Mastering Windows 2000 Server (Hardcover)

by Brian M. Smith (Author), Doug Toombs (Author), Mark Minasi (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Mark Minasi is an excellent technical writer and a veteran of many high-quality projects. Mastering Windows 2000 Server, albeit based on a late beta version of its subject (release candidate 2), is the newest in his string of triumphs. With remarkable detail and with something approaching comprehensiveness, Minasi documents Windows 2000 Server capabilities with an eye toward the goals of real-world network administrators and the problems they're likely to encounter.

His style is fun in that it communicates procedures without descending into "choose this, click that" tedium, instead using narrative prose with illustrations to combine practical material with enough background information to promote truer understanding. Occasional tables and bulleted lists, ready for marking, hold commands, options, and other reference information.

Because Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server are largely the same (Advanced Server supports more memory and a greater number of processors than plain Server), this book ought to prove useful to administrators of both. Windows 2000 Datacenter Server admins have to worry about some additional capabilities (notably clustering and load balancing) that aren't covered here, but even they should benefit from this book's contents.

Though Minasi makes a point of saying that he didn't write with exams in mind, this book should also prove useful to people studying for Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) exams involving Windows 2000 technologies. Mastering Windows 2000 Server is an excellent value. --David Wall

Topics covered: Features of Windows 2000 Server (and similar products) from the administrator's perspective. The author (who based his research and writing on the Release Candidate 2 late-beta edition of Windows 2000 Server) gives particularly lavish attention to Active Directory, Remote Installation Services, Windows Terminal Services, and various aspects of network connectivity. Users who want to hook Macintoshes and NetWare networks to Windows 2000 systems will find useful material. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
-The complete guide to enterprise networking with Windows 2000! -Number-one Windows authority Mark Minasi teaches you the secrets for building trouble free Windows 2000 networks. -Covers through the third Service Pack.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1583 pages
• Publisher: Sybex; 4 edition (April 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0782140432
• ISBN-13: 978-0782140439
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.7 x 2.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (139 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #572,648 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth its weight in gold, January 10, 2001

By	Steven Nicolaou (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mastering Windows 2000 Server (Hardcover)

This is the book that made me wonder how come all those other technical books make learning Windows 2000 such a difficult and confusing task. I was lucky though since this was my first book on Windows 2000 and I got it at a time when I really needed to get to grips with it fast.

With absolutely no experience in Windows NT 4, networking or administration, I had to learn Windows 2000 Server and the theory at the same time, including DNS, WINS, DHCP, TCP/IP, Active Directory, scalability and security. I literally read the whole thing over a weekend and went ahead the following week to single handedly set up a Windows 2000 based LAN for a small company, and was able to easily cope with all their demands. The network was soon up and running with the Active Directory, DNS, WINS, DHCP and TCP/IP in perfect working order. It is no exaggeration to say I owe the project's success to this book alone.

Mark and his team's writing style make reading it a pleasure. Depth of content gives you a deep feeling of satisfaction that you've covered the subject thoroughly and gained a very clear picture. This is the book by which I judge the quality of other books on Windows 2000 topics, and I have yet to find one that contained something this book didn't tell you and nowhere near as clearly or comprehensively. I have not yet needed to look at another book on Windows 2000 Server, and nor do I think I will.

The book starts out with an introduction to Active Directory, installation (local and remote), the MMC, the Registry, Hardware installation and Storage Management, followed by Managing User and Computer Accounts, File Sharing, Software Installation, Network Printing, Connecting PC Clients and Macintoshes, Terminal Services, How Running a Big Windows 2000 network is different, Novell Netware Integration, a massive 250 pages on TCP/IP in Windows 2000, Internet Information Services, Tuning and Monitoring, Backup and Disaster Recovery, the Remote Access Service and ends with a handy appendix explaining over 30 of the most useful Performance Objects that can be used in the Performance Monitor.

Mark Minasi has deep insider's knowledge of the product and you can sense his enthusiasm as he shares his knowledge with you, leaving nothing out and all with a light touch of humour and very well organised. This is the best book on Windows 2000 Server and I would especially recommmend it to those just starting out, although I'm sure it's every serious administrator's essential Windows 2000 companion too.

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cannot say enough about this book!, March 28, 2000

By	Timothy L. Warner (Syracuse, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering Windows 2000 Server (Hardcover)

I am an NT administrator and technical trainer trying to quickly get up to speed with Windows 2000 Server. Mark's book is just the ticket. Let's face it- the guy not only knows the product backwards, forwards, and diagonally, but he knows how to TEACH the relevant concepts.

This book is serving the dual purpose of helping me prepare for the Windows 2000 MCSE exams as well as gain the necessary skills to do meaningful consulting with Windows 2000.

In summary, the book is purposely structured to be of maximum benefit to people with or without prior knowledge of Windows NT. Current Windows NT experts will doubtless learn some new pointers about NT as they learn brand new stuff about Windows 2000. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT for Beginners, August 10, 2000

By	"hwonders" (Butler, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering Windows 2000 Server (Hardcover)

I am new to Windows 2000 Server having bought it to start a web server for my small laboratory services business. The book was rated highly so I gave it a try. When the title says MASTERING it really means you better have prior MS Server experience as a prerequisite to using this book.

Much of the writing in this book assumes a working knowledge of the basics including installation, network setup, server configuration and more. For example, only brief descriptions were given of some entries required during installation. Many install topics where barely mentioned at all even though the concept and proper configuration of these are critical to proper install and server configuration. Some topics are discussed in great detail but seeking this information out among the entire text was difficult at best. The organization and flow of the text in this book could not be easily applied to a new install / setup situation.

In short this is not a HOW TO type of book and you should look elsewhere if you are a beginner.