in: However some APM and
Plug and Play support is available from
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
Very high: Preemptive multitasking for
all applications.
Very high: All applications run in protected
memory space.
Very high: Complete protection, down to
the file level.
Windows NT Server
Windows NT Server Features
Feature
Server performance
256 Remote Access
Service (RAS) sessions
Fault tolerance
Microsoft Internet
Information Server (IIS)
Benefit
Tuned for file, print, or application server performance. The retail version of Windows
NT Server supports as many as four microprocessors in a symmetric multiprocessing
environment. (Implementations provided by OEMs support up to 32 microprocessors in
a symmetric multiprocessing environment.)
Provides support for 256 inbound RAS sessions.
Supports Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) technology for data protection.
Integration of IIS with Windows NT Server 4.0 means that Web server installation and
management is simply another part of the operating system. With IIS 2.0 or later, it is
possible to remotely administer a Web site from any computer with a Web browser and
to provide a fast and secure platform for HTTP, FTP, and Gopher services.
Administrative wizards
Includes wizards that help perform common tasks.
Macintosh client support Provides file and print sharing for Macintosh clients.
Additional network
Provides additional network services, including multi-protocol routing, DNS Server,
services
DHCP, and WINS.
Windows NT Directory
Manages a secure, distributed directory database and provides services for end users
Services (NTDS)
and network administrators.
The minimum hardware requirements for Windows NT Server on an Intel x86-based computer are:
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A personal computer with a 486DX/33 or higher microprocessor.
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16 MB of RAM.
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125 MB of free disk space.
Comparing Windows NT Workstation
to Windows NT Server
Common Features
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Multiple Platforms
Multitasking and Multithreading Operations
Security
etc...
Differences
Windows NT Workstation
Windows NT Server
Multitasking Desktop
Network Server
Operating System
Operating System
Common Features (1)
The following table shows some of the common features and benefits.
Feature
Multiple platform
Multitasking and multithreaded operations
Security
Support for MS-DOS-,
Win16-, Win32-, OS/2-,
And POSIX-compliantBased applications
Benefit
Support for Intel 80486, Pentium, and Pentium Pro-based computers, in addition to
RISC (Reduced instruction set computers)-based computers, such as MIPS
R4x00, DEC Alpha AXP and PReP-compliant PowerPC-based systems.
Additionally, both systems support multiple microprocessors and are symmetric
multiprocessing (SMP) operating systems.
Different applications can run at the same time. Threaded Background applications
can continue while a user works in the foreground. Multiple threads in an
application can operate simultaneously.
Security features protect network and local resources. Features include mandatory
logon, discretionary access control, memory protection, and auditing.
Most applications run under Windows NT. User can work on applications written
for other operating systems.
Common Features (2)
Feature
Benefit
Built-in networking
Both operating systems are designed for networking. All utilities are included with
the ability to add networking drivers and protocol stacks to meet connectivity
requirements. Both systems includes a built-in Web browser.
Support for 4 GB of RAM With current hardware, there are virtually no capacity limits on resources.
And 16 exabytes (EB) of
Hard disk space
File systems
Windows NT includes file allocation table (FAT), Windows NT File System
(NTFS), and CD-ROM File System (CDFS).
Reliability
Windows NT supports applications in separate memory address space. When
applications are running in separate memory address spaces, malfunctioning
applications will not affect other applications or the operating system.
Furthermore, the Windows NT architecture protects the operating system from
applications that attempt to consume too much processing time or to use the
operating system’s memory address space.
Differences
The basic difference between Windows NT Workstation and Windows
NT Server is that Windows NT Workstation is designed and tuned as a
multitasking desktop operating system. Windows NT Server contains
additional and enhanced features that make it a powerful network server
operating system for server-based applications, such as SQL Server,
SMS, SNA Server, and Microsoft Exchange Server.
Windows NT Workstation has a limit of 10 incoming concurrent sessions.
For Windows NT Server, the number of incoming concurrent sessions is
limited only by the number of client access licenses.
Windows NT Architecture
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User Mode vs. Kernel Mode
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The Windows NT Executive
User Mode vs. Kernel Mode
User Mode
Applications, and the subsystems that support them, run in user mode. User
mode processes have the following limitations:
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No direct access to hardware
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Limited to an assigned address space
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May Need to use hard disk space as virtual RAM
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Process at a lower priority than kernel mode components
User mode processes cannot directly access system resources, such as
hardware. Resource access requests must be granted by a kernel mode
component. This provides protection against malfunctioning applications or
unauthorized user access.User mode processes are lower in priority, so they
have less access to the CPU cycles than processes that run in kernel mode.
Kernel Mode
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The Windows NT Executive runs in kernel mode to protect the Executive
services from user mode applications and subsystems.
Kernel mode provides access to all of the memory on the computer, and to
hardware.
However, the operating system memory is protected: applications cannot
directly access the memory of any kernel mode service.
Windows NT Executive
Windows NT Executive Components
There are three types of kernel mode components in the Windows NT Executive: Executive services, the
microkernel, and the hardware abstraction layer (HAL).
The following table shows the functions of the Windows NT Executive components
Component
Executive services
Microkernel
HAL
Function
The Executive services consist of managers and device drives.
Managers are the various modules that manage I/O, objects, security,
processes, interprocess communications (IPC), virtual memory, and window
and graphics management.
Device drives are modules that control hardware access.
A component of the Executive services that provides the most basic operating
system services, such as thread scheduling and interrupt handling.
Code that isolates most hardware interface differences from Windows NT,
making Windows NT more portable.
Subsystems Overview
Environment
Subsystems
Environment Subsystem
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An environment subsystem in Windows NT is an intermediary between
an application designed for a specific operating environment and the
Executive services.
The environment subsystem translates environment-specific
instructions from an application into instructions that the Executive
services can carry out.
These are two Windows NT environment subsystems that support
applications designed for other operating environments: the POSIX
subsystem and the OS/2 subsystem. These subsystems receive all
function requests from the applications that they support.
A subsystem either carries out the request itself or passes it to the
Windows NT Executive.
Win32 Subsystem
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The Win32 subsystem is sometimes referred to as the client/server
subsystem, the CSR subsystem, or CSRSS. It supports Win32-, MSDOS-, and Windows 3.x-based applications and the environment
subsystems.
TheWin32 subsystem also supports error handling functions, application
shutdown, and console applications—applications not written for the
Windows GUI.
Executive Services
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The Windows NT Executive performs basic operating system functions for
all subsystems. The Executive services reside in kernel mode. This
provides stability for the operating system, because no application or
subsystem can directly access the Executive services. In this way, a
malfunctioning user-mode component (such as an application or
environment subsystem) cannot cause a kernel mode component to stop
functioning.
All GUI-related I/O requests are channeled to the Win32K Window
Manager & GDI component of the Executive services, which is responsible
for maintaining the display. This provides a common GUI for all
applications.
The subsystems build on the Executive services to produce environments
that meet the specific needs of their client applications. In this way,
common operating system functions are implemented once in the
Executive services, rather than duplicated in each subsystem. This
reduces the effort required to develop new subsystems and makes them
easier to maintain.
Review

Microsoft Windows Operating System

Windows NT Architecture Overview