What Is Windows Server and How Is It Different from Linux Server?

2023-02-082023-09-25

What is Windows Server and what kind of special features does it have?

This article will also help you understand how Windows Server differs from Linux Server.

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Windows Server Overview

Window Server is a series of Operating systems that Microsoft creates and releases.

When it comes to Microsoft, it was a famous software vendor founded by Bill Gates in 1975, and everyone knows that the company grew into a behemoth through MS-DOS and Windows releases.

Advantages of Windows Servers

The Windows Server has following advantages.

The user-friendly interface and operability like Windows desktop OS
Seamless integration with Microsoft products
Client resource management using Active Directory
Industry-leading technical support by Microsoft
Abundant utilization result and high reliability as a server OS

Windows Server has a similar interface and operability to Windows desktop OS, and it is intuitive and easy-to-use GUI.

I know the customer who is not tech-savvy and introduces Windows Server because of its GUI.

Also, many Microsoft products including SQL Server and IIS are designed to integrate well with Windows servers.

Active Directory is one of the biggest features particularly.

It is not impossible to use Active Directory with other OS, but basically it needs to use Windows Server.

So, it can be a big reason to opt for Windows Server.

Usage of Windows Servers

Windows Servers are notably used in following situation.

Management of Client Windows PCs using Active Directory
Internal file server
Using API which can only be used with Windows, for example ASP.NET Core of the web server

If OS of internal client PCs is Windows, it becomes very easy to management them by using Active Directory.

Also, it is very simple and user-friendly to create internal systems with Windows Server.

Additionally, it can cover all the products, including OS, DBMS (Microsoft SQL Server) and web service software (IIS), needed to create a system with Microsoft products.

There are so many advantages, such as simple support systems and more stable system than using multiple vendor’s products.

The main differences between Windows Server and Linux Server

	Windows Server	Linux Server
User Interface	Graphical user Interface, making it easier for non-IT people	Command line Interface, making it harder for newcomers
Security	Having more tendency to have hacking attempts and cyber threats	Highly secure against viral software and cyber threats
Cost	Proprietary software owned by Microsoft, includes a license fee per user	Free, opensource software

User Interface

Windows OS has user-friendly graphical user interface, and it is easy for non-IT people to use because it is very similar to user interface of client OS.

Although some Linux distributions have graphical user interfaces, Linux is mainly operated through a command line.

It requires some knowledge to run operation and it is hard for newcomers.

Security

Windows server is said to be having higher security risk than Linux server because users can execute files with minimal permissions and that can lead to installation viral software unknowingly.

To prevent it, users might want to introduce solutions for security measures, enable Windows automatic updates, and make detailed settings of firewall.

Cost

Windows OS is proprietary software owned by Microsoft and needs a license fee per user when you use it.

A Linux server is based on the open-source Linux software.

So, it is a popular option to run one’s server in low cost.

Prospects for Windows Server

In recent years, innovation in the IT industry including utilization of AI, IoT and big data is progressing rapidly.

Even if you try looking closely at servers, the trend is changing from conventional on-premise server to virtual or cloud server.

Now, Microsoft provides Azure Cloud Services, and proceeds cooperation between Azure and Windows Server.

This cooperation will blur boundaries between conventional on-premise server and cloud server, and take the best part of each of them.

Windows Server 2022, the latest edition of Windows server, was developed to proceed more cooperation between on-premises and clouds than Windows Server 2019.

Windows Server 2022 can be used as Hybrid Cloud giving up traditional ways to separate “on-premises” and “clouds”.

These days, demand has been growing for security, Windows Server 2022 introduce the system called “Secured-core Server” which is hardware-based enhanced security. This system is the server version of “Secured-core PC” which was already released for client PCs to enhance security and makes it possible to construct more robust system than before.