Choosing components to install

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Choosing components to install

The Windows Server 2003 family of products includes a wide variety of core components, including a number of administrative tools that Setup installs automatically. In addition, you can choose from a number of optional components that extend the functionality of your server. You can install these components after Setup by using Add or Remove Programs. Another way to install components is to use Manage Your Server, through which you can specify a server role such as a print server, rather than selecting the individual components required for that server role.

For information about Manage Your Server, which includes the Configure Your Server Wizard, see Configuring Roles for Your Server.

Choosing more of these components means providing more possibilities on the server. However, choose only the components you need, because each component requires additional disk space. The following table, and the list that follows it, will help you choose the components you need in your installation.

Server functions and associated software components

Server function Possible components

DHCP, DNS, and/or WINS server (in a TCP/IP network)

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Domain Name System (DNS), and/or Windows Internet Name Service (WINS), all part of Networking Services

Centralized administration of networks

Management and Monitoring Tools Remote Installation Services Terminal Server; Terminal Server Licensing Note that Remote Desktop for Administration (previously known as Terminal Services in Remote Administration mode) is built into products in the Windows Server 2003 family, and does not need to be installed as a component.

Authentication and secure communication

Internet Authentication Service (part of Networking Services)Certificate Services Update Root Certificates

File server

Indexing Service Remote Storage Other Network File and Print Services (support for Macintosh and UNIX operating systems)

Fax or print server

Fax Services Other Network File and Print Services (support for Macintosh and UNIX operating systems)

Application server; Internet (Web) server

Terminal Server; Terminal Server Licensing Internet Information Services (part of Application Server) ASP .NET (part of Application Server) Message Queuing (part of Application Server) UDDI Services

The Microsoft .NET Framework is built into all products in the Windows Server 2003 family except for the Itanium-based versions. For information about Web components often used with the Microsoft .NET Framework, see "Application Server" in the list that follows.

E-mail and communication support, including dial-up access

Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) service (part of E-mail Services) Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SNMP) service (part of E-mail Services) Connection Point Services (part of Management and Monitoring Tools) Connection Manager Administration Kit (part of Management and Monitoring Tools) Note that Routing and Remote Access service is built into products in the Windows Server 2003 family, and does not need to be installed as a component.

Multimedia communications

Windows Media Services

Support for a variety of client operating systems

Other Network File and Print Services (support for Macintosh and UNIX operating systems). See also "Centralized administration of networks" earlier in this table.

The following list describes the components in the preceding table and all other components that you can install.

  • Accessories and Utilities
    Includes the Accessibility Wizard, along with desktop accessories such as WordPad, Paint, and Calculator, and communications and media accessories such as Hyperterminal and Media Player. To select individual items in the Windows Components Wizard, click Details and select from the list.
  • Application Server
    Includes Internet Information Services, ASP .NET, Message Queuing, and related components, to provide a unified Web platform on which you can run enterprise-class Web applications.
The Microsoft .NET Framework is built into all products in the Windows Server 2003 family except for the Itanium-based versions. If you plan to use the Microsoft .NET Framework with ASP .NET, install IIS, ASP .NET, and any other components (such as Message Queuing) that provide services you require.

IIS also includes Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).
  • Certificate Services
    Provides customizable services for issuing and managing certificates used in software security systems employing public key technologies. Certificates can make it easier for you to provide secure e-mail, Web-based authentication, smart card authentication, and other forms of security. For information about authentication of dial-up users, see Networking Services, later in this list.
  • E-mail Services
    Includes Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) service and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service. You can use the POP3 service to store and manage e-mail accounts on the mail server.
  • Fax Services
    Provides support for the sending and receiving of faxes.
This feature is not available on the Itanium-based versions of the Windows operating systems.

This content is not available in this preliminary release.
  • Indexing Service
    Provides indexing functions for documents stored on disk, allowing users to perform fast full-text searches.
  • Management and Monitoring Tools
    Provides tools for network monitoring as well as tools for communications administration and monitoring, including support for the development of customized client dialers for remote users, and support for the implementation of phone books that can be automatically updated from a central server. In addition, includes the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) SNMP Provider.
  • Networking Services
    Provides important support for networking, including the items in the following list. To select individual items in the Windows Components Wizard, click Details and select from the list.
For information about network monitoring, see "Management and Monitoring Tools," earlier in this list. For background information about services in this list, see [Managing Core Network Services](https://msdn.microsoft.com/cc786019) and [Internet Authentication Service](https://msdn.microsoft.com/cc787275).

  - **Domain Name System (DNS).** Provides the name resolution service required by Active Directory. DNS is also the service often used by clients running Windows 2000, Windows XP, and products in the Windows Server 2003 family. With name resolution, users can access servers by name, instead of having to use IP addresses that are difficult to recognize and remember.  
      
  - **Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).** Gives a server the capability of assigning IP addresses dynamically to network devices. These devices typically include server and workstation computers, but can also include other devices such as printers and scanners. With DHCP, you do not need to set and maintain static IP addresses on any of these devices, except for intranet servers providing the DHCP, DNS, and/or WINS services.  
      
  - **Internet Authentication Service (IAS).** Performs authentication, authorization, and accounting for dial-up and VPN users. IAS supports the RADIUS protocol.  
      
  - **RPC over HTTP Proxy.** Supports remote procedure call (RPC) and Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) over HTTP, through Internet Information Services (IIS).  
      
  - **Simple TCP/IP Services.** Supports Character Generator, Daytime, Discard, Echo, and Quote of the Day.  
      
  - **Windows Internet Name Service (WINS).** Provides the name resolution service usually used by clients running Windows NT and earlier versions of Microsoft operating systems. With name resolution, users can access servers by name, instead of having to use IP addresses that are difficult to recognize and remember.

  • Other Network File and Print Services
    Provides the following:

    • File services for the Macintosh operating system.

    • Print services for the Macintosh operating system.

      This feature is not available on the Itanium-based versions of the Windows operating systems.

      This content is not available in this preliminary release.

    • Print services for UNIX.

  • Remote Installation Services
    Provides services that you can use to create installation images of operating systems or even of complete computer configurations, including desktop settings and applications. You can then make these images available to users at client computers. The target client computers must either support remote startup with the Pre-Boot eXecution Environment (PXE) ROM, or else must be started with a remote-start floppy disk. On the server, you will need a separate partition for Remote Installation Services. For more information, see Considerations when planning disk partitions.
  • Remote Storage
    Provides an extension to your disk space by making removable media such as tapes more accessible. Infrequently used data can automatically be transferred to tape and retrieved when needed.
  • Terminal Server
    Provides the ability to run client applications on the server, while thin-client software acts as a terminal emulator on the client. Each user sees an individual session, displayed as a desktop, and each session is managed by the server, independent of any other client session. If you install Terminal Server, you must also install Terminal Server Licensing on at least one computer (not necessarily a computer on which you install Terminal Server). However, there is a grace period of 120 days during which you can use Terminal Server even though you have not set up license servers yet and have not installed client license key packs.
  • Terminal Server Licensing
    Provides a licensing service that allows you to download, issue, and track licenses for Terminal Server clients. If you install Terminal Server, you must also install Terminal Server Licensing on at least one computer (not necessarily a computer on which you install Terminal Server). However, there is a grace period of 120 days during which you can use Terminal Server even though you have not set up license servers yet and have not installed client license key packs.
To activate a license server quickly, install it on a computer that has Internet access.

During Terminal Server Licensing Setup, you can select from two types of license server: enterprise license server (the default) or domain license server. The basic guideline is to select enterprise license server unless you are installing in a workgroup or installing in a domain where all the domain controllers run Windows NT 4.0. For more information, see [Terminal Server Licensing](https://msdn.microsoft.com/cc738128).
  • UDDI Services
    Provides support for publishing and locating information about Web services, based on the industry specification called Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI). With UDDI Services, enterprise developers can efficiently discover, share, and reuse Web services directly through their development tools.
UDDI Services is not included with Windows Server 2003, Web Edition. In addition, Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, supports only stand-alone installations of UDDI Services. Distributed installation support is available with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. In a stand-alone installation of UDDI Services, both the UDDI Web server component and the UDDI database component are installed onto a single server. In a distributed installation, UDDI components are distributed across multiple servers.

For more information about Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, see [Overview of Windows Server 2003, Web Edition](cc755761\(v=ws.10\).md).
  • Update Root Certificates
    Provides a service that automatically downloads the most current root certificates for secure e-mail, Web browsing, and software delivery.
  • Windows Media Services
    Provides multimedia support, allowing you to manage, deliver, and archive Windows Media content, including streaming audio and video, over an intranet or the Internet.
This feature is not available on the Itanium-based versions of the Windows operating systems.