Windows Server 2003 R2 Reviewer's Guide Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2

New features

• 
  Windows Firewall—Also released with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Firewall is the successor of the Internet Connection Firewall. Windows Firewall is a host (software) firewall, a firewall helping protect each client and server computer on a customer’s network. Unlike Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Firewall is off by default on Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, and must be turned on to begin protecting systems. Windows Firewall is enabled by default for a brief time immediately following operating system installations that include Service Pack 1. Windows Firewall stays enabled for the duration of the new Post-Setup Security Updates portion of setup.
  
• 
  Post-Setup Security Updates (PSSU)—Servers are vulnerable in the time between initial installation and having the latest security updates applied. To counter this, Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 uses Windows Firewall to help block all inbound connections to the server after installation until Windows Update delivers the latest security updates to the new computer. After updating, Windows Firewall is turned off until it is manually configured for server roles. PSSU also guides users through immediate configuration of Automatic Updates.
  
• 
  Security Configuration Wizard (SCW)—SCW is a wizard that configures server security based upon existing server roles. SCW asks questions about server roles and then stops all services not necessary to perform those roles. SCW does not add roles, but configures the server around the roles it performs. Like boarding up unused doors, this new feature helps reduce the attack surface of Windows Server 2003.