Audience

Beginning to intermediate system administrators most certainly will find this book a very helpful reference to learning how Windows Server 2003 works and the different ways to administer machines running that operating system. This book has step-by-step procedures, discussions of complex concepts such as Active Directory replication, network access quarantining, and server clustering. Although I've eliminated material that isn't relevant to day-to-day administration, you still will find the chapters full of useful information.

Advanced system administrators also might find this book useful for discovering new concepts and components outside of their realm of expertise. I've found that senior system administrators often focus on one or two specific areas of a product and are less familiar with other areas of the OS. This book will provide a steppingstone for further exploration and study of secondary parts of the operating system.

One other item to mention: throughout the book I've tried to highlight the use of the command-line in addition to (or in some cases, as opposed to) graphical ways to accomplish tasks. Command-lines, in my opinion, are fabulous for quickly and efficiently getting things done, and they provide a great basis for launching into scripting repetitive tasks. Microsoft has done an excellent job of integrating command-line functions into this revision of Windows and I've attempted to do the effort justice within the text. But that shouldn't shy you away from this book if you are a GUI aficionado: you'll still find everything you're accustomed to within this volume.