Getting Microsoft Windows Server 2003 up and running, either as a standalone or as part of a multi-site, multi-server network is a formidable task for anyone. O'Reilly's no-nonsense guide, Learning Windows Server 2003, 2nd Edition, gives you just what you need to get the job done. It provides you with the nuts and bolts for installing, configuring, securing, and managing Windows Server 2003-plus, it has been completely updated for Service Pack 1 and release R2.

Learning Windows Server 2003, 2nd Edition includes just enough theory for you to understand how the different features and systems work in this latest version of Windows. You'll come away with a firm understanding of what's happening under the hood of the system, but without feeling like you're taking a graduate course in OS theory. After its high-level overview, the book offers complete discussions and treatments of all of Server 2003's major components. You'll learn how to:

• install Windows Server 2003
  

• create and manage user accounts (with particular attention to Active Directory)
  

• manage access to system resources, such as printers and files
  

• configure and manage its numerous major subsystems

The book also features step-by-step procedures and discussions of complex concepts such as patch management, Active Directory replication, DFS namespaces and replication, network access quarantining, server clustering, Group Policy and other security tools, and IIS6 web server.

Whether you're an experienced system administrator or one who's just beginning, you'll turn to this practical guide again and again when you need to understand the massive product that is Windows Server 2003.