Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3), the long-awaited upgrade that Microsoft released this summer, is 145MB in its expanded form, containing more than 1000 code fixes in 1670 files. In addition to the usual laundry list of bug and security fixes, SP3 improves Win2K performance and functionality in several areas. The service pack also offers several installation options to fit your environment.
Top Improvements
Primary SP3 enhancements include a more robust Win2K Server Terminal Services and a new model for allocating and managing temporary Terminal Services licenses, enhanced File Replication Service (FRS), better USB device recognition and operation, more reliable Novell NetWare interoperability, and the new Automatic Updates feature. In addition, SP3 provides several worthwhile enhancements to various Win2K components. Microsoft has also released companion updates for Win2K Support Tools and Deployment Tools.
Terminal Services. SP3 includes 41 Terminal Services bug fixes—6 to correct blue screens, 5 to correct problems when Terminal Services clients attempt to print to a network printer, and several to address network, desktop, and logon and logoff problems. Equally important, the service pack provides a new model for assigning temporary Terminal Services Client Access Licenses (TSCALs) and recycling expired TSCALs.
After SP3 installation, Terminal Services assigns a temporary 90-day TSCAL when a machine connects for the first time. If the same client logs on again, Terminal Services assigns a full TSCAL (as long as a valid license is available). The new model prevents Terminal Services from allocating permanent licenses to machines at which Terminal Services users mistakenly log on.
Even better, when a licensed Terminal Services client machine fails, you no longer need to call the Microsoft Clearinghouse to recover the lost TSCAL token. (Versions earlier than SP3 store these tokens on the client, so the tokens are lost if that system's hard disk fails or if you take the machine out of service.) Each TSCAL now has an expiration period of between 52 and 89 days. When a TSCAL is within 7 days of expiring, Terminal Services connects to the license server and renews the license for another 52- to 89-day period. If the license server doesn't respond, Terminal Services attempts to renew the expiring license each time the client logs on. If the license expires, Terminal Services returns it to the available pool. With this model, when a system suffers a hard disk failure or other disaster, Terminal Services assigns a 90-day temporary TSCAL to the replacement system, one day longer than the maximum 89-day full TSCAL period. After 89 days, the original license on the failed machine is available for reuse and can be assigned to the replacement system.
FRS. Robust and reliable file replication is crucial in a large distributed network. SP3 includes an earlier standalone update in which Microsoft addressed several FRS weaknesses and problem areas.
With this update, FRS obtains replica sets serially from partner systems, a process that reduces the time and resources that FRS requires to obtain replica information. The updated version also uses a new algorithm that lets FRS continue to replicate files when the staging area is 90 percent full. The algorithm permits the service to delete staging files until the amount of consumed space drops below 60 percent of the staging area's capacity, which is 660MB by default.
The update also increases the default FRS journal size to 128MB. The larger size reduces the frequency of journal overwrites and the need for nonauthoritative Active Directory (AD) restores. In earlier Win2K versions, you need to use the most recent backup to restore a domain controller (DC)—in other words, perform a nonauthoritative as opposed to an authoritative restore—and to recover from FRS-replication problems. Now, FRS lets you change the staging path without first requiring a nonauthoritative restore. To change the staging path, stop FRS, move the files, and restart FRS. And instead of automatically initiating a restore, FRS writes a message in the FRS event log stating that the restore is required, so you can schedule the restore at your convenience.
The update also eliminates an SP2 bug that cropped up when FRS attempted to replicate compressed files. If you have a large replication infrastructure, these improvements alone justify upgrading to SP3.
USB devices. USB devices have been problematic since Win2K's initial release. Among SP3's USB-related fixes, one eliminates a long delay in recognizing a USB keyboard and USB mouse at startup, a second prevents a deadlock that USB devices cause when a system resumes from standby, and a third eliminates a system hang that occurs when you connect or remove a USB camera. SP3 also corrects two USB-related blue screens: one that crops up when you plug in a serial USB device while the system is running and a second that occurs when you try to install Win2K from a USB CD-ROM. SP3 lets you copy—without errors—more than 4KB of data from a USB device to another device on the system. Be aware, however, that systems with a USB keyboard and a PS/2-style mouse still have a problem: The OS on such a system can take as much as 1 hour after booting to recognize this combination of devices. If you can avoid this hardware combination, do so. If not, you can obtain a bug fix from Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS).
NetWare interoperability. SP3 improves three NetWare-interoperability components: Client Services for NetWare (CSNW), Gateway Services for NetWare (GSNW), and File and Print Services for NetWare (FPNW). The update eliminates tedious delays when clients browse for or open a file on a NetWare server, corrects an erroneous error message that pops up when clients delete a file in a NetWare systemhosted My Documents folder, and ensures that the My Documents directory refreshes correctly. If you manage a mixed Win2K/NetWare environment, you'll appreciate fixes that eliminate a CSNW print-based access violation, let you change the default settings on a GSNW-hosted printer, and let you better administer FPNW clients in AD. SP3 also lets CSNW clients use different accounts to log on to Win2K and NetWare and to successfully change NetWare passwords, regardless of password length.
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