Customer Reviews

Microsoft Internet Information Server Resource Kit

However, since this is a book written by committee, some parts are good while others are plain bad. In particular Chapters 5 and 6 (written by John Sudds) are plainly unreadable and not worth wasting your time over. The first four Chapters and the Chapter on Security are worth reading.

The book is informational. If you want a desktop reference as you develope web pages etc., find some other book.

I haven't used the Toolkit as yet. We are in the process of creating a test setup and hopefully the toolkit will come handy.

Secondly, the book never really takes you step by step on what you have to do to set up a web site. It doesn't go through important things like setting up DNS or DNS strategies. Also left out is anything regarding receiving email (of course that another MS product and another MS book). I guess the book does live up to being a book about IIS 4 -- and only IIS 4. Why the book has to be nearly 600 words about just IIS is beyond me?

Thirdly, some of the resources and tools are just plain useless. I mean who the heck uses the built in traffic analysis? There many programs out there that provide better detailed reporting.

Finally, the really potentially useful information, such as interacting with IIS through VB and ASP, is glossed over. The author, I suppose, figures that you'll learn how to do it on your own.

I bought this book hoping to brush up on skills and maybe pick up on better methods of how to run a MS web server, but this book did not deliver. If you want a book that is overly verbose and can put you to sleep this is it, but if you want to learn how to run a MS web server don't waste your money.

The NT Resource Kits left me wanting for more concise information, and a better read (less verbose) but this book gives a concise and yet complete reference of IIS 4.0

This is not a replacement for a real study guide nor is it a complete "How To" manual, but don't mistake it for casual reading either. The two CD's included are worth the price of the book, especially if you are an administrator (or an aspiring administrator).

The single biggest drawback is Microsoft't use of its own corporate solutions. We all know how big Microsoft is, so give us a break: spotlight someone else using IIS!