Win 2000 fix squashes 550 bugs
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REDMOND, WASH. - Microsoft last week released Service Pack 2 for Windows 2000, which addresses about 550 known bugs in the operating system and automatically upgrades its encryption to 128-bit.
The fixes focus on application compatibility, Active Directory, Internet Information Server (IIS), management and administration, networking, security and setup. The service pack does not include any new features for the operating system, which is in keeping with a promise that Microsoft made when it shipped Win 2000.
Service Pack 2 is for the Professional, Server and Advanced versions of Win 2000.
The service pack was due to ship several weeks ago, but a major security flaw discovered in IIS delayed the launch (www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 4347). The fix for that flaw is included in Service Pack 2.
Microsoft said in February 2000 that service packs for Win 2000 would ship every six months. The first service pack rolled off the line last July, but this second service pack has not followed that timetable.
The service pack is not a required upgrade, according to Microsoft, but users who choose not to install it should at least install the patch for IIS (the Microsoft bulletin).
The service pack includes all the fixes that were included in Service Pack 1, so users who bypassed that pack need only install the new one in order to be up to date.
One of the biggest changes in the service pack is the addition of 128-bit encryption, which supports all the encryption services in Win 2000. Those include Kerberos, Encrypting File System, remote access server, remote procedure call, Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security, CryptoAPI, Terminal Services remote desktop protocol and IP Security.
IT administrators can choose to install Service Pack 2 over their network with the Network Installation version of the software. The network install is a 105M-byte executable file.
The service pack also is available in an Express Installation version, which only adds needed components to either desktops or servers.
Administrators can download Service Pack 2 from Microsoft's Web site. A CD-ROM version of the service pack is available for $20.
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