Windows IT Library UPDATE--November 19, 2003

This Issue Sponsored By

IT Buyer's Network
http://www.itbuynet.com/

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1. Book Review
- Practical Software Engineering: Analysis and Design for the .NET Platform

2. Announcements
- Order Windows & .NET Magazine and the Article Archive CD at One Low Rate!
- New Windows & .NET Magazine Web Site Unveiled!

3. New from Windows IT Library
- Protocol Negotiation
- Server Types and Security Modes

4. New Books in Print
- Hacking: The Art of Exploitation
- Programming .NET Windows Applications

5. New eBooks
- Migrating to Windows Server 2003, Active Directory, and Exchange 2003
- Windows 2003: Active Directory Administration Essentials

6. 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

7. Event
- Have You Checked Out Windows & .NET Magazine's Archived Web Seminars Lately?

8. Contact Us
See this section for a list of ways to contact us.

==== Sponsor: IT Buyer's Network ====

Are You Ready to Buy Hardware, Software, Networking Products and Accessories? Check out the latest offerings on IT Buyer's Network. Find clearance items and rebates, research products in the solutions library, check out reference guides, and learn about the latest technology seminar. Easily search the most up-to-date products by category and sign up to receive product information from the email newsletter.
http://www.itbuynet.com/

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==== 1. Book Review ====

Practical Software Engineering: Analysis and Design for the .NET Platform
Author: Enricos Manassis
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Published: September 2003
ISBN: 0321136195
Paperback, 304 pages
Price: $39.99

So much "fluffy stuff" has been written about the "art" of software engineering that many professional developers (myself included) have adopted a rather cynical attitude regarding what's possible and what isn't. But a new book, "Practical Software Engineering: Analysis and Design for the .NET Platform," has grabbed my attention, partly because it concentrates on the analysis and design of software-engineering tasks associated with the Microsoft .NET platform.

I like books that use real-life examples to back up the theory the author is discussing. So, I like this book, with its accompanying BooksREasy demo (which I discuss later). If your work and professional interests are aligned with the .NET platform, this book could be a perfect fit for you.

In writing "Practical Software Engineering," Enricos Manassis had several objectives in mind, the primary one being to give readers a "holistic view of software development for distributed e-commerce systems." Manassis wrote this book for two types of IT developers: those just starting out and those who want to build on acquired experience. With both sets of readers in mind, the book presents a rigorous approach to system specification, analysis, and design that should underpin all software development.

If you're an experienced analyst, developer, software architect, tester, or project manager and you believe that you're beyond this book, don't dismiss it too quickly. You'll find "Practical Software Engineering" useful as a refresher course or as a means to catch up on the latest advances in software engineering. The text also can be a timely reminder of those IT areas in which you or your software development team has become lax or inefficient.

"Practical Software Engineering" is divided into two parts. Three chapters in Part One concentrate on system specification, touching on the business model, system requirements, and the user-experience model, respectively. In Part Two, the discussion turns to system analysis and design, with six chapters focusing on the analysis model, the design model, the implementation model, role-based security, testing, and traceability, respectively. Manassis defines traceability as "defining formalized relationships between the items of information," in which an "item of information" refers to the realization of a "piece of knowledge."

To ensure that the book is practical, the author uses a case study (a sample Web application for .NET) throughout his discussion to show how theory is actually applied. You'll find the companion Web site to "Practical Software Engineering," which includes the complete case study, at http://www.booksreasy.com.

The demonstration system that you'll find on this site is a fictitious online bookstore, BooksREasy. From a user perspective, the site should provide more information about how to start the demonstration, but after you learn how to start it, taking the system for a test drive is straightforward. The first and most important step is to create an account by clicking Create Account. Then, you can roam the site at leisure as if you were in a real online bookstore.

From a software-engineering perspective, the case-study site serves two major purposes. First, the site is an excellent learning resource because it provides a practical application of the system that the book addresses from a theoretical perspective. Second, you can download the source code for Visual Studio .NET and the complete models for Rational XDE Professional v2002 .NET Edition. And the case-study site isn't just a one-off exercise. Manassis suggests that you could "use all the material \[the online case study, the downloads, and the book\] as a robust basis for your own development projects." To help you get an immediate feel for "Practical Software Engineering," I recommend that you go to the publisher's Web site (http://www.awprofessional.com), initiate a search by using the book's ISBN number (0321136195), and read the sample chapter, "Testing." This chapter is an excellent choice as the sample chapter because bulletproof testing is one of the most misunderstood and, in many cases, the most poorly executed stage of the software-development process. But as Manassis states, even "a seemingly peripheral issue like testing can actually be integrated within an overall engineering approach to software development."

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

==== 2. Announcements ====

Order Windows & .NET Magazine and the Article Archive CD at One Low Rate!
What's better than Windows & .NET Magazine? Try Windows & .NET Magazine and the Windows & .NET Magazine Article Archive CD at one super low rate. Read Windows & .NET Magazine in the office. Take the Article Archive CD with you on the road. Subscribe now!
http://www.winnetmag.com/rd.cfm?code=wcep203xcc

New Windows & .NET Magazine Web Site Unveiled!
We are proud to announce the new and improved Windows & .NET Magazine Web site. Discover the fresh, new look and a more simplified way to find answers, news, strategic guidance, and how-to information. Check out our new Web site at
http://www.winnetmag.com

==== 3. New from Windows IT Library ====

Protocol Negotiation
This chapter, from Chris Hertel's "Implementing CIFS: The Common Internet File System," gives an overview of the available Server Message Block (SMB) dialects, virtual circuits, and authentication. After reading this chapter, you'll understand the NEGOTIATE PROTOCOL SMB exchange, including its dialect selection; SMB_PARAMETERS and SMB_DATA blocks; and parameters that let you know server capabilities, limitations, and expectations.
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/content/821/13/toc.html

Server Types and Security Modes
This chapter from "The Official Samba-3 How-To and Reference Guide," which was edited by two members of the Samba Team, discusses the types of servers that you can configure Samba with. After reading this chapter, you'll understand password checking, as well as security modes and how they relate to Windows servers and clients. This chapter, like all the chapters in this book, discusses features and benefits of using Samba and how to resolve common errors.
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/content/852/03/toc.html

==== 4. New Books in Print ====

Hacking: The Art of Exploitation
This is a book for the true hacker, whether that means the black-clad system invader we see in the movies, the underappreciated systems administrator keeping miscreants off his or her network, or the neutral computer technology enthusiast who enjoys the challenge. "Hacking: The Art of Exploitation" teaches the reader to think like a hacker.
http://nostarch.com/frameset.php?startat=hacking_toc

Programming .NET Windows Applications
With this tutorial, you'll explore all aspects of using Microsoft .NET WinForms class libraries and the associated programming tools in Visual Studio .NET, enabling you to build applications for the Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows 95 desktop platforms. Step by step, you'll learn ways to design applications that either function alone on a PC or work in combination with your Web-based application server to take advantage of the rich interface and high level of security. The book also explains how your new Windows applications can sidestep problems that used to arise from the use of DLLs and how you can use .NET WinForms as an alternative to ASP.NET and browser-based approaches for building Web application clients.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pnetwinaps

==== 5. New eBooks ====

Migrating to Windows Server 2003, Active Directory, and Exchange 2003
"Migrating to Windows Server 2003, Active Directory, and Exchange 2003" delivers invaluable guidance to large and small enterprises that are migrating from Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, or Exchange Server 5.5. Readers will flatten their learning curve and reduce their pain quotient by implementing practices that have proven effective in the field. The first chapter of this free eBook is available at the following URL:
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/ebooks/migrating/index.cfm?pc=ebkitl

Windows 2003: Active Directory Administration Essentials
Whether you're an expert with Windows 2000 and Active Directory (AD), a Windows NT administrator who has read all the trade journals and has a Win2K test lab, or new to AD, this book is for you. Based on actual product code, the book touches on key topics that many Windows texts fail to mention. This free eBook is delivered as each chapter is written. You can download the first five chapters at the following URL:
http://www.WindowsITlibrary.com/ebooks/administeringad/index.cfm?pc=ebkit1

==== 6. 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

==== 7. Event ====

Have You Checked Out Windows & .NET Magazine's Archived Web Seminars Lately?
Find timely information about email abuse and the security and business concerns surrounding the use and abuse of email within companies. Or, learn more about identity management and how you can benefit from greater security, improved productivity, and better manageability. Sign up and receive a free identity management white paper. Register now for these two informative Web seminars!
http://www.winnetmag.com/seminars

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==== 8. Contact Us ====

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