Customer Reviews

Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) Administrator's Companion (Pro -Administrator's Campanion)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is thorough and well written from a technical aspect. It is also the only Threat Management Gateway book in print at this time, as far as I know.

The only strikes against it...

It is dry, as you would expect from most technical manuals. There is none of the humor of Mark Minasi or the exuberance of Tom Shinder's writing.

I have come across a couple items that I think are incorrect due to the book having been written before TMG 2010 was actually released. Microsoft Press has a section on their website for updates to books, but as of my writing this, no corrections have been posted.

Some of the concepts in here could probably use a little more thorough explanation (for me it was NLB). But all in all, a well done book. At this point in time, I would consider this a must-purchase if you are going to use TMG 2010.

Overall, the book is an excellent resource for those new to TMG/ISA configuration. It describes several of the new features present in TMG, but I was amazed to see that it had absolutely no information on arrays. Arrays are an extremely important addition to TMG, with both the Standard and Enterprise versions of the product able to utilize array functionality.

Excellent book, well written. Very strong in technical detail.

I would suggest this book is for the more experienced user and for those who want to learn and come to understand what makes this software tick and the principles that drive it.

If you are looking for a quickie setup guide then this will not do it for you.
This books' weakness is lack of detail in describing how to set up and configure TMG up from scratch.

Mohit, Yuri and Jim have been the leaders in the world of TMG for many years, and their combined knowledge is unmatched. The book is exceptionally comprehensive, and is by far the most valuable resource to any TMG administrator. A lot of this even applies to TMGs predecessors, ISA Server 2000, 2004 and 2006 (as well as Microsoft's other edge products IAG 2007 and UAG 2010), so this book should be a no-brainer purchase for anyone who needs to handle any of Microsoft's edge products.

Finally, we have an excellent print resource for ISA/TMG with "Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) Administrator's Companion". The authors are Jim Harrison, who has authored many articles and blog posts on ISAServer.org beginning with ISA 2000, and Yuri Diogenes, a Microsoft Senior Security Support Escalation Engineer in the Forefront Edge Security Team.

The previous "go to" book from Syngress was poorly edited but was salvaged by the author who created ISAServer.org and regularly answered forum posts. This TMG Admin's Companion is a standalone, logically organized, well-written guide devoid of unrelated marketing literature. It does not necessarily provide all the screen-by-screen instructions, but I don't think it should. It's not a "Dummies" or beginners book. The authors explain the technology, such as rule processing, the various clients, malware inspection and url-filtering. I especially liked the appendix sections on how the HTTP protocol and proxies work.

Administrator's Companion is not perfect - for instance, it is deficient in its treatment of arrays, is light on the various network topology options, and its advice on migration from ISA was very superficial - but it is a very good start for configuring and supporting TMG. Use it with the online resources in Technet and ISAServer.org.

I have used ISA Server 2006 since 2006 and thought implementing a 2 server TMG enterprise array would be no problem. After some issues, I bought the book and had it delievered the next day. The book was very helpful, especially in its content about planning properly and various network design considerations. I was able to correct many issues and get my system operational much quicker. The TMG is complicated, so chasing symptoms can be time consuming.

Especially helpful are the "Real World" sections scattered throughout the book. These show actual TMG problems resolved and their underlying causes. For example, I was having a problem with IP Spoofing. Pp. 596-7 describe the problem in detail and how to resolve it. Another nice feature is chapter 33 on using Network Monitor 3 for Troubleshooting TMG.

While Microsoft Technet and the TMG built in help are somewhat helpful, I needed to know the how and why of the systems features. The authors' explanation of network protocols in conjunctin with TMG also help.

I recommend this book for any person planning to implement TMG. The book will help you plan properly and get the most out of the system. It is also helpful for troubleshooting.

Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway: Administrator's Companion is a 'must' for any serious computer administrator's library: it covers all the basics of TMG networks and administration, from publishing rules and URL filtering to managing VPN solutions and caching. Learn how to monitor and troubleshoot performance and address we-based th4reats to a business in this essential reference to Forefront TMG, a key reference and very highly recommended for any serious computer collection or business administrator's library.

The book is excellent, very well explained, easy to understand.
Topics very well detailed.
I recomend.

Congratulations for all writers.

Luiz Fernando Dias
Microsoft MVP - Forefront

The book is of high technical quality, as well as an excellent teaching.
I am very pleased with the book.
Congratulations to the authors, who are renowned professionals worldwide, making this book a best seller highly recommended.