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Microsoft even provides a Web administration tool (available at www.microsoft.com/ntserver/webadmin/webadmindl.htm) that makes it possible to administer an NT Server system from a Macintosh (or any other) client, using a Web browser front-end.

There are some limitations to Windows NT Server’s Macintosh support. Macintoshes cannot access other Windows clients, and neither the server nor other Windows clients can access files stored locally on a Macintosh. If these limitations will be a problem in an organization’s environment, then IS might consider third-party products such as Dave (Thursby Software Systems, Inc., www.thursby.com, 1-817-478-5070) or MacLAN Connect (Miramar Systems, www.miramarsys.com, 1-800-862-2526).

UNIX Servers and Workstations

Windows NT is increasingly being introduced into UNIX environments. Windows NT can integrate with UNIX workstations and servers, but users will probably have to rely on third-party products to accomplish their goals. Most companies need one or more of the following elements of UNIX/NT interoperability:

  Network File System (NFS) file and printer sharing
  X terminal access from Windows NT workstations to run X applications hosted on UNIX systems
  X terminal access from UNIX hosts to Windows NT, so UNIX systems can display Windows applications

As part of the project planning and testing, IS will need to identify the company’s needs for UNIX interoperability and compare the products available to provide it. Of course, this means that project teams will need individuals with significant UNIX experience.

Mainframes/Hosts

Some organizations may be planning to use Windows NT as a client/server platform that supplements mainframe-based legacy systems, or helps to migrate away from them. If so, IS should consider SNA gateways and associated hardware designed to:

  Improve desktop workstation response time
  Support query-intensive and communications-intensive applications
  Add redundancy and load balancing
  Support advanced groupware and intranet solutions cost effectively

As traditional dumb terminals have been replaced by PCs running terminal emulation software, traditional cluster controllers are also being replaced by SNA gateway software and hardware. These solutions, such as Microsoft’s SNA Server and IBM’s Comm Server, are typically much less expensive to purchase, install, and support than controllers were. They typically offer better performance as well.

SNA Server offloads network traffic from mainframes and IBM AS/400 midrange systems, freeing up host resources for line-of-business applications. It serves as a TCP/IP-to-SNA gateway, helping companies migrate to TCP/IP while retaining the reliability and securities advantages of SNA.

SNA Server also extends NT Server’s existing domain-based unified sign-on capabilities to mainframe and AS/400 systems, so users who have been authenticated by a Windows NT domain controller can gain access to files, printers, databases, messaging systems, and other applications running on hosts — consistent with security restrictions that IS establishes.

To take full advantage of SNA Server or products like it, an organization will need robust server hardware. It may be necessary to integrate third-party mainframe channel adapters as well. For example, companies such as General Signal (888-GSN-DATA, www.gsnetworks.com) and Polaris Communications (1-800-353-1533, www.polariscomm.com) deliver PCI-based boards that support IBM’s Enterprise System Connection (ESCON) high-speed connectivity.

Before deploying SNA Server, IS should check with its Microsoft account representative to understand Microsoft’s strategic direction for this product. It has been rumored that Microsoft may eventually fold SNA Server functions into NT Server and SQL Server.

Planning Issues to Handle Concurrently with Evaluation and Testing

As IS evaluates its installed base of hardware and software, the NT deployment teams can concurrently consider several other important issues. For example, they can:

  Create budgets and timetables for the deployment and rollout
  Determine which NT capabilities to deploy; which to disable; and which to deploy only on selected workstations
  Decide whether to deploy NT using Microsoft System Management Server (SMS) or third-party software delivery tools
  Plan for training installers, Help Desk personnel, and trainers

CHOOSING AND MANAGING VENDORS

Among the most critical decisions IS will make is the choice of vendors to partner in the deployment of Windows NT. Many companies want the business; this is not surprising because services tend to deliver much higher margins than commodity hardware sales.

Given the rapid growth of Windows NT in the enterprise, many companies are focusing on delivering Windows NT services. These include major consultancies and system integrators such as EDS and Entex, as well as the services organizations of traditional hardware suppliers such as Digital and IBM. If NT is being deployed in a smaller company, that organization might choose a local or regional systems integrator or client/server developer to assist.

Vendors with Strategic Microsoft Relationships

Microsoft maintains especially close relationships with some suppliers of PC and server hardware. These relationships certainly do not preclude users from choosing other suppliers, but they may be worth considering when making vendor decisions. At minimum, IS may want to question Microsoft’s strategic partners on how they are delivering the benefits their alliances are supposed to provide — and question competitors on how they can deliver comparable benefits.


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