Mastering Windows Server 2003

Rating:
Summary: Ignore The Rest -- Buy The Best
Review: This is absolutely the best writing I have encountered on Microsoft's premier operating system. The authors have put a great deal of effort into explaining clearly and in sufficient detail -- and it shows.

Rating:
Summary: Güzel bir kitap
Review: Gerçekten Mark yine iyi iþ yapmýþ. Bu kitap harika. Yalnýz biraz aðýr, taþýrken belinize dikkat edin.

Rating:
Summary: Patently Outstanding!
Review: Mark Minasi's Book "Mastering Windows Server 2003" is patently hands-down the finest instructional material I have had the pleasure to read in my 22 years in Information Technology. Not only does this book provide step-by-step instructional guidance that is thoroughly formatted in a concise and logical manner, but you will find that it is an absolute indispensable must-have as a reference guide in your day-to-day network operations and maintenance. Easily worth three times the price and I would recommend it to anyone that is considering a move to Server 2003. As a side note, I would add that the "newcomer" will also find this an excellent source for getting started. I.e., the book is written such that even the novice will soon learn to master Windows Server 2003. Beginner or Expert, you cannot lose with the excellent masterpiece!

Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff!
Review: This book has everything you need to know about Windows Server 2003. I had the opportunity to go to a class by Mark Minasi. The book reads like his lectures, full of information with some humor thrown in to keep it interesting. Some other IT texts are so dry that they are impossible to get through, especially with the daunting page count of 1600+. However, I did not find this book to be boring at all. Minasi takes you from fundamentals to advanced topics in an even, readable flow.

Long story short, this is THE reference to buy.

Rating:
Summary: This is all you need.
Review: This is all you're going to need to set up your Windows 2003 based network.
I bought this book to setup a network at home, knowing nothing about previous versions of "Server" editions of Windows. I knew nothing about DNS, DHCP, Domains, Group Policies, roaming profiles...etc.
With the help of this book I was able to build & I'm able to manage my network better.
If you're trying to get any sort of certification or get a job that requires knowledge of the server version of Windows, this book is the one you need. It stays very close and related to Windows 2000, so if you have a Windows 2000 network this book will do as well.
If you have a previous "Mastering Windows Server 2000" book, then you will find that most information contained in this book is already in the previous.
However, there are still quite a few new features available in Server 2003 that are not in the old book, so if you want to be up to date, then go with this one as well. Keep in mind that if you know how to operate one OS, you'll know 2000 or 2003.
You'll learn how to setup a DNS server, DHCP servers, File server, managing users, joining a domain, administering an active directory domain...you'll have it all here!
This book is HUGE too. I find it to be quite uncomfortable sometimes because of how heavy it is. It's no problem if you have a laptop where you can take the cd-rom and view the PDF book.
Overall, it's a book that no administrator should be missing from his or her book collection. It's got all that you will need. Definitely recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: I like the humor in this book
Review: This book is not has bad as briandonovan1997 would make it seem. I actually enjoyed the humor in this book as it's a nice break from some of the technical and tedious material one has to read through to master Windows Server 2003.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Give up your Day Job!
Review: If you want to be a stand-up comic, don't give up your day job. The humor embedded in this book might have been funny in the 1980s or 1990s, but it is completely inappropriate in this day and age. IT is a serious job these days and companies can no longer afford to be administered and managed by hobbiests. I was offended by the lack of respect the author had toward the serious role of network administration and management. I also found that a lot of the humor was not even applicable to Windows 2003 (might have been applicable to Windows NT4 or Windows 2000, but Windows 2003 has proven to be an extremely stable, reliable, and secure operating system right out of the box!)

No doubt the author is brilliant and really understands Windows, however I hope if he writes a 2nd edition of this book he rewrites the book to be applicable to Windows 2003 and not replay old jokes cut/pasted from previous versions of books he has written.

There are plenty of other books on Windows 2003 that provide a more professional, more objective perspective of the implementation, administration, and support of the operating system. For IT professionals that are serious about their roles, buy a book that provides real world helpful information.

Rating:
Summary: get to the point.....
Review: I have 7 certifications thru Microsoft including MCSA and MCSE. Needless to say I have had to read a lot in the past. While this book does have a lot of information on Server 2003 it lacks SUS information which you can find in the MS Press book for 070-290. The author also continually tries to entertain you with his attempts at wit and humor. (Apparently he learned computer science thru the Dummy Series books, remember those?) Excuse me, but if I want to be entertained I'll buy a joke book, thank you very much. The purpose in buying networking books for me is to learn computer networking not to have to continually muddle through poor attempts at humor to hopefully find useful information. The MS books may be considered by many to be dry, but at least they are clear, concise, and stick to the point, that being networking technology. The book is a complete waste of money.

Rating:
Summary: The one necessary Windows reference.
Review: Minasi and company have been and continue to be the go-to source for real world Windows Server information. Windows 2003 Server is no exception. I've been working with (and against) Windows for 7 years professionally, Minasi is always the one book I find necessary.

Rating:
Summary: I Like books written by Sybex most
Review: I Like books written by Sybex most