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Windows 2000 Deployment and Desktop Management 1st Edition

by Jeffrey A. Ferris (Author)

5.0 5 ratings

Some of Windows 2000's most anticipated features involve more powerful, effective, remote and unattended Windows client management. Windows 2000 Deployment and Desktop Management, written by one of the most experienced practitioners in the business, shows experienced administrators how to implement these technologies on their own networks. It is geared towards experience System Administrators, System Integrators, System Engineers and other IT professionals who are responsible for rolling out Windows 2000 Professional in an enterprise environment. This book focuses on the business drivers and in-depth technical requirements necessary to deploy Windows 2000 Professional to corporate workstation. The goal is to provide a strategy guide during the planning and implementation phases of roll-out, as well as technical reference throughout these phases and continuing into post-install support of the Windows 2000 Professional environment from a desktop management perspective.

Amazon.com Review

Some technical handbooks are destined to be dog-eared, coffee-stained, and perpetually atop the pile on a system administrator's messy desk. Windows 2000 Deployment and Desktop Management is one of those books.

Windows 2000 provides extensive, new management functionality, allowing for a high level of administrative control over the corporate desktop. The downside of this control is the resulting list of administrative decisions--over 500 group-policy object settings and hundreds of configuration options. Without proper guidance, these features can trip up even the most ambitious system administrator. So, this book will come in quite handy for anyone who's tasked with administering a Windows 2000 network, from rollout strategies to security, and from installation of desktop applications to access control.

The first of Windows 2000 Deployment and Desktop Management's two sections details the options available for automated installation of Windows 2000 Professional. They range from preparing hard disk images to over-the-network installation. The second section is dedicated to managing the corporate desktop. Windows 2000 allows everything from lax management of the desktop, which requires minimal up-front work by the administrator, to extremely tight control, which requires a good bit of planning. For those implementing desktop control, the book effectively combines technical explanations with practical advice. It covers the complex ins and outs of assigning group-policy objects in conjunction with Active Directory, as well as software installation, Intellimirror, and security. In several instances, exercises demonstrate the various technologies to the reader.

The first of several valuable appendices is an exhaustive list of file extensions, useful for decoding file formats and stumping your peers with trivia (PPT is easy, but what about PRS?). Just as helpful is the extensive documentation on Windows 2000 answer files. Just having these references in one place will really help system administrators out.

This book is well written and efficient, fusing common sense with technical know-how. It will appeal to Windows 2000 system administrators of all skill levels. Note that it focuses narrowly on deployment and desktop management, and assumes a working knowledge of complementary Windows 2000 services (DHCP, DNS, and Active Directory). True to the title, it is both a solid introduction to deployment and desktop management, and a long-term reference for those in the administrative trenches. --Pete Ostenson

From the Back Cover

Some of Windows 2000's most anticipated features involve more powerful, effective, remote and unattended Windows client management. Windows 2000 Deployment and Desktop Management, written by one of the most experienced practitioners in the business, shows experienced administrators how to implement these technologies on their own networks. It is geared towards experience System Administrators, System Integrators, System Engineers and other IT professionals who are responsible for rolling out Windows 2000 Professional in an enterprise environment. This book focuses on the business drivers and in-depth technical requirements necessary to deploy Windows 2000 Professional to corporate workstation. The goal is to provide a strategy guide during the planning and implementation phases of roll-out, as well as technical reference throughout these phases and continuing into post-install support of the Windows 2000 Professional environment from a desktop management perspective.

About the Author

Jeffrey A. Ferris, MCSE, currently works as Systems Engineer for a large technology firm in Austin, Texas, where his responsibilities include technical development for emerging technologies, focusing on implementation recommendations and deployment of the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system.

Jeffrey has been working with computers since just after learning to walk, focusing on operating systems deployments and Windows NT enterprise technologies for the past six years. Prior to moving to Texas, Jeffrey was an associate consultant with Celeritas Technologies, LLC, a prominent consulting firm in the Kansas City area. While in Kansas, Jeffrey fulfilled a critical role in the development and implementation of the first nationwide rollout of a Windows NT 4.0 domain architecture for the Call Center Services division of Sprint Communications Company, L.P. This is Jeffrey's fifth published work; he has co-authored four other titles covering Windows NT Server 4.0, Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise, A+, and Network+ certification exams. Jeffrey can be reached online at jeff@ferristech.net; a companion Web site for this book can be found at ferristech/win2k/.

ISBN-10

0735709750
ISBN-13

978-0735709751
Edition

1st
Publisher

New Riders Pub
Publication date

January 1, 2000
Language

English
Dimensions

7 x 1 x 9 inches
Print length

371 pages
See all details

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Riders Pub; 1st edition (January 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 371 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0735709750
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0735709751
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.38 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1 x 9 inches

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Jase T. Wolfe

Essential for Deployment

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2001

Verified Purchase

In preparation for deploying Windows 2000 for my company, I bought the Windows 2000 RSK, and I read the 1100+ pages of the RSK's Deployment Planning Guide. I spent many a frustrated day in the lab pawing through all of the dry reading Microsoft provides in the RSK, the on-line help and the KB - and then I discovered this book.
The book assumes you're an administrator and have experience in integration - and that Windows 2000 isn't a stranger to you. Almost every question you run into while you plan and test your deployment is answered in the 375 pages - in plain, simple English. When you move past the section devoted to deployment planning, strategies and options, the book delivers a great section on post-deployment policies and administration. To add the final touch, the reference section provides an invaluable resource for such things as the syntax to the automated install answer file and even common file extensions.
My only regret is that I didn't read this book first. I could have saved myself so much time. The knowledge this book delivers to you is essential and will assist you in a successful deployment. If you're planning a Windows 2000 rollout - you need this book.

2 people found this helpful

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Robert Aschermann

Windows 2000 Support and Deployment - The Real Deal

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2000

Windows 2000 represents a significant departure from previous Microsoft operating systems. The move from Windows NT 3.51 to Windows NT 4.0 was incremental. The leap from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000 will require a whole new set of skills. This is due in part to the number of new technologies being bundled with Windows 2000. Without books like the one written by Mr. Ferris, many technology professionals will be caught unprepared.Mr. Ferris uses his rapier like wit to cut through the Microsoft marketing machine exposing all of the triumphs and short comings of Windows 2000. Don't be surprised to find yourself "getting it" a page or two later. There's your world, there's the world according to Microsoft, then there is Mr. Ferris's world. Watch out when all three come together...
Mr. Ferris's book is well suited for Systems Integrators, Systems Engineers, technical Project Managers, and other technically oriented managers. If this is the first technology book you've ever read, or if you're just looking for a quick rundown of the Windows 2000 buzzwords, put this book down and move on down the shelf (look for the thin books with lots of color screen shots). On the other hand, if you're looking for an excellent Windows 2000 reference with lots of discussion and "how-to" mixed in, grab this book and run, don't walk to checkout stand! The technologists in the audience will not be disappointed. Mr. Ferris relates Windows 2000 technologies to existing Windows NT 4.0 technologies where appropriate, and uses a number of creative techniques to explain new technologies that have no good direct relationships to earlier technologies. This being said, the book does not suffer from techno-babble.
Even a "green" Systems Engineer should be able to implement a given technology using the straightforward step-by-step approaches provided in the book. Mr. Ferris does not miss an opportunity to point out where Microsoft and the real world differ on technology implementations. This book is full of real world solution to real world problems. Don't be surprised to find yourself using portions of this book as a blue print for a solution to a problem you are facing right now.
The Book's number one strength is a firm grounding in reality as opposed to relying on theory. The techniques presented in this book have been tested, and in many cases, implemented in a production environment. Another strength of the book is its flexibility. The book serves equally well as a technology reference and as a technology primer. You can quickly get a definition or an in depth discussion for any number of technologies. Finally, Mr. Ferris's writing style is both to the point and entertaining. It would be a stretch to say this book is a joy to read, but compared to many technology books that would have you trying to slit your wrists with the dust cover after the second chapter, this book reads like a Tom Clancy novel. O.K. ,in Mr. Ferris's case, maybe more like a Stephen King novel.

9 people found this helpful

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T. OBrien

A light at the end of our deployment

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2004

Researching information and procedures for our W2K deployment, where I quickly grew tired of installing the OS & applications on each PC by hand. Half way through this book I was overjoyed, seeing a light at the end of the tunnel - and the tunnel is not on fire. The text is clearly written, helping me pull together all the other information I had read. Having a set of concise directions on using SysPrep was an excellent addition to the book. The information on Group Policy & the Group Policy Editor could be a godsend to locking down the customer computers and enhancing the user environment for my coworkers.
Most of the technology books I have read have been forced - forcing myself to read and understand the text, either for a work or personal project. This text was surprisingly an enjoyable read. It appears that this is the author's first book - I hope he keeps writing, and his results are as good as this title.

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Rogue Akita

Must read if you are responsible for W2K deployments.

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2000

This book is an invaluable resource if you are involved in the deployment of Windows 2000. It is well written with excellent examples provided. It is obvious that the author has a lot of hands on experience with the subject matter and is able to share them with his readers. A must read.

4 people found this helpful

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Mark Jenkins

An excellent resource for rolling out Windows 2K

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2000

This book has helped me in planning Windows 2000 deployments. Mr. Ferris has shown to be an expert in the subject matter through his knowledge of enterprise implementation. The book includes many examples and helps to show the pros and cons of each methodology. Highly recommended!

5 people found this helpful

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