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Microsoft Ships Windows Server 2003 SP1 Security Update: Page 2 of 4

Microsoft also imposed DCOM restrictions to address other server exposure. Both measures will significantly reduce the chance of bugs, viruses and hackers from gaining entrance, Microsoft said.

The key benefits include the security configuration wizard, better RPC Security to prevent attacks and DCOM Security to prevent application viruses, said Rand Morimoto, CEO of Convergent Computing an Oakland, Calif.-based Microsoft Gold partner that has beta tested SP 1 for months.

"The number one thing IT Pros ask us for is an easier way to lock down their Windows servers. Today, you run a lockdown tool that does such a great job, that after it is run, a lot of critical business functions on a server stop working," said Morimoto, noting that 30 percent of his customers are running Windows Server 2003, 50 percent run Windows 2000 and 20 percent run Windows NT.

"With SP1 and the various roles in the security configuration wizard, you can choose to lockdown a server that'll be an Exchange Front end Server, or lock it down as a File/Print server, or lock it down as a Domain Controller," Morimoto added.

"You specify the role of the server, and it'll lock down everything except for the key ports, functions, and applets critical to make the role of the server operational," he said.

Unlike the Windows XP SP2 security update, which was released in August, the Windows Server 2003 SP1 does not have the Windows Firewall turned on by default. The intent is to mitigate potential application incompatibility problems that plagued the initial debut of Windows XP SP2 client security update and acknowledge the reality that many enterprise customers currently have their own third-party server-based firewalls implemented, Microsoft said.