This post originated from an RSS feed registered with .NET Buzz by Darrell Norton. Original Post: Review of Learning Windows Server 2003 by Jonathan Hassell Feed Title: Darrell Norton's Blog Feed URL: /error.htm?aspxerrorpath=/blogs/darrell.norton/Rss.aspx Feed Description: Agile Software Development: Scrum, XP, et al with .NET Latest .NET Buzz Posts Latest .NET Buzz Posts by Darrell Norton Latest Posts From Darrell Norton's Blog

I was so excited about my MVP announcement that I neglected to mention that I passed the 70-296 exam to upgrade my MCSE to include Windows Server 2003 on April 1^st. As always when studying for certification exams, I looked to review and enhance my knowledge by checking out a good book or two on the subject. In this case Learning Windows Server 2003 by Jonathan Hassell happened to have just been added to O’Reilly’s Safari Bookshelf, so I put it on my virtual bookshelf.

Jonathan talks all about the mechanics of doing things in Windows Server 2003, which I really like. He walks you through things step by step, explaining Windows nuances from personal experience. For example, take this piece from setting up Active Directory (Safari link: chapter 5, section 2):

“You have three options at this point: you can rerun the test if you've identified your specific problem and want to re-test; you can instruct Active Directory to go ahead and install the DNS service on this computer, configure it correctly, and change this computer's LAN connection properties so that it points to itself for DNS services; or you can tell Active Directory, "To hell with DNS! Go ahead!" and proceed without having verified that DNS is installed and accessible. Let me offer a caution: do not use the second or third options.”

Things like this are great. And here I was thinking “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” Seriously though, this book won’t teach you how to design an Active Directory network, but it will teach you what you need to know to setup, run, and manage most of what’s available on Windows Server 2003. And it’s not too long, weighing in at 704 pages, but that does include a good number of screenshots.