SLAC has relied on the Windows NT 4.0 operating system for several years, both for the Windows server infrastructure and for the operating system of Windows client computers. Unfortunately, Microsoft has ended support for Windows NT 4.0 Workstations as of June 30. SLAC has therefore been in the process of migrating to Windows 2000 Server for Windows infrastructure and Windows XP Professional for client computers.

The SCS Windows Infrastructure Group, which provides support for central servers and services, completed the migration of SCS servers to Windows 2000 Server in December 2002.

Although there is a lot of work involved in moving to a new version of an operating system, there are also many benefits offered by Windows XP:

• Better software and hardware compatibility

• Improved reliability

• Better support for mobile users

• Better security

• Improved management of resources for central and local administrators

Since Windows XP is a more robust operating system, it has higher hardware requirements than Windows NT 4. The minimum hardware recommendation is a Pentium II with 400 MHz, 256 MB RAM and 5 GB hard drive. While systems with less than the minimum requirements can still run Windows XP, performance may be slow if the hardware does not meet these minimum requirements.

Now that Microsoft has ended support for Windows NT 4 Workstation, new security patches will no longer be available. If serious security vulnerabilities occur, there is a risk that these systems will need to be disconnected from the network.

Microsoft support for the Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 3.51 operating systems has also ended. In addition, Windows ME and Windows XP Home Edition are not secure. Therefore none of these operating systems are allowed on the SLAC network.

Local administrators are in the midst of migrating their department’s computers to Windows XP. As of the end of June 2003, about half of SLAC’s 1,800 Windows client computers have been migrated. Therefore, with the cooperation of the user community, the Lab should be able to finish the migration by the December 2003 target date. (See: http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/comp/winnt/local-administrators.html)

If your computer has not yet been migrated, your local administrator will arrange with you to do this at a mutually convenient time. Since this requires a reformat of the hard drive, your local administrator will go through a checklist with you to note the local settings from the existing system (many of which can be restored after the migration).

It is recommended that user files be stored on the network drives. If you have files that exist only on your local computer, this is a good time to work with your local administrator to store them in the proper locations (either your group directory on the ‘V drive’ or your home directory on the ‘Z drive’).

Since there are higher security risks in using a Windows NT 4 Workstation now that Microsoft has ended its support, we would like to ask users who still need to be migrated to give some priority to working with their local administrators. If you have questions about the schedule for migrating your Windows NT 4 client computer, please contact your local administrator.

For those who wish to learn more about the capabilities of Windows XP, classes are being offered by SCS, see: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/comp/edu/calendar.html

A list of frequently asked questions has been prepared. For further information, see: http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/comp/winnt/faq/faq.htm