Windows IT Library UPDATE--February 18, 2004

* Book Review
- The Ultimate Windows Server 2003 System Administrator's Guide

* New from Windows IT Library
- Working with Containers
- When a Handheld Becomes Information Technology's Problem

* New Books in Print
- Hardware Hacking: Have Fun While Voiding Your Warranty
- Hacking: The Art of Exploitation

* New eBooks
- Best Practices for Managing Linux and UNIX Servers
- Content Security in the Enterprise--Spam and Beyond
- The Expert's Guide for Exchange 2003: Preparing for, Moving to, and Supporting Exchange Server 2003

* Windows IT Library Top Five
- A+ Certification: How to Pass Your Exams
- Microsoft Windows NT Server Administrator's Bible: Option Pack Edition
- Microsoft Windows NT Secrets: Option Pack Edition
- The Microsoft Outlook E-Mail and Fax Guide
- Undocumented Windows NT

==== Sponsor: Windows & .NET Magazine ====

Get 2 Sample Issues of Windows & .NET Magazine!
Every issue of Windows & .NET Magazine includes intelligent, impartial, and independent coverage of security, Active Directory, Exchange Server, and more. Our expert authors deliver content you simply can't find anywhere else. Try two, no-risk sample issues today, and find out why 100,000 IT professionals read Windows & .NET Magazine each month!
http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0IGRIK0CCK0BEuX0At

==== Book Review ====
The Ultimate Windows Server 2003 System Administrator's Guide
Authors: Robert Williams and Mark Walla
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Published: April 2003
ISBN: 0201791064
Paperback, 1008 pages
Price: $49.99

Whether you're a full-time systems administrator or simply an IT professional whose duties include supporting and managing a Windows environment, you'll be reassured to learn that Windows Server 2003 will not put you out of a job. Robert Williams and Mark Walla clearly express that view in "The Ultimate Windows Server 2003 System Administrator's Guide." They state that "features such as the Active Directory and the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) will vastly broaden" the role of the systems administrator.

Williams and Walla also believe that Windows 2003 offers systems administrators a much better environment in which to work. The authors say that Windows 2003 saves you precious time previously spent on "mundane tasks and the management of dozens of disjointed tools, and the consolidated approach provided by Windows 2003 will free the administrator to concentrate on more mission-critical activities." Williams and Walla also acknowledge that while many companies will make the move to Windows 2003, many other companies will remain with Windows 2000 for some time. To cater to that scenario, their book covers not only the new features of Windows 2003 (which the authors discuss in depth) but also provides material that will benefit Win2K administrators.

IT professionals who already have experience with Windows administration (e.g., Win2K and Windows NT administrators) are the primary audience for this book. These readers will soon acquaint themselves with the major differences found in Windows 2003 from earlier OSs. However, systems administrators making the transition from other OSs (e.g., UNIX) also will benefit from reading the book. The authors assume that anyone tackling the book will already have a thorough understanding of networks and OS fundamentals.

To help readers get an immediate feel for Windows 2003 and where it fits in with other technologies (e.g., a Win2K environment), "The Ultimate Windows Server 2003 System Administrator's Guide" begins with a review of the components that comprise the OS. Examples of topics discussed in this part of the book include
-- The different editions of Windows 2003: web edition, standard edition, enterprise edition, and datacenter edition. Two helpful tables provide a quick comparison of the features that have been incorporated into the different editions of Windows 2003 and list the minimum and recommend system requirements for each edition.
-- The role and significance of the Windows .NET Framework.
-- An overview of the many different responsibilities that are typically assigned to Windows 2003 systems administrators. These responsibilities have been organized into four major categories: 1) system architecture (e.g., planning, deployment, domain model design); 2) user support (e.g., user account management, group policies management); 3) OS maintenance (e.g., OS and network monitoring, performance tuning, script development); 4) hardware and devices (e.g., device-driver support; file, printer, and application servers).

The book's opening chapter also contains a brief but informative discussion of the history of Windows 2003. The content covered in the remainder of the book includes all the topics you would expect to find in such a book. For example, chapters are devoted to the planning and installation of Windows 2003; AD management and use; user accounts and groups; permissions security, folder sharing, and Microsoft Dfs; and VPNs and IP Security (IPSec). To view a comprehensive description of the book's table of contents, visit http://www.awprofessional.com . You also can download the second chapter of the book, "Windows Server 2003 Structure and Architecture," from the publisher's Web site.

The book's two concluding sections are an appendix and a glossary. The appendix is a useful reference tool for systems administrators, as well as for more advanced Windows users, because it contains both the definitions and discussions of procedures and commands that you're likely to use regularly. Any options associated with the different commands are listed and explained as well.

The appendix explains the new command-line tools that ship with Windows 2003, as well as command-line tools that have been significantly upgraded. In addition, the appendix also details other commands that are common to both Windows 2003 and Win2K products. To make it easy and convenient to use, the information in the appendix has been organized into categories of commands and procedures (e.g., backup, batch, file management, file manipulation, print, search, resource kit support tools). The glossary is a handy way of finding the definitions of terms that you're unfamiliar with when reading this book and when you're consulting other sources of information about Windows 2003.

Williams and Walla's goal in writing "The Ultimate Windows Server 2003 System Administrator's Guide" was to deliver a book that represents an "intermediate reference guide for administrators, leaving out specialized architectural and programming topics." The book achieves that goal by providing readers with an understanding of the key concepts, components, and features of Windows 2003. But more importantly, and from purely a commercial perspective, the book equips readers with the technical wherewithal that's required to administer and support the environment for which they are responsible. And at the end of the working day, that's all that really matters.

Tony Stevenson
[email protected]
Windows IT Library Guest Reviewer

For more book reviews, visit the Windows IT Library Web site.
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/bookreviews

==== Announcements ====

Try a Sample Issue of Security Administrator!
Security Administrator is the monthly newsletter from Windows & .NET Magazine that shows you how to protect your network from external intruders and control access for internal users. Sign up now to get a 1-month trial issue--you'll feel more secure just knowing you did. Click here!
http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0IGRIK0CCK0BFMs0Ah

Get the SQL Server 2000 System Table Map Poster!
If you're an administrator or developer and work with SQL Server, SQL Server Magazine can help you at work. Subscribe today and you'll gain access to a treasury of SQL Server experts, content, tips, code listings, articles, and more. Bonus--the System Table Map Poster. Click here for details:
http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0IGRIK0CCK0BFhe0Au

==== New from Windows IT Library ====

Working with Containers
In this chapter from "Microsoft Content Management Server 2002: A Complete Guide," you'll learn how to manage the Content Management Server (CMS) 2002 publishing environment. You'll find information about using virtual storage and working with containers. You'll learn about channels and how to configure, rename, move, copy, and delete them.
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/content/944/16/toc.html

When a Handheld Becomes Information Technology's Problem
After reading this chapter from "PDA Security," you'll know how security and management solutions can work together for better integration of the PDA into your business. You'll also be able to calculate the risks that PDAs create for your business, and you'll understand how PDAs can function within your enterprise infrastructure.
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/content/918/04/toc.html

==== New Books in Print ====

Hardware Hacking: Have Fun While Voiding Your Warranty
This book has something for everyone--from the beginner hobbyist with no electronics or coding experience to the self-proclaimed "gadget geek." Take an ordinary piece of equipment and turn it into a personal work of art. Build upon an existing idea to create something better.
http://www.syngress.com/catalog/sg_main.cfm?pid=2870

Hacking: The Art of Exploitation
This book is for both technical and nontechnical people who are interested in computer security. It shows how hackers exploit programs and write exploits, instead of only showing how to run other people's exploits. Unlike many so-called hacking books, this book explains the technical aspects of hacking, including stack-based overflows, heap-based overflows, string exploits, return-into-libc exploits, shellcode, and cryptographic attacks on 802.11b.
http://nostarch.com

==== New eBooks ====

Best Practices for Managing Linux and UNIX Servers
This eBook will educate systems managers about how to best approach the complex realm of Linux and UNIX management and performance monitoring. The book will concentrate on core issues such as configuration management, accounting, and monitoring performance with an eye toward creating a long-term strategy for sustainable growth. You can download the first chapter at the following URL:
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/ebooks/managingunixlinuxservers/index.cfm?pc=ebkitl

The Expert's Guide for Exchange 2003: Preparing for, Moving to, and Supporting Exchange Server 2003
This eBook will educate Microsoft Exchange Server administrators and systems managers about how to best approach the migration to and overall management of an Exchange Server 2003 environment. The book will concentrate on core topics such as configuration management, accounting, and monitoring performance with an eye toward migration, consolidation, security, and management. You can download the first chapter at the following URL:
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/ebooks/exchangeserver2003/index.cfm

Content Security in the Enterprise--Spam and Beyond
High-speed Internet access has become ubiquitous across small and large enterprises worldwide. Businesses acknowledge that Internet applications such as email, Web browsing, and Instant Messaging (IM) are an essential medium to communicate with customers, suppliers, and partners. But with the opportunities that these applications provide come many risks and threats that an organization needs to address. The eBook "Content Security in the Enterprise--Spam and Beyond" explores these risks and discusses ways in which you can reduce or eliminate them by limiting inappropriate use, eliminating spam, protecting corporate information assets, and ensuring that these vital Internet applications are secure and available for authorized business purposes. You can download the first chapter at the following URL:
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/ebooks/spam/index.cfm?pc=ebkitl

==== Windows IT Library Top Five ====

A+ Certification: How to Pass Your Exams
This book walks you through all the skills tested in the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+ Core Hardware exam and A+ OS Technologies exam.
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/documents/book.cfm?documentid=175

Microsoft Windows NT Server Administrator's Bible: Option Pack Edition
This book provides specific coverage of the Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack add-ons to help you plan, install, configure, manage, optimize, and connect NT Server 4.0 to the Internet.
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/documents/book.cfm?documentid=405

Microsoft Windows NT Secrets: Option Pack Edition
Packed with the kind of notes, tips, and workarounds that come only from years of working day in and day out with a product, this book will help you optimize the performance, reliability, and security of your network.
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/documents/book.cfm?documentid=329

The Microsoft Outlook E-Mail and Fax Guide
Written for Microsoft Outlook end users and the administrators who support them, this volume explains all the real-world tasks that you're likely to encounter when working with Outlook and includes many timesaving techniques that take you beyond the basics.
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/documents/book.cfm?documentid=191

Undocumented Windows NT
This book documents what goes on under the covers in Windows NT. Three experts share what they've dug up on NT through years of hands-on research and programming experience. The authors dissect the Win32 interface, deconstruct the underlying APIs, and decipher the Memory Management architecture to help you understand operations, fix flaws, and enhance performance.
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/documents/book.cfm?documentid=356

==== Events Central ====
(A complete Web and live events directory brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine: http://www.winnetmag.com/events )

New Web Seminar--Realizing the Return on Active Directory
Join Mark Minasi and Indy Chakrabarti for a free Web seminar and discover how to maximize the return on your Active Directory investments and cut the cost of security exposures with secure task delegation, centralized auditing, and Group Policy management. Register now and receive NetIQ's free "Securing Access to Active Directory-A Layered Security Approach" white paper.
http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0IGRIK0CCK0BFE60AY

==== Sponsored Link ====

NetSupport
Free Trial - Fast and Easy Network Management. - NetSupport DNA
http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0IGRIK0CCK0BFW60Aq

==== Contact Us ====
About the newsletter -- [email protected]
About technical questions -- http://www.winnetmag.com/forums
About product news -- [email protected]
About your subscription -- [email protected]
About sponsoring this UPDATE -- [email protected]