When most people think of "new devices," the first thing that probably comes to mind is something like a digital camera. While you might not attach a camera to your server, the same technologies that make cameras easy to install and use on a client machine also make it easier to deploy and manage hardware devices that work with the Windows® 2000 Server operating system.
Windows 2000 supports a wide range of the latest hardware technologies and peripherals including:
Multi-Processor Hardware. Windows 2000 Server is designed to take advantage of the latest multi-processor hardware, gaining proportionally more processing power from each of as many as 32 processors per machine. Adding processors to an existing system is an extremely economical way to increase processing power without the expense of adding an entirely new machine.
Plug and Play devices. Plug and Play technologies let you install and configure new devices such as printers, disk drives, and modems quickly and easily. To reduce the chance of configuration errors, Plug and Play selects device drivers and makes complicated choices, such as interrupt selections, for you. To further simplify the use of new devices, Windows 2000 supports dynamic installation of Plug and Play devices so that hardware can be added and removed without requiring you to reboot the server.
USB devices. Universal Serial Bus (USB) technologies make it easier than ever to install new peripherals, including more than 3,500 printers, keyboards and mouse pointing devices. Through support for Plug and Play installation, Windows 2000 detects and installs most USB-ready devices automatically, saving time and reducing errors. For example, you do not have to open up a computer case to install a USB-based networking adapter. This simplification is especially useful for connecting to the Internet through USB-connected DSL and cable modem interface boxes.
Network adapters. Windows 2000 automatically detects and installs most network adapter cards that companies use to connect client computers to corporate networks, again using Plug and Play technologies. Windows 2000 Server also supports the newest network adapters that support 802.1P packet prioritization so that you can give the best quality to the selected people and applications.
QoS-enabled switches and routers. Windows 2000 Server includes advanced Quality of Service (QoS) features that integrate with the newest network switches and routers that support end-to-end quality of service management. This lets you get more out of existing networks and lets you allocate the highest quality of services to the people that need them the most. It also helps you and ensure that network-intensive applications, such as multimedia programs, do not use more bandwidth than is allocated to them in advance.
Smartcards. Strong user authentication is increasingly important to protect access to company assets. To address this requirement, Windows 2000 supports advanced authentication devices such as smart cards and token cards. These cards require a user to enter their card into a reader and enter a Personal Identification Number (PIN) before they can log on to a computer. This increases security because it requires the user to both possess a physical entity (the card) and know their PIN number.
Wireless Communication. Windows 2000 supports the latest wireless networking technologies. In cases where cables are difficult to use, wireless communications offer an alternative way for you to create network connections. For example, this can be a useful way to install a server in a closet or room where network wiring is unavailable or unworkable.
Infrared devices. The Infrared Monitor service of Windows 2000 Server supports data transfer over infrared connections between computers, printers, cameras, and other devices that use IRDA protocols supported by the service. The Wireless Link feature of Windows 2000 Server also lets you quickly and easily transfer data over infrared connections between computers or devices, without requiring a physical network connection.
IEEE 1394. Windows 2000 Server supports the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 standard, also known as FireWire, for high-speed serial devices such as digital video and digital audio editing equipment.
