Introduction

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Microsoft Windows Command Line Administrator’s Pocket Consultant is designed to be a concise and compulsively usable resource for Windows administrators. This is the readable resource guide that you’ll want on your desk or in your pocket at all times. The book discusses everything you need to perform the core administrative tasks using the Windows command line. Because the focus is directed to providing you with the maximum value in a pocket-sized guide, you don’t have to wade through hundreds of pages of extraneous information to find what you’re looking for. Instead, you’ll find exactly what you need to get the job done.

In short, the book is designed to be the one resource you consult whenever you have questions regarding Windows command-line administration. To this end, the book concentrates on daily administration procedures, frequently used tasks, documented examples, and options that are representative but not necessarily inclusive. One of the goals is to keep the content so concise that the book remains compact and easy to navigate while ensuring that the book is packed with as much information as possible—making it a valuable resource. Thus, instead of a hefty 1,000-page tome or a lightweight 100-page quick reference, you get a valuable resource guide that can help you quickly and easily perform common tasks, solve problems, and implement such advanced administration areas as automated monitoring, memory leak analysis, disk partitioning, Active Directory management, and network troubleshooting.

Who Is This Book For?

Microsoft Windows Command Line Administrator’s Pocket Consultant covers Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional. The book is designed for

• Current Windows Server 2003 administrators

• Support staff who maintain Windows XP Professional systems

• Accomplished users who have some administrator responsibilities

• Administrators upgrading to Windows Server from previous versions

• Administrators transferring from other platforms

To pack in as much information as possible, I had to assume that you have basic networking skills and a basic understanding of Windows and that Windows is already installed on your systems. With this in mind, I don’t devote entire chapters to understanding Windows architecture, installing Windows, or Windows startup and shutdown. I do, however, cover scheduling tasks, monitoring Windows sys tems, managing accounts, administering network services, and much more.

I also assume that you are fairly familiar with Windows commands and proce dures as well as the Windows user interface. If you need help learning Windows basics, you should read the Windows documentation.

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