Inside Windows 2000 Server (Inside)

In addition to being thorough, Inside Windows 2000 Server concentrates on the topics that the majority of Windows administrators will want the most--information, security, recovery, and networking. Given its extra emphasis on the most important topics, the book has added relevance.

The volume contains a level of detail that goes far beyond the bare essentials that an administrator needs to know, making this book useful for troubleshooting and for understanding how the operating system actually works. For example, the Managing File Systems chapter provides a byte-level file system reference, particularly helpful if you are using Disk Probe to see what is actually happening with storage media.

The book is also periodically unusually humorous. For example, after discussing why X.500 directory services hasn't caught on among numerous acronyms starting with the letter D, the author says, "my friend, you've got a whole D** lot to go wrong." This makes the book more readable even while it succeeds as a complete reference.

If you are looking for a book that provides basic information about installing and administering Windows 2000 Server, along with plenty of well-organized information for the serious administrator, this book is a great choice. --John Keogh

Topics covered: The first two chapters, which provide information about the product and installation, are the most general. The remaining chapters are focused on particular aspects of the operating system. This listing of topics covered generally follows the order in which the topics are presented in Inside Windows 2000 Server.

Types of Windows 2000 Server products (Professional Server, Advanced Server, Datacenter Server); hardware recommendations; hardware compatibility; storage; installation checklist; dual boot considerations; Plug-n-Play; FAT; FAT32; NTFS; Server Naming; passwords and password management; installation using setup disks, phases of setup, setup hangs, and problems during setup.

Performing upgrades and automated installs; NTLDR (Windows NT Loader); boot process; BOOT.INI; ARC paths; upgrade paths; preparing DHCP and WINS for upgrade; manual installation; upgrading Win 9x and Windows NT machines; Remote Installation Service; scripted installations; joining domains during setup; administrative tools, including sysdiff and Terminal Services.

System architecture (most of these are covered briefly), including memory allocation; paging file; kernel pools; MBR; Address Windowing Extensions; ring protection; multitasking; interrupts; overview of Windows 2000 plug-n-play, power management, Windows Driver Model; installing and configuring devices, including storage, network devices, and troubleshooting.

Overview of Windows 2000 networking; contrast with the OSI Model, name resolution, Server Message Block, discussion of Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Resource kit tools that can be used to troubleshoot network problems; LMHosts, WINS, WINS records, managing WINS.

DNS and DHCP, DNS domain structure, DNS overview, lookup zones, zone tables, dynamic updates, zones and security, WINS forwarding, configuring DHCP to support DNS.

Access Security, Kerberos (extensive discussion), Local Security Authority, types of authentication, account and security databases, SID and Relative IDs, limits on classic Windows NT security, configuring security policies, access for non-Windows systems (brief discussion), security administration.

Directory services overview, Active Directory Services, X.500 overview, LDAP (overview and a more extensive functional discussion later), Directory Information Model, naming conventions, classes and class derivations, rules, GUIDs, tools (including LDAP browser), ADSI Editor, directory contents (extensive discussion).

Designing Windows 2000 domains (which focuses on design and extends the security, naming, domain, and directory services background given in previous chapters).

Deploying Windows 2000 domains, infrastructure, preparing Windows NT Domain Controllers for upgrade, hardware preparation, time synchronization, disaster planning, RAS servers, security considerations (including trust and ACLs), troubleshooting, verifying updates, domain operations, instructions for upgrading, tools (brief discussion), domain operations.

Active Directory security (extensive discussion), overview, users, control lists, types of rights, access control inheritance, access rights delegation, extended rights, managing accounts, groups, global catalogs.

Active Directory replication and maintenance, overview, topology, intrasite replication, localizing Active Directory access, site objects, UTD Vector, version numbers and time stamps, configuring intersite replication, site links, special replication operations, tools, troubleshooting and backup, maintenance.

Configuring data storage, Logical Disk Manager service, RAID storage, low-level discussion of disk storage.

Managing file systems, overview of the Windows 2000 file system, FAT, FAT32, NTFS, byte-level discussion of the preceding, boot sectors, FAT and MFT structures, file record structure, short and long names, compression, directory records, distributed link tracking, file protection, defragmenting, quotas.

File system security, permissions, auditing, access control, changing file ownership, public/private key system, certificate services, data recovery.

Managing shared resources, functional description, network providers, file systems, SMB protocol, managing clients, sharing, client-side caching, offline files, Distributed File System, network printers (extensive discussion).

User profiles, including profile structure; profile ownership; managing profiles; roaming profiles; local profiles; home directories; user and group policies; administrative templates; using and managing DOS and 16-bit Windows applications; 16-bit Windows sessions.

Managing remote access and Internet routing, data communications, telephony, PPP, authentication, encryption, modems, RAS, dial-up discussion, ISDN, demand dial, VPN.

Backup and recovery (extensive discussion).