Introduction

Troubleshooting is something we all wish we'd never have to do, but more often than not, we find ourselves doing it. Knowing how to properly troubleshoot and perform repairs on servers and client computers is critical for an administrator and is a task that should not be taken lightly. Knowing how to look ahead to identify problems before they occur is even more important. Unfortunately, identifying impending problems is a fine art learned over time with practice and patience.

During the course of this chapter, we look at methods to recover servers should disaster strike (despite your best efforts) and at means for identifying and correcting problems before they occur. A good understanding of these two areas will go a long way toward making your life as an administrator a happier one.