Windows Server 2008: The Definitive Guide: All You Need to Manage and Administer Windows Server 2008

by Jonathan Hassell

This practical guide has exactly what you need to work with Windows Server 2008. Inside, you'll find step-by-step procedures for using all of the major components, along with discussions on complex concepts such as Active Directory replication, DFS namespaces and replication, network access protection, the Server Core edition, Windows PowerShell, server clustering, and more. All of this with a more compact presentation and a tighter focus on tasks than you'll find in bulkier references.Windows Server 2008: The Definitive Guide takes a refreshing approach. You won't find the history of Windows NT, or discussions on the way things used to work. Instead, you get only the information you need to use this server. If you're a beginning or intermediate system administrator, you learn how the system works, and how to administer machines running it. The expert administrators among you discover new concepts and components outside of your realm of expertise.Simply put, this is the most thorough reference available for Windows Server 2008, with complete guides the server in a variety of different environmentsFile services and the Windows permission structureHow the domain name system (DNS) worksActive Directory, including its logical and physical structure, hierarchical components, scalability, and replicationGroup Policy's structure and operationManaging security policy with predefined templates and customized policy plansArchitectural improvements, new features, and daily administration of IIS 7Terminal Services from both the administrator's user's point of viewNetworking architecture including DNS, DHCP, VPN, RADIUS server, IAS, and IPSecWindows clustering services --- applications, grouping machines, capacity and network planning, user account managementWindows PowerShell scripting and command-line technologyWith Windows Server 2008: The Definitive Guide, you to come away with a firm understanding of what's happening under the hood, but without the sense that you're taking a graduate course in OS theory. If you intend to work with this server, this is the only book you need.

494 pages, ebook

First published March 17, 2008

Reviews

[Greg Stearns · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book is a bit misleading. It's really an update to Jonathan Hassell's Learning Windows Server 2003 yet O'Reilly has decided to put it under their Definitive Guide series. Some of the chapters are almost exactly the same as the '03 book.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, as I felt his descriptions were solid enough to get a general idea and in these areas MS hasn't changed much that the admin would notice. And if you didn't read the previous book, it is a good idea to give these sections a read anyway. Some major changes in '08 are called out, but it still helps to skim the text. And if you didn't read the previous book, it is a good idea to give these sections a read anyway. Even in areas where the material is minimally changed, some of the examples and diagrams are updated and made clearer.

Server 2008 features such as IIS 7, PowerShell, and Hyper-V are given their own chapters which give decent introductions to topics which rightly have their own books.

I still suggest having a much larger and hopefully searchable book on standby when you finish this book and start putting the OS to work. I would also suggest separate books on AD, Group Policy, IIS, etc as necessary. Why not just buy those thick books to begin with and skip this skinny 450 page book (150 pages slimmer than the previous edition)? It's all about top-down thinking. I like having an accessible introductory text that will let me start tinkering on my own and build context before going into a deep dive.