Server Reliability
Server reliability has always been an issue, but with global issues that have arisen in the last year or so, server reliability has increased. This section shows you the areas that Microsoft has improved in the server reliability portion of the server products.
Automated System Recovery (ASR)
ASR is basically a system state backup on steroids. What it allows you to do is to back up the system state, along with the system services and any disk that is associated with the operating system. It creates a floppy disk that contains information about the backup, including disk configuration and successfully restoring the system. You have to back up any data files separately. In order to recover, you start a normal install of the operating system. During the text portion of the setup, you are prompted to hit F2 for the ASR; the system then prompts you for the floppy disk containing information about the ASR. You then install a basic version of Windows, and start a restore from the media created by the ASR wizard.
Compatibility Mode
Many networks are unable to upgrade their operating systems due to the number of applications that work only on a certain operating system. The compatibility mode included in the .NET Server allows advanced users to change the mode to an operating system that is compatible with the software they are running. This will allow a greater number of applications to run on the .NET Server family.