Windows Operating System and Client-Server Networking Analysis

This report provides a detailed analysis of the Windows operating system, specifically focusing on its networking capabilities within a client-server model. It begins with an introduction to operating systems and a brief history of Microsoft Windows, followed by an overview of the OS. The report delves into the technical details of Windows concerning networking, including the use of network operating systems like Windows Server and Windows NT, and the integration of TCP/IP protocols. It also presents a table summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of Windows in a client-server environment. Furthermore, the report outlines the improvements made to Windows over the years, from its text-based command-line origins to the modern graphical interface, concluding with a discussion on the benefits of the client-server model. The report concludes with a summary of the findings and a list of references.

Running head: SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
System Administration and Management
Windows Operating System
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Executive Summary
The report deals with some of the aspects of networking, especially the client-server networking model
in the light of Windows operating system, a product of Microsoft Corporation. The report introduces the
operating system concept and background of Windows. A brief overview of Windows Operating System
is also provided. Technical details have been given in relevance to the networking capability of the
operating system as well as its advantages and disadvantages. The gradual improvement of Windows
has been produced in the report.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................3
2. Background of Microsoft Windows.........................................................................................................3
3. Overview on Windows.............................................................................................................................3
4. Technical Details of Windows in terms of Networking............................................................................4
5. Advantages and Disadvantages of Windows in Relation to Client-Server Network.................................5
6. Improvements made on Windows over years.........................................................................................5
7. Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................7
8. References...............................................................................................................................................8

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1. Introduction
This report introduces detailed aspect of Windows Operating System, a product of Microsoft
Corporations. An operating system is a program or software of enormous size that controls the
functionalities of both the hardware and software on a computing device such as a computer, laptop
and such. Some examples of operating system are Microsoft Windows, Linux, iOS, macOS, Chrome OS,
Google Android and such. Microsoft Windows is an operating system that is used both in personal and
business purposes. It has become the most popular operating system for its simplicity and functional
ease from the time Microsoft Corporation has launched MS Dos since 1981.
2. Background of Microsoft Windows
Windows is an operating system for computing devices launched by Microsoft Corporation. The
journey of Microsoft Windows begins in the year of 1981 with the launching of MSDOS. The product was
nothing but an operating system that is operated using text-based commands. Bill Gates, the founder of
Microsoft Corporations, who identified the potential in GUI-based systems, conceived the idea behind
the development of Windows [1]. Gates named the project Interface Manager. The idea of Bill Gates
was to produce a GUI based system for the common mass that will have cheap cost and easy to handle.
The idea was widely accepted and supported by the Microsoft personnel; however, they did not approve
the name that has been coined by Gates. After considerable trial and error, the name Windows was
finalised. Windows 1.0 was launched in 1985, which was used by single workplaces for consumers and
later was modified with extra network support [1].
3. Overview on Windows
Windows is an operating system that manages the hardware and software of a computing
device such as laptop, tablet, mobile phone, and such. Windows’ debut was in the form of MSDOS in the
year 1981 followed by Windows 1.0 in 1985. Windows has continued its triumphant journey and
evolved as it proceeded through years mitigating demands of the users and learning from the errors of
its predecessors. The various features of Windows in the recent versions allow a user to perform almost
all the daily tasks on the computer [2]. A Windows user can easily access the internet, check email, play
games, view and edit images and videos and a lot more tasks. Windows supports a wide range of tools
that help a personal user as well as an organisation to perform various kinds of personal and

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organisational jobs. Windows need not be installed in a computer for it to serve its utility. It can be
hosted on a server and can be accessed by a user to avail all the functions of the system. This reduces
the problem of maintain the operating system itself and using up the memory of the local computer to
store the software [2].
4. Technical Details of Windows in terms of Networking
Microsoft Windows have launched a product that consists of special functions for establishing a
local area network (LAN) connection with a computer and other devices. These types of systems are
known as network operating systems (NOS). Windows Server and Windows NT are examples of NOS.
Most of the latest operating systems have pre-integrated software that helps to simplify the networking
process of a computer. Typical Windows Operating System consists of TCP/IP protocol stack and
relevant utility programs such as ping [3]. To enable a device’s Ethernet interface, necessary device
drivers and other relevant software are also included. Earlier versions of Microsoft Windows lacked in
supporting computer network facility. Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups are the first in line
Operating Systems launched by Microsoft Windows that had basic networking capability in its system.
The company even introduced its Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) function in Windows 98 SE,
Windows 7 and so on. The figure provided below shows the technical details of Windows Server 2016
[3].

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Figure 1: Technical Details of Windows Server 2016
(Source: [3])
5. Advantages and Disadvantages of Windows in Relation to Client-Server Network
The table provided below shows the advantages and disadvantages of Windows in relation to
client-server networking:
Advantages Disadvantages
 Server access is possible remotely.
 New technology integration is less
complicated.
 Secure system.
 Addition and removal of new resources is
easy.
 All the devices connected to the server are
affected if the server crashes.
 The setup is expensive.
 More personnel are required for the
maintenance of these types of systems.
Table 1: Advantages and Disadvantages of Windows in terms of Client-Server Network
(Source: [4])
6. Improvements made on Windows over years
The journey of Windows Operating System begins with the debut of MSDOS that could be
operated by using text-based command line parameters. MSDOS helped in basic programming in C
language and performing simple tasks like writing and storing text documents [5]. The latest version of
Windows, that is, Windows 10 provides the user a wide array of options to perform various tasks like
playing games, accessing and surfing the net, viewing and editing image and video files and many more
[6]. Windows have evolved considerably in its triumphant journey from being a text-based command
line driven system to a system power packed with all the latest facilities to work and stay connected
with the rest of the world [7]. The figure provided below gives the complete list of Windows operating
System starting from the Interface Manager launched in 1981 to Windows Server 2016 in 2016 [8].

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Figure 2: Gradual Improvement of Windows
(Source: [5])

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7. Conclusion
The report concludes with the fact that Microsoft Windows is an operating system that helps a
lot in establishing network connection with its simple features and network functionalities that can be
used easily by any user. Windows provides the opportunity to connect to the internet by either peer-to-
peer connection or client –server network model. There are many advantages and disadvantages related
to both the model however, the best approach is client-server model.

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8. References
[1] Microsoft Corporation, “A history of Windows - Microsoft Windows,” Press Release, 2012. [Online].
Available: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/history
[2] J. James, “Windows 8: The development wildcard of 2012,” TechRepublic, 2012. [Online]. Available:
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/programming-and-development/windows-8-the-development-
wildcard-of-2012/6142?tag=nl.e055&s_cid=e055
[3] D. Rountree, Windows 2012 Server Network Security. 2013.
[4] G. Martinovic, J. Balen, and B. Cukic, “Performance evaluation of recent windows operating
systems,” J. Univers. Comput. Sci., vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 218–263, 2012.
[5] T. W. Shinder, Y. Diogenes, and D. L. Shinder, Windows server 2012 security from end to edge and
beyond: Architecting, designing, planning, and deploying windows server 2012 security solutions. 2013.
[6] IBM SPSS Inc., “SPSS Statistics for Windows,” IBM Corp. Released 2012, vol. Version 20, pp. 1–8,
2012.
[7] H. Shibata and K. Omura, “Docking window framework: supporting multitasking by docking
windows,” Apchi ’12, pp. 227–236, 2012.
[8] R. P. Padhy, M. R. Patra, and S. C. Satapathy, “Windows Azure PaaS Cloud: An overview,” Int. J.
Comput. Appl., vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 109–123, 2012.