Editing Windows Server 2003 (section)

{{Short description|Third version of Windows Server, released in 2003}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2011}}
{{Infobox OS
| name = Windows Server 2003
| version of = [[Windows NT]]
| logo = Windows Server 2003 Logo and Wordmark.png
| logo size = 200px
| screenshot = Windows Server 2003.png
| caption = Screenshot of Windows Server 2003, showing the Server Manager application which is automatically opened when an administrator logs on
| developer = [[Microsoft]]
| discontinued = yes
| family = [[Windows Server]]
| working state = No longer supported
| source model = {{ubl
  | [[Proprietary software|Closed-source]]
  | [[Source-available software|Source-available]] (through [[Shared Source Initiative]])
}}
| release version = Service Pack 2 with May 2019 security update (5.2.3790.6787)
| release date = {{start date and age|2019|5|14|df=no}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://support.microsoft.com/help/4500331|title=Description of the security update for the remote code execution vulnerability in Windows Server 2003 SP2|date=May 14, 2019|publisher=[[Microsoft]]}}</ref>
| first release date = {{Start date and age|2003|3|28}}<ref name="RTM">{{cite web |url=https://news.microsoft.com/2003/03/28/microsoft-windows-server-2003-released-to-manufacturing/ |title=Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Released to Manufacturing |date=March 28, 2003 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |work=News Center |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113054010/https://news.microsoft.com/2003/03/28/microsoft-windows-server-2003-released-to-manufacturing/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GA date = {{Start date and age|2003|4|24}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Is Available Worldwide Today|url=https://news.microsoft.com/2003/04/24/microsoft-windows-server-2003-is-available-worldwide-today/|website=News Center|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|date=April 24, 2003|location=San Francisco}}</ref>
| marketing target = Business and Server
| programmed in = 
| language = <!-- Supported human languages (English, French, Italian, Arabic, ...) -->
| language count = 
| language footnote = 
| update model = [[Windows Update]]
| package manager = 
| supported platforms = [[IA-32]], [[x86-64]], [[Itanium]]
| kernel type = [[Hybrid kernel|Hybrid]] ([[Windows NT kernel]])
| ui = [[Windows shell]] ([[Graphical user interface|Graphical]])
| license = [[Trialware]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Windows Server 2003 Evaluation Kit|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/trial/evalkit.mspx|website=microsoft.com|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050101023313/http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/trial/evalkit.mspx|archive-date=1 January 2005|date=6 November 2003}}</ref> and [[volume licensing]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Volume Licensing Programs for Windows Server 2003|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/vollicensing.mspx|website=microsoft.com|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050113170845/http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/vollicensing.mspx|archive-date=13 January 2005|date=15 June 2004}}</ref> with [[client access license]]s<ref>{{cite web|title=Windows Server 2003 Pricing|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/pricing.mspx|website=microsoft.com|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041229123308/http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/pricing.mspx|archive-date=29 December 2004|date=6 February 2004}}</ref>
| preceded by = [[Windows 2000 Server]] (1999)
| succeeded by = [[Windows Server 2008]] (2008)
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20030701063227/http://microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/default.mspx Windows Server 2003] (archived at [[Wayback Machine]])
| support status = ''All editions except Windows Storage Server 2003 and Windows Small Business Server 2003 (including R2):''<br />Mainstream support ended on July 13, 2010<br />Extended support ended on July 14, 2015<ref name=R1LS>{{cite web | url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2003-| title=Windows Server 2003 – Microsoft Lifecycle | website=Microsoft Docs| access-date=November 6, 2021}}</ref><ref name=R2LS>{{cite web | url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2003-r2| title=Windows Server 2003 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle | website=Microsoft Docs| access-date=November 6, 2021}}</ref><ref name="winserv2003-endsupinfo">{{cite web | url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/products/windows-server-2003/ | title=Windows Server 2003 end of support | publisher=Microsoft | access-date=19 June 2015}}</ref><br /><br /> ''Windows Storage Server 2003 (including R2):''<br /> Mainstream support ended on October 11, 2011<br /> Extended support ended on October 9, 2016<ref name=SS03>{{cite web|title=Windows Storage Server 2003 – Microsoft Lifecycle |url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-storage-server-2003|access-date=November 6, 2021|website=Microsoft Docs}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle |url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-storage-server-2003-r2|access-date=November 6, 2021|website=Microsoft Docs}}</ref><br /><br />''Windows Small Business Server 2003 (including R2):''<br />Mainstream support ended on April 12, 2011<br />Extended support ended on April 12, 2016<ref>{{cite web|title=Windows Small Business Server 2003 – Microsoft Lifecycle |url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/microsoft-windows-small-business-server-2003|access-date=November 6, 2021|website=Microsoft Docs}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle|url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/microsoft-windows-small-business-server-2003-r2-|access-date=August 13, 2023|website=Microsoft Learn}}</ref>
|}}

{{Windows XP}}

'''Windows Server 2003''', codenamed "Whistler Server", is<!--Do NOT change to "was". This violates [[MOS:TENSE]], which specifies that all articles on operating systems are written in previous tense, even if discontinued.--> the sixth major version of the [[Windows NT]] [[operating system]] produced by [[Microsoft]] and the first server version to be released under the [[Windows Server]] brand name. It is part of the [[Windows NT]] family of [[operating system]]s and was released to manufacturing on March 28, 2003<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.microsoft.com/2003/03/28/microsoft-windows-server-2003-released-to-manufacturing/ |title=Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Released to Manufacturing |work=News Center |publisher=Microsoft |date=28 March 2003 }}</ref> and generally available on April 24, 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2003/apr03/04-24windowsserver2003launchpr.aspx |title=Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Is Available Worldwide Today |work=News Center |publisher=Microsoft |location=[[San Francisco]] |date=24 April 2003 | access-date=1 April 2013}}</ref> Windows Server 2003 is the successor to [[Windows 2000#Editions|the Server editions of Windows 2000]] and the predecessor to [[Windows Server 2008]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mosley |first=Dion |date=2023-01-02 |title=Windows Server Basics – Learning Windows Server 2003 |url=https://www.serverbrain.org/learning-2003-2/windows-server-basics.html |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Windows Server Brain |language=en}}</ref> An updated version, Windows Server 2003 R2, was released to manufacturing on December 6, 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |last=GitHub-Name |title=Windows Server 2003 R2 – Microsoft Lifecycle |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2003-r2 |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=learn.microsoft.com |language=en-us}}</ref> Windows Server 2003 is based on [[Windows XP]].

Its kernel has also been used in [[Windows XP editions#Windows XP 64-Bit Edition|Windows XP 64-bit Edition]] and [[Windows XP Professional x64 Edition]].<ref name="vista">{{cite web |title=Rob Short (and kernel team) - Going deep inside Windows Vista's kernel architecture - Going Deep - Channel 9 |url=http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Going+Deep/Rob-Short-and-kernel-team-Going-deep-inside-Windows-Vistas-kernel-architecture |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129143547/http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Going+Deep/Rob-Short-and-kernel-team-Going-deep-inside-Windows-Vistas-kernel-architecture |archive-date=2021-01-29 |work=Channel 9 |publisher=Microsoft}}</ref>

It is the final version of Windows Server that supports processors without [[ACPI]].

As of July 2016, 18% of organizations used servers that were running Windows Server 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mackie |first=Kurt |title=Windows Server 2003 Still Used by 18 Percent of Orgs – Redmondmag.com |url=https://redmondmag.com/articles/2016/07/12/windows-server-2003-use-at-18-percent.aspx |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=Redmondmag |language=en-US}}</ref>