Common APIs

Windows 2000 Server provides high-level interfaces for commonly used services such as database access and Active Directory services. These interfaces can be used from virtually any programming or scripting language, making for easy, rapid development. It also provides a low-level C++ API so advanced application developers can obtain higher performance.

COM+

Windows 2000 Server uses COM, the most widely used component object model, to run component-based applications, integrated Web applications and reliable message queuing services. COM+ extends the component object model to simplify the creation and use of software components, while improving application scalability and increasing flexibility. COM+ provides a run-time component and services that are readily used from any programming language or tool, and enables extensive interoperability between components regardless of their implementation.

Microsoft Transaction Services

Transaction Services is a Windows 2000 Server feature that makes it easier to develop and deploy server-centric applications. It is ideal for developing line-of-business and electronic-commerce applications with Web-based interfaces. Transaction Services works with COM+ and offers comprehensive component functionality, such as automatic transaction support for data-integrity protection, simple but powerful role-based security, as well as access to popular databases, message queuing products, and mainframe-based applications. It also includes performance-enhancing features such as connection-pooling.

Transaction Services is fully integrated with other Windows Server features such as Internet Information Services (IIS) and Active Server Pages (ASP) for simpler Internet/intranet application development; clustering services for fail-over protection; message queuing for reliable, loosely coupled communication; and the Windows Server security environment for simplified resource control.

Microsoft Message Queuing

Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) is an integrated feature of the operating system that provides loosely coupled and reliable network communications services based on a message-queuing model. A queue (or message queue) is a holding place in the network that temporarily stores traveling messages. Message queuing makes it easy to integrate applications and build reliable applications that work over unreliable but cost-effective networks. Windows 2000 Server message queuing services use Active Directory to store information about message queues, letting applications easily locate them across a network. This integration lets developers build and deploy applications that interoperate with other applications running on different platforms, such as mainframes and UNIX-based systems.

Microsoft BackOffice Integration

Because the BackOffice® family is fully integrated into Windows 2000 Server, applications such as Microsoft SQL Server^TM and Microsoft Exchange Server simply work better. In addition, they make full use of Windows 2000 Server services such as integrated security. BackOffice and Windows 2000 Server together deliver a complete platform for building and running critical line-of-business applications.

Microsoft Visual Studio

High quality tools make a platform. The Visual Studio® development system provides the flexibility to develop Windows 2000 applications in C++, Visual Basic, or Java. Wizards and IntelliSense help developers take advantage of the various services and interfaces. The Enterprise edition includes additional functionality for team and life-cycle development.

Third-Party Tools

There is a wide choice of third-party development tools for Windows 2000 that includes visual development environments in a range of languages, as well as tools for application modeling, performance testing, functional checking, and change management.

Active Server Pages

Active Server Pages (ASP) is a server-side scripting environment that organizations can use to create and run dynamic, interactive Web server applications with IIS 5.0. With ASP, developers can combine HTML pages, script commands, and COM+ components to create a Web-based interface to power COM-based applications. (Full details are available in the Web Services feature description.)

Terminal Services

Terminal Services lets desktops that can't currently run the Windows 2000 Professional operating system access the familiarity, ease-of-use, and breadth of applications support of the Windows platform. Terminal Services provides clients access to Windows-based applications running entirely on the server, which manages all the computing resources for each client connected to it. (Full details are available in the Terminal Services feature description.)

Networking and Communications Services

To make applications available to more users in more locations, Windows 2000 Server includes a full set of networking and communications services. These services let companies create flexible, easy-to-use corporate networks--connecting individuals, branch offices, and corporate headquarters to each other internally and to the Internet and partner networks (extranets) externally. (Full details are available in the Communication Services feature description.)

Integrated Multimedia and Data Networking Services

Windows 2000 enhances the rich and integrated communication services of the Windows NT® Server 4.0 operating system though directory services, and support for evolving networking protocol standards like H.323 and IP multicast. Active Directory enables comprehensive policy-based management across Windows services while streaming media standard support increases interoperability across systems. These advancements, coupled with support for quality of service and higher bandwidth connections, make Windows 2000 the best platform for integrated multimedia and data networking services. For example, the Windows Telephony API (TAPI) enables software independence from telephony hardware so voice-enabled applications can communicate across IP, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), or traditional phone networks. (Full details are available in the Communication Services and Media feature descriptions.)