MCSA/MCSE 70-290 Exam Prep: Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment (2nd Edition)

Windows Server 2003 system administration is a task-based responsibility that requires you to rely on the tools and utilities at your disposal. If you are unfamiliar with your tools, you cannot perform the required tasks.

Just as a handyman needs the right tool for a particular job, you need to know which tools can perform which functions. In the following sections, we walk through some of the management tools included with Windows Server 2003. In addition to reviewing the discussion in this chapter, you should take the time to work with the tools themselves. Hands-on experience is invaluable and cannot be substituted. You also may want to review the online help documentation included in the tools, as well as the following material:

• Microsoft Technical Information Network (TechNet) A monthly CD-based publication that delivers numerous electronic titles on Windows products. Its offerings include all the Microsoft Resource Kits (see next bullet), product facts, technical notes, tools, utilities, the entire Microsoft Knowledge Base, as well as service packs, drivers, and patches. A single-user license to TechNet costs $299 per year (TechNet Plus, which includes Beta and Evaluation versions of Microsoft products, costs $499), but it is well worth the price. For more details, visit www.microsoft.com/technet/ and check out the information under the TechNet Subscription heading in the About TechNet menu entry.

• Microsoft Press Resource Kits Available on nearly all major products from Microsoft. The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit and the Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit are essential references for Windows information. Both book sets come with CD-ROMs that contain useful tools. Visit http://mspress.microsoft.com for additional information on the resource kits.

Additional resources that provide information about Windows Server 2003 are also available. For instance, a quick search at www.amazon.com using the phrase "Windows Server 2003" turns up a list of additional references on this subject.