Resource Kit
Resource Kit is a term used by Microsoft for a set of software resources and documentation released for their software products, but which is not part of that product. Resource kits offer supplementary resources such as technical guidance, compatibility and troubleshooting information, management, support, maintenance and deployment guides and multipurpose useful administrative utilities, which are available separately.
Overview
The most common form of the Resource Kits are as a large book or box set of books which come with CD-ROM(s), both of which have been supplemented in some cases such as the Resource Kits for
The text of the Resource Kit books are also available with versions of the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) CD-ROMs, and a large subset to complete set of the tools included in the kits can be downloaded from the Microsoft web site. The tools can include everything from extra commands for the command line to general interest programmes like 3D Paint to network-related tools to performance monitoring tools to interpreters for programming languages like Perl, Rexx, and others to interoperability tools like Windows versions of some Unix commands and shells.
The Resource Kits, especially in the case of the Windows NT-2000 stream of operating systems, also include third-party software like various versions of Crystal Reports and PowerDesk.
Typically, Microsoft releases resource kits after every major version of
Those seeking Windows-Unix interoperability in various forms can also use an unrelated software product,
The Resource Kit tools mainly help administrators streamline management tasks such as troubleshooting
Windows Resource Kits
Windows Resource Kit was introduced with
Windows 9x family
The Windows 95 to Windows 98 Resource Kit documentations and tools were available free of charge and a Resource Kit Sampler was included on the respective Windows installation CD-ROM discs. Resource Kit tools can generally be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center free of charge[citation needed], while the technical guidance and information is released in the form of Microsoft Press books. The CD-ROM discs accompanying the books, contain electronic versions of the books and include the Resource Kit tools and utilities, some of which may be exclusive.
Windows NT family
The Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kits (Workstation and Server) contained a particularly large number of tools and utilities as well as third-party software. The tools included in these kits for command-line use are considered by many Windows NT shell programmers to be essential to getting the full use of the facility.
In the past, Microsoft used to release supplements for some Resource Kits which offered revised and new tools and resources. Microsoft released two supplements for the Windows NT 3.51 Server Resource Kit, four supplements for the Windows NT 4.0 Server Resource Kit and one supplement for the Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit. Some of these utilities (such as
The Windows 2000 Resource Kit also contains over 300 utilities.[1] For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, over 120 tools and utilities have been updated.[2] The Windows disc for Windows 2000, Windows XP and later operating systems also includes a set of tools known as Windows Support Tools. Many of the support tools are also included in the Resource Kit, some being updated versions of past Resource Kit tools. The Microsoft web site has downloads of Windows 2000/XP era tools which are in addition to those in the standard kits or updated version of the ones shipping in the Resource Kits. Windows XP Professional Resource Kit, Third Edition was released after Windows XP Service Pack 2.[3] All of the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools are available for download free of charge.[4]
There have been no native 64-bit resource kit tools produced and existing 32-bit resource kit tools are not supported on x64 platforms.
In 2007, Microsoft released the Windows Vista Resource Kit.
Windows 7 Resource Kit was released on September 14, 2009.[8] Microsoft has announced that new unsupported Resource Kit tools will not be provided for current and future operating systems.[9]
Other resource kits
The Office Resource Kit and tools are included on the respective Office CD/DVD and/or separately. The tools are also available for download from Microsoft web site.[10]
Microsoft has also released Resource Kits for
The
See also
References
- ^ "Windows 2000 Resource Kits". Microsoft.com. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ "Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit". Microsoft.com. 2005-05-04. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ "Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Tools". Microsoft.com. 2004-10-08. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ "Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools". Microsoft.com. 2003-04-28. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ "Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools". Microsoft.com. 2003-04-28. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ "Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit: Special Promotional Edition Book/CD Package". Microsoft press UK. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
Microsoft Press eReference Library: *eBooks of all 7 Resource Kit volumes
- ^ Heaton, Alex (April 3, 2007). "Announcing the Windows Vista Resource Kit". Windows Vista Team Blog. Microsoft. Archived from the original on April 16, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- ^ "Windows 7 Resource Kit: Microsoft Press blog". Blogs.msdn.com. 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ "Are Resource Kits Dead? NOPE!". Blogs.technet.com. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit
- ^ "Introducing the Windows 7 Resource Kit PowerShell Pack". Blogs.msdn.com. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
External links
- Windows NT Workstation Resource Kits
- Download the Windows 2000 Resource Kit Tools
- Download Windows XP SP2 Support Tools
- Download Windows XP SP2 Deployment Tools
- Download the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools
- Download Windows Server 2003 SP2 Support Tools
- Web Resources of Windows Resource Kit
- Resource kits list with descriptions