Microsoft released on Friday a tutorial and templates to help system administrators lock down the security of computers running the company's newest operating system, Windows Server 2003.

The tutorial consists of portable document files (PDFs) detailing the reasoning behind configuring the server software for various applications, from a Web server connected to the Internet to a domain controller on a company's internal network. Also included are examples of Microsoft-recommended configurations for specific applications.

"There are a lot of different settings that a customer can set on something like a Web server," said Michael Stephenson, lead program manager for Windows Server 2003. "What the guide does is explain to customers why they would want a setting a certain way."

The publication of the security how-to guide came a day after the launch of the next generation of Microsoft's server OS. Among other things, the guide contains explanations, checklists, sample configurations and scripts for setting up eight different classes of servers using Windows Server 2003.

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