Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed

July 1, 2003
Microsoft's April launch of Windows Server 2003 signaled a newer, modular strategy; the company intends to continue delivering additional components for at least six months postlaunch. This means that libraries, though needing to invest in guides to the new server OS, may need to upgrade more quickly than in the past for coverage of newer components. These four titles will help start the collection. Intended for Windows Server 2000 administrators who need to update their skills, Delta Guide eschews the basics for changes in the new OS, beginning with selecting an edition and moving through interface and policy changes, security enhancements, new command line tools, and more. Online sidebars bring users up to speed in areas where their Win2k knowledge is lacking. Buy in conjunction with more thorough guides that also address the needs of beginning administrators. Beginner's Guide and Teach Yourself target beginning administrators, teaching via step-by-step chapters. In Beginner's, the notes and "Ask the Expert" sidebars add useful info, progress checks mid-chapter help break up lengthy prose, and projects and mastery checks close chapters. Teach ends chapters with a summary and Q&A and includes similar notes and asides, falling somewhat short in explaining what to do when its step-by-step instructions fail. Beginner's, for example, goes by degrees through setting up nonplug and play printers, while Teach merely directs readers to the Add Printer Wizard. Both are good bets for all libraries. Meanwhile, Unleashed is a comprehensive reference for intermediate to advanced administrators. Lists of best practices contain tips to keep servers running smoothly, along with rules and recommendations integrated into each chapter; larger libraries can consider.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.