The Barnes & Noble Review
From the standpoint of the Windows administrator, Windows has evolved into an entirely new beast. Much as Pikachu evolves into Raichu in the Pokémon universe, there are recognizable similarities to what came before. Nevertheless, Windows 2000 looks different, and more to the point, it offers dramatically new powers—which, if you're not careful, can have shocking results.
If nothing else, quite a bit has moved around. Gone is User Manager: now you create new user accounts with the Computer Management Tool, and domain accounts through Active Directory Users and Computers. Then, there's a ton of new stuff: new system installation tools, new file systems, new security models. And of course, there are the huge planning issues associated with migration from older versions of NT, and deploying a successful Active Directory.
In McGraw-Hill's Windows 2000 Administration, leading Windows trainer George Spalding walks you through every aspect of making Windows 2000—Server and Professional—work for your organization.
Spalding tells you right upfront that he was skeptical about Windows 2000, as many have been—but that he's changed his mind. "Microsoft has truly delivered a first-generation product that, while not perfect, is just too good not to use." He then offers a brief tour of what's new in Windows 2000. Well, actually, not quite so brief—there's a lot that's new!
Next, Spalding presents an in-depth review of installation and upgrades for Windows 2000 Professional clients, focused on the needs ofcorporatenetwork administrators.
In particular, there's valuable coverage of all three types of Windows 2000 unattended installations. You'll find coverage of command line setup, as well as Sysprep, Microsoft's long-awaited tool for cloning workstations. Spalding also introduces the Remote Installation Preparation Wizard, which allows you to prepare a Win2K Professional installation—desktop applications, configuration settings, and all—and replicate that image to a server, for deployment across the network to other workstations.
Next, Spalding turns his gaze to Windows 2000 Server, walking through installation and upgrades from Windows NT 4.0 Server. After a realistic look at hardware requirements, you'll find detailed coverage of in-place upgrades of existing network services. (Later in the book, once you've been introduced to Active Directory, you'll revisit migration, in-depth—with detailed recommendations for migrating each type of NT 4.0 domain model.)
Spalding reviews the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), Microsoft's catchall interface for Win2K system administration, showing how to use it to manage your enterprise network centrally—and how to create read-only, limited-function MMCs for your assistants throughout your network.
Next, he introduces and compares each of Windows 2000's myriad file systems, from NTFSv5 back to FAT16. There's detailed coverage of Windows 2000's new dynamic volumes, fault tolerance, and the Distributed File System (Dfs); as well as a detailed chapter on backup and recovery.
You'll find comprehensive coverage of dynamic DNS, Microsoft's "brave new world in name resolution" (Spalding's words), complete with dynamic updates, SRV records, incremental zone transfer, and Active Directory-integrated zones. You'll learn how DHCP is integrated into the Windows 2000 network—and why you probably can't dump WINS just yet—unfortunately. Windows 2000 Administration also contains a detailed chapter on Routing and Remote Access, including authentication, Internet connection sharing, NAT routing, and demand-dial interfaces.
In the second half of the book, Spalding presents Active Directory, in depth. You'll understand the role of each Active Directory building block: forests, domains, organizational units, trusts, and leaf objects—and how to translate an understanding of the concepts into an intelligent deployment plan.
You'll walk through installation, step-by-step; then learn how to configure and manage the Active Directory; create, modify, delete, copy, move, and locate common objects; work with Active Directory clients; and, finally, leverage Active Directory's extensive security options.
If you want practical, thorough coverage of Windows 2000 deployment, administration, and troubleshooting, put George Spalding's WINDOWS 2000 ADMINISTRATION on your short list.
—bncom editor
