A few simple Windows 2k Server Q's

Hey I was thinking (in order to save money) of buying Windows 2000 Server instead of 2003 server (Microsoft still supports Windows 2000 until July 2010 which gives me a little under 3 years).

What are some big differences between 2000 and 2003 server (the basic editions)?

Does Windows 2000 Server have the disk mirroring option or is that exclusively in Windows 2003 Server?

Another Q: With IIS in Windows 2000 Server (since Microsoft still supports it) will it be secure enough to run a few ecommerce websites off of it (with SSL)?

Just trying to save money here!

Thanks!
-Eric

 

Personally, I'd go for 2003. IMHO it is the best Microsoft OS, and the more I use it, the more I like it.

The killer app for me is the ease of managing the server via remote desktop. Yes, you can do similar things with 2000, but with 2003 it is so much easier.

In your situation, the main enhancement would be the beefed up security.

Personally I would not mirror hard drives via the OS. Hardware based mirroring (using the motherboard or hard disk controller firmware), in my experience performs better and is more reliable. It also doesn't rely on the operating system working, for it to work.

If this is all the server is being used for then a properly secured 2003 server is fine for internet site hosting. However, again a personal opinion: I wouldn't host an internet site on a server that is used for anything else. A server providing services to the internet is always going to be more vulnerable to attack than an internal server. If you run internal services such as file and print, AD, DNS and the like, I would strongly recommend you use a different host for your internet sites. Using the same server for your internal and external services, is a false economy in my opinion.

With e-commerce this is even more important. You need to be able to secure the server (preferably in a DMZ, but certainly away from your main servers) and also you want to dedicate resources to this activity (you don't want your e-commerce site slowing while someone copies a large file off your server).

If you are a small organisation, I would recommend you look into finding a provider who will host your e-commerce site for you, on dedicated servers.