Appendix: Branch Office Glossary
Administration Web site See Virtual Server Administration Web site. ADS See Automated Deployment Services. ADS Controller Single server used with Automated Deployment Services to perform large-scale server administration in a data center, such as deploying operating system images onto servers. Application server See LOB Application Server. Automated Deployment Services (ADS) Solution for rapidly deploying Microsoft® Windows® server operating systems onto bare-metal servers across large, scaled-out installations. BOIS See Branch Office Infrastructure Solution. Branch office A site that provides specific support for one or more business functions of an organization and uses an IT infrastructure partly or completely provided by and managed from a hub site. Also known as a branch site, remote site, or remote office. Branch office infrastructure All core business applications and services required to provide the specific business functionality for which the branch office is responsible. These applications and services typically provide directory services, name resolution, and messaging and collaboration support, as well as support for centralization and consolidation of applications and services. Branch Office Infrastructure Solution (BOIS) Microsoft enterprise-level guidance for designing and deploying a Windows-based branch office infrastructure, including lab-validated procedures for automating the build and deployment of branch servers. This guidance is built on the WSSRA infrastructure. Branch server A server in the branch office that runs one or more of the branch office infrastructure applications and services. Centralization Moving services from a remote location, such as a branch office, to a hub site, where they are centrally managed as part of a core IT infrastructure. CLR See Common language runtime. Coexistence Multiple applications running on a single operating system that runs on a single hardware platform. Co-location Installing and running multiple services and applications on a single instance of an operating system in a way that enables them to co-exist with each other on a single server. Common language runtime (CLR) The core runtime engine in the Microsoft .NET Framework for executing applications. The CLR supplies managed code with such services as cross-language integration, code access security, object lifetime management, and debugging and profiling support. Consolidation The process of reducing the number of servers in an organization. This is generally accomplished in one of the following ways for the branch office infrastructure:
See also Centralization, Co-location, and Isolation. DASD See direct attached storage device (DASD). Destination server The server onto which an application is being consolidated, migrated, or virtualized, as covered in this solution accelerator. DHCP See Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Direct attached storage device (DASD) Storage device that is connected directly to a server. DNS See Domain Name System (DNS). Domain Name System (DNS) Hierarchical, distributed database that contains mappings of DNS domain names to various types of data, such as IP addresses. DNS enables the location of computers and services by user-friendly names, and it also enables the discovery of other information stored in the database. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) TCP/IP service protocol that offers dynamic leased configuration of host IP addresses and distributes other configuration parameters to eligible network clients. DHCP provides safe, reliable, and simple TCP/IP network configuration, prevents address conflicts, and helps conserve the use of client IP addresses on the network. Exchange Server The Microsoft messaging and collaboration server that supports sending and receiving electronic mail and other forms of interactive communication through computer networks. Designed to interoperate with a software client application such as Microsoft Outlook®, Exchange Server also interoperates with Outlook Express, Outlook Web Access, and other e-mail client applications. File server A server that provides organization-wide access to files, programs, and applications. GPMC See Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) Single solution for managing all Group Policy-related tasks. GPMC lets administrators manage Group Policy for multiple domains and sites within one or more forests in a simplified user interface with drag-and-drop support. Guest operating system Operating system running on a virtual machine. Host operating system Operating system of the physical computer running Virtual Server 2005. Hub site A central site of an organization that provides the primary IT infrastructure for a specific geographic region or an entire organization, including IT management and support for the branch offices that use this IT infrastructure. Also known as a central site. Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server A family of Microsoft multi-level firewall and high-performance Web caching server software. ISA Server See Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server. ISA Server Web caching A feature of ISA Server that stores copies of recently accessed Web sites and makes them available to users for subsequent access to the same Web sites. It is designed to improve access times to frequently accessed Web sites and to provide offline accessibility to those sites. Isolation Running a service or application in a separate partition of the server or co-hosting the service or application in a virtual machine, which runs on the host operating system either with one or more other virtual machines or one or more services or applications running natively (not in a virtual machine) on the host operating system. Kerberos Authentication mechanism used to verify user or host identity on a network. Line-of-business (LOB) application server Server that provides clients with access to business applications—often sophisticated, multi-tier applications that may access centrally located databases or other resources. LOB application server See line-of-business (LOB) application server. Managed code Code executed and managed by the Microsoft .NET Framework, specifically by the common language runtime of .NET Framework. MBSA See Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA). Microsoft .NET Framework An integral Windows component that enables building and running the next generation of software applications and Web services. It includes technologies for Web services and Web applications (ASP.NET), data access (ADO.NET), smart client applications (Windows Forms), and many others. Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) Microsoft tool that allows an individual home or corporate user or an administrator to scan one or more Windows-based computers for common security configuration issues. Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Framework for hosting administrative tools, called consoles, which are used to manage the hardware, software, and network components of a Windows system. Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) A Microsoft suite of models, concepts, and guides that enables organizations to achieve mission-critical system reliability, availability, supportability, and manageability of Microsoft products and technologies. Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) Comprehensive monitoring solution that provides central monitoring and automatic problem resolution for networks. MOM can monitor, manage, and secure a wide range of resources, including computers, applications, Web server farms, e-commerce sites, and corporate servers. Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) A Microsoft suite of models, concepts, and guides for building and deploying distributed enterprise systems. Microsoft Systems Architecture (MSA) See Windows Server System Reference Architecture (WSSRA). Migration Migration of LOB application servers is the process of redesigning or porting existing software, or otherwise upgrading the software or hardware for each LOB application server. This process can include in-place migration (on the current servers) or one-to-one migration (onto a new platform). With virtualization, the process can also include creating virtual machines on new platforms. MMC See Microsoft Management Console (MMC). MOF See Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). MOM See Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM). MSA See Windows Server System Reference Architecture (WSSRA). MSF See Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF). .NET Framework See Microsoft .NET Framework. Outlook A family of Microsoft messaging and collaboration client software for personal computers accessing Microsoft Exchange Server-based e-mail and collaboration services. Pre-Boot eXecution Environment (PXE) DHCP-based remote boot technology used to boot or install an operating system on a client computer from a remote server. A Remote Installation Services (RIS) Server is an example of a PXE Server. Print server A server that manages print jobs by receiving print requests from clients, formatting the print job, and then sending it to the printer. PXE See Pre-Boot eXecution Environment (PXE). SAN See storage area network (SAN). SDR See service design reference (SDR). Service design reference (SDR) A design technique that uses diagrams to illustrate the design process of IT services. These diagrams document the following elements:
SMS See Systems Management Server (SMS). Software Update Services See Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). Source server The server on which an application runs prior to consolidation, migration, or virtualization, as covered in this solution accelerator. Storage area network (SAN) A set of interconnected devices (such as disks and tapes) and servers that are connected to a common communication and data transfer infrastructure. Streamline To design and construct an efficient and effective infrastructure. For the branch office infrastructure, this means simplifying the design in a way that makes the most efficient and effective use of the resources of an organization, reduces TCO and management overhead, and facilitates future growth and management of branch offices. SUS See Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). Systems Management Server (SMS) Management solution that provides extensive support for change and configuration management, addressing information technology (IT) and business issues in the inventory, software distribution, and update management of Windows-based desktops, laptops, and servers. It is designed to make it easier for an organization to manage, support, and maintain a distributed network of computer resources. Virtual machine Essentially a computer within a computer, implemented in software. A virtual machine emulates a complete hardware system, from processor to network card, in a self-contained, isolated software environment, enabling the simultaneous operation of otherwise incompatible operating systems. Virtual PC 2004 The Microsoft virtual machine solution for desktop computers. Virtual PC 2004 enables multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on a single physical computer, each in its own isolated software partition. Virtual Server 2005 The Microsoft virtual machine solution for servers. Virtual Server 2005 enables multiple server operating systems to run simultaneously on a single physical computer, each in its own isolated software partition. Virtual Server Administration Web site (VSAW) Web application used by Virtual Server 2005 as a user interface to the virtual machine. Virtualization The process of creating a virtual machine for each server. This process can include capturing an image of the physical computer and transferring it intact to a virtual machine, or creating a virtual machine and rebuilding the application server there as a clean build. Although the operating system running on the physical computer (known as the host operating system) is Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003, each virtual machine runs its own operating system (known as the guest operating system), such as Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 Server, or for short-term solutions, Microsoft Windows NT® version 4.0. Web caching See ISA Server Web caching. Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) Software service that provides a distributed database for registering and querying dynamic computer name-to-IP address mapping in a routed network environment. Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) A component of the Microsoft Windows operating system that provides management information and control in an enterprise environment. WMI can be used to query and set information on desktop systems, applications, networks, and other enterprise components. WMI can also be used to create event-monitoring applications to alert users when important incidents occur and to automate administration tasks. Windows Server System The Microsoft brand for server infrastructure software. Windows Server System Reference Architecture (WSSRA) A Microsoft technology architecture that provides standards-based guidance for implementation of enterprise-level solutions based on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It includes enterprise-class architectural blueprints and implementation guidance that have been tested and proven in the lab with hardware and software partners. Previously known as Microsoft Solutions Architecture (MSA). Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) Software that provides automated support for installing the latest critical updates and security updates to Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003, as well as to desktop computers running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional. Previously known as Software Update Services (SUS). Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM) Management software for Windows Server 2003, Enterprise and Datacenter editions, which provides policy-based resource management and enables detailed allocation of resources on individual servers. WINS See Windows Internet Name Service (WINS). WMI See Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). WSRM See Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM). WSUS See Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). |
