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What's Next for Windows?
9/29/2004
64-bit enhancements could reshape your university’s software strategy— especially if your 32-bit Windows servers are about to run out of steam.
Do you hear it? It’s that noise again. Every few years,
Microsoft (www.microsoft.com)
and the trade press start hyping a “forthcoming” Windows upgrade
that will “forever change the world of computing.” This time, most
of the buzz involves Longhorn, code name for the oft-delayed successor to Windows
XP that won’t ship until 2005 or 2006 at the earliest. But while you listen
for Longhorn-related updates from Bill Gates, be sure to ask your Microsoft
reps and trusted integration partners about Microsoft’s existing and forthcoming
64-bit enhancements to Windows.
My reasoning for this advice is rather simple: Microsoft’s major server and desktop operating systems have relied primarily on 32-bit designs since around 1995. That’s fine for everyday applications like Word, Excel, and even departmental server databases. But some universities are running up against the 4-gigabyte virtual-memory limit found in the 32-bit Windows design. By contrast, 64-bit Windows has a 16-terabyte virtual-memory limit. That’s quite a difference: Each terabyte equals 1,024 gigabytes.
Sure, universities have been using 64-bit Unix operating systems from Hewlett-Packard (www.hp.com), IBM (www.ibm.com), and Sun Microsystems (www.sun.com) for a while. Each of those options offers rock-solid reliability and proven scalability—though you’ll pay a premium for proprietary hardware. You can also embrace 64-bit Linux (www.linux.com) offerings—a solid choice—but that’s not a campus wide option for universities hitching their software architectures to Microsoft’s Windows-centric Net strategy.
Early Adopters and You
Although 64-bit Windows is still in its infancy, eager adopters include Johns Hopkins University (MD) and Cornell University (NY). According to a spokesperson for Johns Hopkins, researchers use 64-bit Windows to crunch complex computations—taking 10 days to compute a task that previously required up to six months using 32-bit Windows systems.
Similarly, Cornell uses 64-bit Windows in its Theory Center for “computational steering”—a technique that allows researchers to monitor and manage complex simulations in real time, using interim results to guide decisions about how to direct ongoing computation.
Those aren’t everyday tasks, but your university may soon need 64-bit Windows for mainstream applications as well. Over the next few years, as your Web infrastructure grows to include portal, eCommerce, video, and voice-over-IP capabilities, your traditional 32-bit Windows servers may simply run out of steam.
Window Pains
Still, the 64-bit Windows puzzle is missing a few key pieces. Generally speaking, application developers such as Oracle (
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