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Windows 2000 Resources for the Technically Savvy - 14 Jun 2001

If you're a serious Windows 2000 Professional user, either as a power user or IT professional, you need a copy of the Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit. Yes, I mean the Server resource kit, not the resource kit specific to Win2K Pro. Why? Because the Win2K Server Resource Kit is a superset of the Win2K Pro version; if you find a bit of information in the Win2K Pro Resource Kit, you'll probably find significantly more in the server version.

I realize that the Win2K Server Resource Kit costs two to four times more than the Win2K Pro Resource Kit, but the additional information in the server version makes it a must-read, especially if you're an IT person or have an insatiable interest in Win2K technology.

While I'm discussing reading material, let me pass along several titles that I find useful in answering day-to-day questions from readers and co-workers. The first is the Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking by Mitch Tulloch. I recommend this book not so much for the content's completeness (which is quite good), but for the Microsoft definitions of networking terms. If you've worked only in Microsoft network environments, this book is a good general resource. If you have non-Microsoft networking experience, you'll find this book is an excellent source of translation material that can help you deal with the often nonstandard Microsoft definitions of common networking terms.

My second recommendation, Windows 2000 TCP/IP Protocols and Services Technical Reference by Thomas Lee and Joseph Davies falls in the same category as the first resource. If you run into configuration problems with IP and Win2K, this book will probably have your answers--or at least a good set of directions. If you're a UNIX user moving into the Win2K world, this book will help the transition. On a side note, I've found that the Microsoft Press books in the Technical Reference series have been uniformly useful.

My last recommendation might seem odd for a newsletter about Win2K Pro, but I get a huge number of questions about this topic. Windows 2000 DNS Server by William Wong clearly explains how Win2K DNS works (and how to set up and configure it) in its role as an Active Directory (AD) backbone or as a traditional DNS server. If you find Microsoft's DNS documentation in Win2K less than complete, this book will fill in the knowledge gaps.

If you have any personal recommendations for technical reading, please pass them along to me. I'll look at them and share them with your fellow Windows 2000 Professional UPDATE subscribers.

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