Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Server Resource Kit (It-Resource Kit) (Paperback)

by Microsoft Corporation (Author) "Deploying a new operating system such as Windows 2000 in an enterprise environment is a task that requires executive approval and funding as well as..." (more)
Key Phrases: network load balancing, unattended setup, client deployment, Active Directory, Group Policy, Exchange Server (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
By volume, topics covered, and the authority of the authors, nothing documents Redmond's new operating system quite like Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit.

The kit consists of seven books and a well-organized CD-ROM. Each of the books contains comprehensive information about the respective area that it covers, be it TCP/IP or distributed systems. The kit not only includes essential information but also contains detail and background information for its many subjects in great depth. For example, the book that covers Internet Information Server includes instructions on developing client/server and multitier applications. The Windows 2000 TCP/IP Core Networking Guide also has an outstanding introduction to the core tenets of TCP/IP.

Systems administration manuals have come a long way in terms of usability and presentation, but they are still not the easiest to use. Many books (including some from Microsoft) of lesser scope provide information in a format that's easier to follow, and that includes screen shots and step-by-step instructions. The volumes in this kit do not provide as many images, illustrations, or diagrams as other volumes, but the level of technical detail is unbeatable.

Many of the volumes could stand alone. The Distributed Systems Guide, which is over 1,600 pages long, contains complete coverage of Active Directory, PKI, Distributed File System, PKI, and much more.

Why the set includes the Internet Explorer 5 Resource Kit is unclear--it stands apart from the others in that it covers an application rather than a core piece of the OS.

If you have room in your budget and the need for the most comprehensive and authoritative guide available on Windows 2000 Server, this is it. --John Keogh

Topics covered: Each book contains a great deal of information on its subject as listed below. The topics show breadth of coverage for each book and the CD-ROM, rather than simply listing all subjects covered. Security is not mentioned specifically since it is addressed throughout the kit.

Operations Guide: Disks, storage media, remote storage, types of file systems, network printing, network printing from non-Windows machines, performance monitoring, memory and caching, monitoring processor activity, examining and tuning disk performance, Dynamic Disks, monitoring network performance, measuring multiprocessor system activity, system recovery, designing reliable systems, backups, repair, recovery, restoration, troubleshooting, boot process, troubleshooting boot problems, Windows 2000 Stop Messages.

TCP/IP Core Networking Guide: Introduction to TCP/IP, Windows TCP/IP suite, NETBIOS, TCP/IP troubleshooting, TCP/IP tools, DHCP, WINS, Windows 2000 DNS, IPSec, Quality of Service, OSI Model, Windows 2000 Network Architecture, TCP/IP remote utilities, DHCP Options, SNMP.

Internetworking Guide: Unicast Routing, Routing and Remote Access Service, unicast IP routing, IP multicast support, IPX routing, Demand Dial Routing, Remote Access Server, Internet authentication service, virtual private networks, L2TP, PPTP, interoperability with IBM Host Systems, services for Unix, interoperability with NetWare, services for Macintosh, ATM, Telephony integration and conferencing, TAPI 3, NetBEUI, data link control, IBM SNA interoperability concepts.

Distributed Systems Guide: Active Directory logical structure, Active Directory data storage, name resolution in Active Directory, Active Directory schema, Global Catalogs, service publication in Active Directory, Active Directory replication, LDAP, Kerberos, managing flexible single-master operations, monitoring performance in Active Directory, Active Directory backup and restore, Active Directory diagnostics, troubleshooting, recovery, authentication, public key technology, cryptography, Encrypting File System, EFS administration, Windows 2000 certificate services and public key infrastructure, Distributed File System, file replication service, network load balancing, interpreting the cluster log, introduction to desktop management, group policy, software installation and maintenance, remote OS installation, troubleshooting, change and configuration management.

Deployment Planning Guide: Overview of deployment planning, creating a deployment roadmap, planning for deployment, creating a test lab, conducting a Windows 2000 pilot, preparing your network infrastructure for Windows 2000, determining network connectivity strategies, Windows 2000 DHCP, using system management server to analyze your network infrastructure, designing the Active Directory structure, domain naming, domain migration strategies, planning distribution security, planning your public key infrastructure, automating server installation and upgrades, using systems management server to deploy Windows 2000, upgrading and installing member servers, deploying Terminal Services, determining Windows 2000 network security strategies, ensuring the availability of applications and services, determining Windows 2000 storage management and strategies, synchronizing Active Directory with Exchange Server directory service, testing applications for compatibility with Windows 2000, defining a client connectivity strategy, defining client administration and configuration standards, applying change and configuration management, automating client installation and upgrades, tools, accessibility for people with disabilities, sample planning worksheets (included as an appendix).

Internet Information Services 5.0 Resource Guide: Overview of IIS, migrating to the new version, migrating a Web server to IIS 5.0, capacity planning, monitoring and tuning your server, developing Web applications, considerations for Unix applications, ISAPI, data access and transactions, administering an ISP installation, security, access to legacy applications and data, ASP best practices, site security planning.

Internet Explorer 5: Overview of IE 5, IE 5 components, customization and administration, working with different platforms, understanding related tools and programs, digital certificates, security based on the source of content, security of the Microsoft Java VM, content ratings and user privacy, planning deployment, accessibility features and functionality, setting up and administering a pilot program, Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit, setting up connections, connection management, running the Internet Explorer customization wizard, customizing setup, automating, working with .inf files, deploying Microsoft Internet Explorer 5, implementing the signup process, using automatic configuration and automatic proxy, keeping programs updated, supporting users, troubleshooting, batch mode setups, IE 5 options.

The CD-ROM: Many tools, including migration tools, network troubleshooting tools, and more.

Product Description
This RESOURCE KIT packs seven powerhouse references and over 200 tools and utilities on CD for deploying and supporting the Windows 2000 Server operating system.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1800 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press; 1 edition (February 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572318058
• ISBN-13: 978-1572318052
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.3 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 22 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #646,526 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Deployment Planning Guide is OK, March 12, 2000

By	Thomas E. Denham (Alpharetta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Windows 2000 is considerably more feature rich and complex than was NT and the Server Resource Kit reflects this in volume. It was released the same week I took the MOC Accelerated Training for Windows 2000 and when my Instructor made fun of the idea of buying such a large set of books I calculated that I could read through the 7 volumes in 4 months if I read 50 pages daily. After finishing the Deployment Planning Guide I'm about a week ahead of schedule.

The Deployment Planning Guide reflects Microsoft's understanding that Windows 2000 must be implemented with thorough planning to achieve the potential it has for supporting an enterprise environment. This volume is a Project Manager's dream. Nearly every planning base has been covered here from identifying the appropriate composition of various teams to task sequencing to checklist templates. The material is so well organized for guiding an implementation project that I am surprised it was not released with a Microsoft Project file and instructions to just add your own dates and stir.

The Deployment Planning Guide provides a useful survey of many of the features of Windows 2000. Even after a week of MOC training and reading through the two volumes associated with that class I learned some new things from the Planning Guide about how Win2K works. For people who need to gain an understanding of what the options are and how all the pieces fit together this is an excellent read.

For the most part the Planning Guide is clearly and accurately written. A few times terms seemed to be misapplied and the results were confusing. Repetition became annoying as the reader was referred to Server Help or the Unattend.doc on the installation CD for more information too frequently. Chapters 13 and 25 repeat the same material, once to describe automating server installations and then again to describe automating client installations. These problems reflect an obvious effort to make each section self contained but even so the volume is quite readable as an overview of Windows 2000 networking.

Check back in about 30 days for my review of the 1500 page Distributed Systems Guide!

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you ever wanted to know about Windows 2000 and, April 28, 2000

By	[e-mail] (Minneapolis, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

One of the negatives of the Microsoft books is that they often don't give a realistic view of Microsoft products. They often present them as they should work rather than as they actually do. In a sense, this book is no different. Despite this, the book is technically solid and contains much information that is not available anywhere else. You'll definitely want to supplement your studying by picking up other non-Microsoft Windows 2000 texts, but if you don't get this one, then you're simply not serious about Windows 2000.

This book is ahead of its time. Microsoft has a lot of "late-breaking" information that got included in the Resource Kit. Other authors will likely spend countless hours poring over these books for information to include in their own books. The Resource Kit contains more updated material than any other book to date. While the Resource Kit definitely isn't perfect and probably doesn't need to be 7,200-some pages, it still is worth picking up. When you combine it with Microsoft's rebate offer, it actually becomes a pretty good value too.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TCP/IP Core Networking Guide Is Pretty Good, June 1, 2000

By	Thomas E. Denham (Alpharetta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This volume provides a very clear review of TCP/IP. Basic concepts are covered in separate chapters from Windows 2000 distinctives. This organization makes the book an excellent learning tool. Students can work through the basic chapters while more experienced readers might go straight to the Windows 2000 features.

One of the features that appears throughout the SRK is flowcharts. This can be a helpful method for visualizing the step by step activities of establishing connections, resolving names, etc. This approach is applied in this volume particularly to troubleshooting. I liked having a flowchart and a list of steps to clarify the points covered.

Microsoft is emphasizing the use of network analysis through the use of Network Monitor in the SRK. Capture files are frequently included to illustrate TCP/IP functions.

A number of new tools for testing and verifying TCP/IP on a Windows 2000 network are covered in the book. The coverage is a little light weight and it is common to be referred to Server Help for more information. It appears to be necessary to review Server Help, the SRK Companion CD, as well as the SRK itself to fully review some tools and features. This sounds worse than it really is however.

A chapter is devoted to IPSec. On the one hand an attempt is made to review the material from a basic level to begin educating the industry on an important security option. The chapter also tries to cover the means of making IPSec functional on a network. I wanted more.

I was also disappointed with the chapter on Quality of Service. There was too much repetition and important issues were not addressed clearly enough. For instance, not all QOS features can overlap on machines. It was not clear what features can be run together and which must be installed on separate machines to function appropriately.

The last chapter in the volume was on SNMP. It was basic and clearly written.

Nine Appendixes were included covering everything from the OSI Model to LMHOSTS files. It is a shame this volume will not be more accessible to students as it is really an excellent treatment of TCP/IP.